... and then there were 4. Some may view last week's divisional round as a bit of a comedown after the heady action of wildcard week (with all the favourites winning, and all but one of the games over some time before the final drive, they have a point), but it was still a great weekend of football - and this week's match ups should leave mouths watering.
I went a flawless 4-0 outright (although I did wimp out and take all the favourites), and a not too shabby 2-1-1 on the spread, with my SFBOTW ultimately hitting with ease (although it looked in serious doubt there for a long time).
Wildcard:
Outright = 4-0
Spread = 2-1-1
SFBOTW = 1-0
2013/14:
Outright = 171-94
Spread = 134-126-5
SFBOTW = 11-8
Animal Corner = 3-1
All Time:
Outright = 337-185
Spread = 274-240-8
SFBOTW = 19-16-1
Animal Corner = 7-3-1
Sunday 20:00
Patriots @ Broncos -5.5
New England destroyed the Colts off the back of a breakout performance from Blount, and it a clear warning sign when they score 43 points without Brady throwing a single TD. The Broncos on the other hand were looking even more dominate before allowing Keenan Allen to almost shock them in the 4th quarter, ultimately having to rely on a clutch drive from Manning to keep the clock ticking to victory and prevent OT.
Whilst most people will be high on the Broncos (no pun intended) at home, I think the Pats have more than enough to match them here. Their bruising running game will test Denver in a way the Mathews-less Chargers couldn't, and it is very hard to count Belichick and Brady out. I'm no Patriots fan by any stretch, but I have a gut feeling they'll pull off an upset here.
With a spread of 5.5 I'm obviously going to be very happy backing NE with the points. I'm not obliged to give a Sure Fire Bet when the options get so low, but I'll brand it with one anyway - I'm that confident it will be a close one.
Patriots +5.5 (and to win) SFBOTW
Sunday 23:30
49ers @ Seahawks -3.5
A match up that makes Brady and Manning's rivalry look like an exhibition game, this heated grudge match is sure to get even more intense when the prize is a Super Bowl berth. With both teams winning fairly comfortably in the divisional round (even if it wasn't always one way traffic in either game) you could make a legitimate case for both Seattle and SF being the more deserving in this one.
If this was in SF or on neutral territory I would argue this is a finely balanced affair. Seattle, whilst impressive, are vulnerable on the interior of their offensive line - and San Fran will need their own offence to be on point in order to score against Seattle's elite defence. However, with the game being at Century Link (where Wilson is 16-1) the 'Hawks clearly have the edge in my mind. We might not see any more Beast-quakes, but the noise should rattle the Niners just enough to give the home side the advantage.
All that aside, I'm not sure there are two more similarly built teams in the league right now, and in a game where two superlative defences go head to head (not literally) it will likely be whichever side's offence manages to take it's chances the most effectively. I like the 'Hawks to grab this and head into the SB favourites to hoist the Lombardi.
The spread is small, but in a game this tight it could well be the difference. That said, I think I still like Seattle to cover, but tweaking it a half point extra their way would make me feel a lot safer.
Seahawks -3.5
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