NFL Postseason Week 1 Betting: Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers Pick and Prediction
On Saturday, a re-match of one of the best games in Week 17 will take place. This time, the game will take place in Green Bay, at Lambeau Field, between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. These two teams are the top two within the NFC North. The Green Bay Packers won the division with an 11-5 record, while the Vikings were 10-6. The Packers won the first meeting between these two teams, while Minnesota won the game at home last week.
The Minnesota Vikings are led by the best running back in all of the NFL. Adrian Peterson fell just a few yards short of the all time rushing record. Despite that, Peterson is a candidate for the Most Valuable Player award. The running back were 6-6, before winning their final four games of the season. Despite winning four in a row, the Vikings had to win the final game of the season to make the postseason. Minnesota ranked 31st out of 32 teams in the league in passing yards.
The Green Bay Packers are a season removed from winning the Super Bowl. The Packers won the Super Bowl in February of 2011, and saw New York take that role last season. Green Bay started the season with a 2-3 record, including the replacement officials game against the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Rodgers and James Jons were a dangerous combination all season connecting for 14 touchdown passes. The running game for Green Bay was not great, as Aaron Rodgers led the team with two touchdown runs. The Packers ranked 9th in the NFL with 251 passing yards per game. Green Bay lost just one game at home all season.
Odds and Sports Betting Line
- Minnesota Vikings +9.5
- Green Bay Packers -9.5
Free Prediction and Pick
This should be quite interesting. The Packers are still frustrated after losing their home court advantage from a week ago. If the Packers had beaten the Vikings, they would not be playing this game, and would be at home next week. Green Bay will want to get off to a great start, and then let one of the best home crowds in the league take over. We like the Green Bay Packers to win this game by two scores; 10 points.
Prediction: Green Bay Packers 31-21
Green Bay is -9.5 in this game. We like Minnesota to get off to a slow start, as the Green Bay crowd slows down Peterson, which makes an inexperienced quarterback in Christian Ponder throw the ball more than he wants to. The Packers will then take care of the football and come away with a win in this game. We are betting the Green Bay Packers cover this -9.5 point spread.
Pick: Green Bay Packers -9.5
NFL Postseason Week 1 Betting: Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens Pick and Prediction
The Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens will get together on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore. The Indianapolis Colts come into the game as the fifth seed in the AFC. The Colts are coming off a big win over divisional rival Houston on Sunday. Indianapolis won 11 games during the 2012 regular season. For the Ravens, they come into the game as the winner of the AFC North. Baltimore went 10-6, but struggled down the stretch, including a loss to Cincinnati last week.
The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the biggest surprises in all of the National Football League. Andrew Luck, in his rookie season has been fantastic for Indianapolis, passing for 23 touchdowns and over 4,300 passing yards. The Colts top receiver was Reggie Wayne, who caught 106 passes and 5 touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton had a huge breakout season for Indianapolis, leading the team with 7 touchdown receptions. Indianapolis passed for 258 yards per game, and ran for 104.4. The Colts went 5-3 on the road during the regular season.
The Baltimore Ravens were 9-2, and at the top of all of the NFL. The Ravens lost to the Steelers, which was their first of four losses in five games. The Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed 317 of 531 passes for 3,817 yards and 32 touchdowns. The Baltimore running back Ray Rice ran the football 257 times for over 1,140 yards and 9 touchdowns. The two top receivers for Baltimore were Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. The combination caught 12 touchdowns on the season.
Odds and Sports Betting Line
- Baltimore Ravens -6.5
- Indianapolis Colts +6.5
Free Prediction and Pick
This should be an excellent postseason game. Baltimore went 6-2 in games played at home this season. Baltimore in the past was a very intimidating defensive team. This season, with injuries, and aging, the Ravens defense has not been nearly as touch as past seasons. The Colts are playing in their first postseason game for the first time for many of the players, including quarterback Andrew Luck. Indianapolis will keep this game close. Look for this game to come down to the end of the game, where the home crowd will come into play.
Prediction: Baltimore Colts 24-21
What a great game this should be. The Colts are almost a touchdown underdog in this game. This is a team that has been counted out a ton of times this season. Baltimore is -6.5, despite losing four of their last five games. We look for this game to be closer than most of the experts say. While we think the Ravens will win the game, we are expecting the Indianapolis Colts to cover this spread, as the underdog.
Pick: Indianapolis Colts +6.5
NFL Week 15 Betting: San Francisco 49ers @ New England Patriots Pick and Prediction
The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots will get together on Sunday Night Football. San Francisco leads the NFC West with a 9-3-1 record. The Patriots are also leading their division; the AFC East with a 10-3 record. Both of these teams heading into Week 15 would be the second seed in their conference. The 49ers are coming off a home win over Miami, while the Patriots picked up a huge Monday Night win over the Houston Texans.
The Patriots are red hot right now. They have won seven straight games and have the highest point differential in all of the NFL. The Patriots are coming off their big win on national TV and would like to repeat that in Week 15. New England continues to play with Tom Brady under center. The best quarterback in the last decade has thrown for nearly 4,000 yards this season. New England adds a solid running back duo in Stevan Ridley, who has 10 touchdowns. The Patriots continue to play without their top tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is out with a broken forearm.
The San Francisco 49ers came back from their overtime loss to St. Louis with a nice win over the Dolphins. Now San Francisco wants to run the table and receive a first round bye in the postseason. The 49ers are the second best running team in all of the league with nearly 162 yards per game. Frank Gore has been the beast, with over 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns. San Francisco has seen both Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis catch five touchdown passes. The 49ers have two divisional foes remaining on their 2012 regular season schedule.
Odds and Sports Betting Line
- San Francisco 49ers +5.5
- New England Patriots -5.5
Free Prediction and Pick
This is going to be an excellent football game. The schedule makers did a great job scheduling this game, especially this late in the season. There is no doubt, the Patriots are an offense first team, while San Francisco is one of the best defensive teams in the league. Tom Brady will be challenged by the San Francsico defense. The Ptriots defense has been better as of late, and will create alot of havoc for Collin Kaepernick. Look for New England to score early, and often and come away with a win in this game.
Prediction: New England Patriots 27-17
The Patriots are nearly a touchdown favorite in this game. New England is listed at -5.5 to start the week. We like San Francisco to stay around for a little bit, but in the end, the defense of the 49ers will wear down, and Brady will continue tossing touchdowns. We are taking the New England Patriots -5.5 in this game.
Pick: New England Patriots -5.5