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Green Bay Packers

Picks Six-Divisionals

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Hello there and welcome to another edition of The Picks Six, back again for (super) Divisional Weekend. Sadly, only four games this weekend and, horrifyingly, only 3 more after sunday night. That said, it does mean we’re coming to the business end of the season, and the remaining 8 teams all know they’re just 3 wins away from the ultimate goal of lifting the Lombardi trophy in SuperBowl LV. This weekend’s matchups are absolutely mouthwatering, with one-on-one spectacles like Jalen Ramsey vs Davante Adams, ultimate draft comparison with Lamar and Josh Allen, two of the greatest QBs ever going up against each other… oh and Tom Brady vs Drew Brees. You will all respect Baker vs Mahomes. You will. Let’s talk briefly about each game, and my pick for each of them.

Rams @ Packers 

The headline grabbing matchup between star cornerback and star receiver aside, this still feels like the ultimate game of offense vs defense. Despite the Packers’ alleged struggles against the run, they haven’t allowed a 100 yard rusher in almost two months at this point, and have tightened things up significantly on the back end, whilst their fearless leader continues to shred opposing defences en route to his MVP award. Rodgers has truly been peerless, and enjoyed his bye week whilst Aaron Donald was slightly injuring his ribs against Russell Wilson. You can probably guess where I’m leaning with this one: I just can’t see the Rams being able to score enough to beat this Packers team. If they get another defensive score – like the Pick 6 last week – they’d have a shot, but Rodgers has Adams, Tonyan, Jones, and the deep-threat of Valdez-Scantling and for me those weapons are too many to defend. Cam Akers has given the Rams some nice late season production in the latter stages of the season, and Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are a great pair of receivers, but is Jared Goff 100%? Surely he can’t be. If Blake Bortles had been there more this season, he might be given a shot, but it feels unlikely they’ll throw him in unless Goff’s thumb is really struggling. 

Therefore, I ask the question: can you beat Aaron Rodgers without a QB? Maybe. I saw this week that Aaron Rodgers is 0-2 in the playoffs against the number one ranked pass defense… which this season is the LA Rams. Jalen Ramsey’s stats are insane, but will need every bit of his smarts to stay with Davante Adams. I think the Packers will find special ways to get Adams the ball – he’s too good to not be involved, despite Ramsey’s attention. I don’t think this will be a back and forth shootout and if I wasn’t morally opposed to betting the under, I would suggest doing that. However, as it stands, with the line at -6.5, I like Green Bay to win and move on to the NFC Title game.

Ravens @ Titans 

Ooooooh this game. Saturday night football is electric. Lamar finally got the playoff monkey off his back with the revenge victory against Tennessee, and the Ravens will ride into Buffalo high on confidence and with a mean streak in tow. However, this isn’t the same old Bills team. This is Josh Allen’s Bills team. His partnership with Stefon Diggs is truly Box Office, and that Bills D is showing up late in the season like it should. Buffalo’s run game took a bit of a hit with the injury to Zack Moss, but really Buffalo’s most dangerous runner is… their main passer. Allen is so dangerous in the RedZone, and can create hell for defensive coordinators. That said, the Bills have struggled against the run, and the Ravens seem to want to run over everyone that’s put in front of them, and have done so successfully for about 6 weeks now. I love the one-two punch of JK Dobbins and Jackson in the backfield with their speed and shiftiness, and the threat of Mark Andrews and Hollywood Brown down the field. Baltimore are flying right now, but Sean McDermott has something special cooking in Buffalo.

I do feel that Buffalo wins this game, and I like a lot of points to be scored here. Bills Mafia will show up and be loud and I think will help propel Josh Allen to his second playoff win in two weeks. I think this will be a great game, with these two young star QBs showing why they are two of the new faces of the league. MVP Lamar will have his moments here, but I think the quality of Diggs down the field, with the underneath ability of Cole Beasley and (potential breakout star) Gabriel Davis, will give the Bills what they need to win this shootout.

Browns @ Chiefs 

The Baker vs Mahomes story has been told a thousand times, but that doesn’t make it any less enchanting. Mahomes visited Texas Tech and stayed with Baker, before becoming the Tech QB when Mayfield had transferred to Oklahoma. Then came the absolutely INSANE 66-59 game in October 2016. The game still holds almost every NCAA record for offensive statistics. The number one pick for Cleveland, vs the man Andy Reid and the Chiefs were so enamoured with they traded up to take him, and eventually pushed Alex Smith aside to complete his ascension. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been an absolute powerhouse for multiple years now, and are the reigning SuperBowl champions for a reason. And, guess what? They’re better than they were last year. However, it’s been two decades since the Cleveland Browns were even approaching being as good as they are right now. Will there be a more confident team this weekend than the Browns? They just beat up their big brother and broke the curse at Heinz Field that’s lasted over 17 years. Not to mention, this is their first playoff appearance in about that long. On the face of it, this is David vs Goliath, and Vegas seems to agree – with the Browns 10 point underdogs. I see two options in this game. Either the Browns control the clock with the two-headed monster in the run game, and keep it close, or the Chiefs offense does what it does and scores 45 points against an under matched Cleveland secondary. Kansas City is so explosive, you can’t rule it out. 

That said, with the momentum from last week, I believe in Baker and the Browns. Do I believe they’ll win the game? … not entirely. But I absolutely believe the game will be close. Baker is playing REALLY well and will continue to put his team in a position to have a chance in this game. Kevin Stefanski’s return to the sidelines will only help the Browns case. The points line is 57!!! Insanely high, so I’ll leave that, but this could well end up being a shootout. That said, Browns +10.0 looks good to me. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if there IS an upset in KC… you’ve been warned.

Buccaneers @ Saints 

Brees vs Brady is a lovely way to end the weekend. Undoubtedly, Brady has been the more successful Quarterback, and yet Brees seems to be the one holding all the individual NFL league records. I saw a stat that says Tom Brady has the same number of playoff wins against the NFC as Drew Brees does… and Brady previous to this year only got to play the NFC in the SuperBowl… Yikes for Drew. Brees’ regular season success has been matched by the levels of playoff heartbreak he and New Orleans have had to endure the past decade. The Minneapolis miracle, the non-call of the PI against the Rams… I feel for the Saints. I really do. And just when they feel like they’ve got everything to make the Super Bowl again… Tom Brady joins the division. Ouch. Credit to the Saints, they’ve beaten these Buccaneers twice this year already, but the old saying goes “it’s hard to beat a team 3 times…” So maybe the Buccaneers can get their revenge? The Bucs are in a much different place now to when the Saints handled them easily around ⅔ of the season mark. Bruce Arians seems to have figured out how to make the most out of the pieces he’s got. I mean, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, PLUS Gronk and Brate the Tight Ends… The Buccaneers have many different ways they can beat you, especially if they get the “old” Leonard Fournette like they appeared to last week against Washington.

This game is such a toss up for me right now. I’ve been a proponent of the Saints, and a disregard-er of the Bucs for most of this year, but I might have to jump (to the pirate) ship right now. Brady looks good, and the sheer number of weapons the Bucs have is terrifying. The way the Saints win this game is lean on Alvin Kamara, take the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands, and hope their D-Line can wreck the Tampa Bay game plan. That said, I think this is high-scoring and the Buccaneers keep it close. This will be a great Sunday night cap. I would only be surprised if this game was a blowout one way or the other. And whoever wins… gets Aaron Rodgers next week. Oooooooh tasty.

The Parlay

Combining the picks from above, £10 on the following four leg parlay pays about £450 depending on your bookmaker.

Green Bay -6.5

Over 49.0 points & Buffalo -2.5 

Cleveland +10.0

Over 52.0 points & Tampa Bay +3.0

Enjoy the games everybody! As always I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter & Instagram. Come say hey. Let’s get these Championships won next weekend and look forward to the Super Bowl. Stay safe and stay sane. 

Callum Squires is a diehard Dolphins fan, writer, and friend of NFL in London. 

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Divisional Preview

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The wet and wacky NFL Wildcard weekend is now behind us, as we head into the final stretch with our Divisional Preview podcast.
Very few people correctly predicted the winners last weekend thanks to the plucky play of the Rams, and the vroom vroom of the Browns ‘Corvette.’
Wade & Ryan both chose the Steelers to topple the Browns (as did many) thus screwing their perfect playoff pools.

In this podcast the guys reflect on the all of the scores from the Wild-Wildcard Weekend that was for the first week of January 2021 in the NFL. The go through all of the scores, as well as lament some of the bonehead plays that got us there.
Wade spends a bit of time bitching about his Bears, and how close they kept it, although never within the reach of noodle-arm Trubisky.

Among some of the other news the boys discuss in this podcast includes:

Deshaun Watson

DW wants out of Houston, and who can blame him. Despite being the leader of the franchise, at times the organisation treats him like a ginger step-kid who abused the family dog. There is an utter lack of respect for a club that was going to do everything in their power to support him. Now that Deshaun wants to leave the Texans, loads of other teams are lining up to sign up to his services. Is it too late for the Texans to keep him happy, or will he be on his way?

Nagy & Pace

The Bears have brought back their GM and HC for another bash at the NFC North. It was felt that although the Bears did slip into 6 straight losses, the way that these guys recovered was enough to show that they have the skills to manage the team in the future. Tell that to thousands of angry residents of Chicago.

Dead Doug

Doug Pederson is dead. Not literally, just to Philly fans. Turns out his little exercise at trying out his backups during the last game of the season might not have been so wise after all. Doug is out, and you wonder who the heck wants the Philly coaching job? You have to eat Carson’s bloated contract and live up to the hype of a Super Bowl win within a decades reach.

Divisional Games

LA Rams vs Packers
Packers -7  +45.5

It’s Aaron vs Aaron as the boys can talk about how much they were teased as children with an ambiguous name. Kidding aside, this will be a good ole snow fight, as the Packers look to feast on LA after a relaxing bye week off.
How did LA get here? No…really. The Rams beat a hyped up Seahawks team with no QB. Sure, Goff was there, but he wasn’t that effective, although he was more so than Russell Wilson. LA was able to use their superior defence and big brain of Sean McVay to keep them in the game. Doing this against the Packers is another matter.
There are a few teams that have the players to be able to knock the Packers out of the playoffs. Watching the Bucs lay a beating on GB earlier this season showed exactly what needs to be done to keep Rodgers on the sideline. Keeping pressure on him, and shutting down Adams will be key.
Wade & Ryan both like this as an exciting start to the weekend, but sadly this one is going to be pretty predictable. With no real QB, the Rams will continue to struggle on first downs. If the Rams start to really fall behind, Goff will be chucking balls into heavy coverage that leads to picks.
Ryan- Packers 30 Rams 24
Wade- Packers 26 Rams 18

If you want the rest of our scores and predictions, have a laugh and a listen to the podcast. We want to thank all of you for listening, and keeping the podcast a moving up the charts.
Good luck to everyone this weekend, and we look forward when we can all get together soon.

Chad & Brandon

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Chad Johnson and Brandon Marshall are some of the most chatty and captivating NFL players who switched to punditry, so we’re proud to share this video of Chad & Brandon.
While both of these two men are known for some of their heroics on the field,  what comes out of their mouthes has also made these guys interesting.
So when Chad and Brandon both come together for a chat, along with fellow former players Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder for the ‘I Am Athlete’ YouTube series.

Have a listen to this, as these ‘older’ guys talk about the league today, as well as all of the social elements that new players have to deal with.

It’s no secret that Chad and Brandon are very smart cookies, and this comes through in the video, as the guys talk about some hilarious topics with great comedic timing.

This is the perfect video to get you though the cold of Covid. The guys explaining what ‘douching’ in will probably knock you off of you seat.

Truly hilarious.

Alabama Champ

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Another NCAA Football season is done and dusted as Nick Sabin and the Alabama Crimson Tide rolled over a shocked Ohio State, making Alabama Champ.
Alabama Champ actually sounds like a new strain of CBD or a 500lb jelly wrestler, but that’s aside the point.

Alabama never really looked back in this game, smacking Ohio State in the mouth 52-24. It’s the 14th consecutive victory for Bama, as they rolled onto an undefeated season during the year of Covid. Sure, and asterix could be placed the 2020 season as not all of the teams had a fair shot at the title, although to be honest…that is America.

DeVonta Smith was an absolute monster in this game, hauling in 3 TDs, and 12 catches for 215 yards. The Heisman Trophy winner was on fine form for the final match, thoroughly impressing all of the scouts and NFL teams who now have a draft conundrum ahead of them. Smith wasn’t really focused in many top 5 predictions, but you have to imagine that the Miami Dolphins who draft 3rd, would be interested in pairing this speedy youngster with Tua.

The NFL Draft is only 4 months away, and we’ll see what the league thinks of the speedster, as well as his Ohio State QB counterpoint Justin Fields. Fields was overmatched by a stiff Bama D in this game, but that shouldn’t affect his overall NFL stock.

This was a tough game for any of us to watch in the UK given the time difference, so here are the highlights for your consideration.

Divisional Weekend

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Well that certainly put the ‘Wild’ in ‘Wildcard weekend, as it’s now time to move on to the NFL  Divisional Weekend.
Eight teams are left, as they all vie for the final two spots to the Superbowl. Who will have what it takes to be able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and claim top spot in a truly wild and wacky NFL season.

Superbowl Odds

Now that the Steelers are riding the bus home, many of the odds have now changed. It was only a few weeks ago that Pittsburgh fans were proudly proclaiming how that they ‘could go all the way’ in an undefeated season. They are going all the way…home.
The odds to win the next Super Bowl are as follows:

  • Chiefs +200
  • Packers +375
  • Bills +600
  • Saints +600
  • Ravens +800
  • Bucs +900
  • LA Rams +1600
  • Browns +2500

Obviously the Chiefs are the big faves heading into this weekend, but given how many fewer points they have been posting compared to last season, there will be lingering questions about how effective they are this season.
What a snub for the Bucs! Las Vegas obviously isn’t a TB12 devotee, but it will be a great rematch between the Saints and Bucs.

Divisional Games

Saturday

LA Rams vs Green Bay Packers
Packers -7.5  +46.5
21:35 GMT

The Rams proved you don’t need a QB so long as you have Aaron Donald to pound the crap out of the other team. The Seahawks are done, so now it’s up to the Rams to travel to Lambeau and thwart the tough as nails Packers. Good luck.
For us in the UK, this will be the first game on Saturday night.

Baltimore Ravens vs Buffalo Bills
Bills -2.5  +49.5
1:15am GMT

These late games can be really tough on us Brits, as these games don’t finish until close to 5am. Luckily there is a lockdown on, and it’s a Saturday night-so go wild. You might want to make sure that you get your afternoon nap prior to this one, as it’s going to get a bit wild.
The Ravens dropped a deuce on the Titans on Sunday, and should matchup well with Josh Allen and the Bills.

Sunday

Cleveland Browns vs Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs -9.5  +55
20:05 GMT

Holy Cleveland! They came out firing and laid a filthy smack on the face of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not even Juju’s dancing could save the Steelers season, as they limp out to the offseason.
The Chiefs are heavy favourites in this one, but that might just spur on the Browns players even more.
This is the first game of the Sunday sessions, and reckons to be a high scoring affair in the cold.

Tampa Bay Bucs vs New Orleans Saints
Saints -3.5  +51.5
23:40 GMT

The Bucs survived the Washington team, while the Bears held the Saints close for 3 quarters and had a chance to win. Sure, the Saints have pissed off TB12 all year, but will they be able to do it when it counts. As you can see by the odds, Vegas doesn’t believe that the Bucs will make it past this game, despite Tom Brady saying that he was waiting for this rematch.
A late start for a Sunday night, again you’re probably not working so why not start Monday late?

We will have more info on these games as the week progresses, as well as updated odds and injuries. Make sure you also play along in our weekly DraftKings contests, where we host loads of weekly FREE and PAID contests so that you can win money with your NFL brain every week.

Sadly it doesn’t look like that we will have a SuperBowl event this year, but we will try to offer something interactive to you guys prior to the big game.
Hopefully the billionaire owners of the NFL can put their resources together and do something no one else can do…get fans in the stadiums next season!

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