Sports Interaction betting analyst Frank Doyle runs the rule over the matchups for the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend.
No team looks as much like a victim coming into the Wild Card weekend as Arizona. Arizona is in the playoffs by virtue of being the champion of the NFC West, which is one of those quirks that still exist in the NFL. Arizona is in the playoffs with a 9-7 record, while New England watches on TV with an 11-5 record.
More worryingly for Arizona fans, only one of those nine wins came against a team that’s also in the playoffs. Arizona went 6-0 in the division, and also beat Dallas, Buffalo and Miami. And the win over Miami came on September 14 – if Miami were playing Arizona at the weekend, how do you think it’d go now?
By contrast, Atlanta is the team that everybody sits back and admires in the league right now. Matt Ryan is struggling down the stretch but when Michael “The Burner” Turner’s got your back, what need have you to fear? Even if Atlanta has an off-day, it’s hard, really hard, to see Arizona have an on-day. Atlanta -2.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Indianapolis at San Diego is an interesting one, because of the momentum that both teams have built up, getting to the playoffs after an inauspicious start. You could say that San Diego’s momentum is greater because theirs was the greater struggle to get here, but that’s just an indication of how much the football public takes Peyton Manning – my pick for MVP – for granted. Indianapolis has won nine straight to get here, and I don’t think that’s about to stop. Indianapolis -1.5 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
On Sunday, it looks like a done deal in Miami to me. Baltimore ate up the Dolphins when they met in the regular season, and it’s hard to see what’s changed to stop a repeat of that. Everybody’s loved what Miami has done this season, but here it ends. Baltimore -3.0 with Sports Interaction is the pick.
Finally, the Metrodome. Normally, when I’m betting, I don’t bet on teams that can let you down, irrespective of how strong the evidence in their favor is. It’s a matter of trust. But with Philly and the Vikings, you can’t trust either of them, really. But right now, I trust the Vikings more than I trust the Eagles. Minnesota +3.0 with Sports Interaction is the pick.