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Conference Sunday

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What a wild weekend in the NFL Wildcard Playoffs! The Bills, Chiefs, Packers and Buccaneers all meet next week for Conference Sunday. Are you ready for some football?

The game lines for Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship have been released, with the Chiefs and Packers holding a narrow spread over their opponents. The Packers are favoured by 4 points over the Bucs at Lambeau, while the Chiefs are a scant 3 points favoured over the powerful Buffalo Bills.
Which two teams will be heading to the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay this season?

Here in the UK, those watching the Conference Sunday finals will have to wait until 20:05 for the NFC contest, while the AFC final follows directly after with a 23:40 kickoff. All of the games will be on NFL Gamepass.

Here are some thoughts heading into the final week of NFL playoffs before the SuperBowl.

Packers Offence

Aaron Rodgers continue to blister on at an MVP pace. The neigh sayers who bemoaned the Packers for not drafting a rookie WR to help Rodgers out have been silenced by the fact that he continues to spread the ball around relentlessly. Let’s not forget that the Packers have had the easiest route to the finals, so they will have much more to prove.

So Raven

Baltimore was smothered by the Bills defence on Saturday, forcing Lamar Jackson out of the game, and propelling them into the dank post season. Buffalo sure showed the blueprint to beat Lamar Jackson’s legs, and the Ravens will need a long hard look at what missing pieces they need to pick up in the offseason if they want to have any hope of making a longer playoff push next season.

Buffalo is Warming Up

The Ravens did what they could to throttle Josh Allen and the high flying Bills offence, but just don’t have enough to get it down. Buffalo is really starting to find their confidence now, which should be scary for a Chiefs team that barely escaped a bolstered Browns squad. Allen is also now starting to spread the ball out beyond Diggs, which will cause problems in KC.

We’re Secretly Brownies

As Patrick Mahomes made his way to the blue tent on Sunday night, a feeling started to roll across America ‘I might like the Browns’. Everyone started to root for this team as they showed their pluck and guile under the foot of the Chiefs presence. Cleveland didn’t play that bad. The Browns screwed up 2 HUGE chances in the redzone that would have made the game a totally different beast. Baker’s ill timed cross field interception took the momentum out of a huge drive, while Higgins leap into the end zone only to lose the ball to a touchback was a crappy way to end out the half. The fact that the refs missed a blatant helmet hit in the process means that the league still has work to do.

Henne Ain’t Great

Oooh everyone! Did you see the heroics of Henne? Yes, the 35 year old veteran back up had a few sneaky drives to keep the Chiefs in the win, but he also made some stoopid plays as well. How quickly everyone forgets the lame floater he tossed to a Browns player in the end zone. Not even Johnny Manziel would throw a lame duck like that. Any team that wants to sign Henne after that 2 quarters of mediocre play might be interested in some swamp land in Florida.

Reid’s Balls

Andy Reid has some pretty big balls. Going for it on 4th down with a backup QB, Reid decides to run a shotgun play quickly instead of letting the clock run and try to catch the D offside. The play worked, and sent the Browns packing. Thanks to the gonads of Andy Reid, there might be some big plays ahead.
Here is the play again.

Buc Up

Whoever keeps pissing in Tom Brady’s ‘Wheaties’, please stop. You’re giving him the motivation to star playing angry. While TB12 didn’t look amazing during the Saints game, he was facing one of the best D’s in the league. Tampa made some great adjustments to keep Tom safe, only allowing 1 sack as opposed to 10. Let’s also not forget that it was the Bucs who spanked the Packers huge this season, and with Tommy’s growing confidence, there could be trouble in Wisconsin this Sunday.

Brees Out

Well it looks like Drew Brees will be riding off into the sunset. Despite not officially saying this, every pundit and their uncle made their prediction that this would be Brees’ last game in New Orleans before taking a cushy broadcasting job. Brees has been a hell of a player, and such an ambassador for the city of New Orleans. There will be a big gap to fill after Brees leaves the swamp, and doubtful in Jameis Winston has being enough feet to fill those shoes.
The really classy moment came at the end, with footage of Brady and Brees talking to his family. TB12 throws a touchdown pass to little Brees…and no…you’re crying.

Have a great week, and let’s go Sunday!

Picks Six-Wildcard Weekend

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Welcome back to another edition of The Picks Six-Wildcard Weekend-the first postseason edition!! It’s SUPER WildCard Weekend, which means we’ve got back to back triple headers this weekend. 6 games, 2 days, a PLETHORA of storylines… What does that recipe equal? Chaos. And chaos… is a ladder. 

The playoff picture was murky up until the last minute, when Doug Pederson and the Eagles left all people with a logical brain (or a bet on the Eagles to win… like me) DISGUSTED with their Sunday Night Antics. I don’t want to go on about it, but it was absolutely shameful and I feel really sorry for the New York Giants coaches and players who gave it everything to win their game, believing they had a chance to make the playoffs. They did not. The Eagles coaches had zero intention of ever winning that game. It’s shameful. Jalen Hurts deserves better. Anyway… If we get half of THAT controversy this weekend, we’re in for a treat. 

Game Picks (Regular Season Record: 95-45)

Saturday 

Colts @ Bills 

Josh Allen and his offense are steamrolling their way into the Playoffs. A comfortable cut above the rest of the AFC East, they dispatched the FitzMagic-less Dolphins last weekend – resting their starters for the second half – and are sauntering into their first home playoff game in a loooooong time with confidence sky high. The Stefon Diggs trade is one of the best pieces of business done in this league in a while, and what the Bills lack in an explosive running back they make up for in their mobile maverick quarterback. On the other side of the ball… one of my least favourite teams in the league this year. I’m sorry, but I’m not really sorry. I’ve never had much love for Phil Rivers – trash talking aside – and their intensely boring mix of stout defense and 3.5 yards per carry run game is one of my least favourite mixtures in the NFL. The Colts have been inconsistent with their ability to score points offensively, and that’s not a good thing against a Bills defense that started slow but has picked up steam in the last month. As much as I believe in this Bills team, this pick is also personal preference influenced. #BillsMafia: enjoy your home game. You’ll have another one next weekend.

Pick: BILLS

Rams @ Seahawks

If the opportunity to see Jalen Ramsey vs DK Metcalf again wasn’t enough, the subscript to this game is just so tasty. Will Aaron Donald regret saying “that’s exactly what we wanted” when he was told the Rams were travelling to Seattle after their victory over Arizona last weekend? Will Pete Carroll let Russ continue to cook!? Will Jared Goff play? Could John Wolford pull off a miracle two weeks in a row? It’s all set to be WILD. And yet, for me, the most important player on the field on Saturday I haven’t even mentioned yet. I still cannot fathom why Seattle refuses to FEED Chris Carson the ball. He’s so explosive. Seattle’s offensive line can create holes for him and he has the ability to make the most of them. IF – and it’s a big if considering the Rams’ defensive line – Seattle can establish the run and control the game at their own pace, I think the Seahawks have everything they need to dispatch LA back to their home and move on to the Divisional weekend. With the question marks over Jared Goff’s thumb remaining, I can’t in good conscience pick the Rams this weekend. There are more ways Seattle can win. Even if they don’t do as I’ve advised (lean on Chris Carson), they can still win this game if MVP-level Russell Wilson shows up, which is always possible. The Rams HAVE to have their defense play to the best of their ability, and hope Kupp and Woods can make enough plays to get them some points. I’m choosing to ride with the path with the most options. 

Pick: SEAHAWKS

Buccaneers @ Washington

I’m going to keep this one short. I’ve never been a Tom Brady fan. I’m still not. I hate the New England Patriots… and yet… NEVER in my life would I be stupid enough to say “Tom Brady I’m coming,” a whole week before I had to face TB12 in the playoffs. If you think Tom didn’t see Chase Young’s sentiment… and hasn’t been religiously watching game film… think again. I have been loud and proud all season about how this Washington team are frauds and I believe they will be exposed as such this weekend, as they would and SHOULD have been last weekend, had Jalen Hurts been allowed to finish the job. Tom Brady is going to annihilate Washington. *Insert joke about a “Brady happy to see a leaky defense in Washington for the second time this week” here.* Don’t think I’ve forgotten who you campaigned for, Tom. Abhorrent. Enjoy this weekend before Aaron Rodgers shuts you down next Sunday.

Pick: BUCCANEERS

Sunday

Ravens @ Titans

This game is the biggest revenge game I’ve seen for a while. The last two times these two teams have faced off, the Titans have run the ball down Baltimore’s throat and sent them packing empty handed. Mike Vrabel and John Harbaugh almost came to blows pre-game before the regular season matchup that went back and forth before Derrick Henry walked it off in OT. The biggest criticism of Lamar Jackson is his record in the playoffs. I think that’s unfair; his incredible regular season record contains some losses as well. It’s just bad luck. Lamar will shine in the playoffs eventually, I’m just not convinced it’ll be this weekend… Yeah, the Titans defense is questionable at best… but if you have Derrick Henry running like he is, and Ryan Tannehill throwing to AJ Brown like he is, you have to feel good about your ability to put up points. I think this game is the biggest toss up of the weekend. This could go in so many directions, but I think it’ll be tight and probably come down to a late game drive one way or the other. The Ravens offense has woken up of late, with Hollywood Brown finding the endzone with consistency and JK Dobbins looking like one of the steals of last year’s draft. All that said… I think I’m sticking with Tennessee. This game is must-see however, whichever way it ends.

Pick: TITANS

Bears @ Saints

I can’t trust Mitch Trubisky to beat this Saints defense. I just can’t. David Montgomery has found a groove and the smartest thing the Bears could do on Sunday afternoon would be to lean heavily on their run game and try and get it going early. Brees is surely still some way short of 100%, but with their running backs on track to be back this week, the Bears linebackers are going to have to try and deal with “Mr 6” Alvin Kamara. The Bears defense could keep this close, but I think the Saints have enough weapons to pull away late. I can’t see the Bears offense having enough firepower to win this game. It’s gotta be NOLA.

Pick: SAINTS

Browns @ Steelers

The Cleveland Browns HAVE NOT won a single game in Pittsburgh in 17 years. S-E-V-E-N-T-E-E-N YEARS. Big Ben has NEVER lost at home to the Browns. Kevin Stefanski – likely Coach of the Year – is unable to coach due to COVID protocols. Alex Van Pelt is the play caller, for the first time in his NFL career. The Browns are the perennial losers and underdogs of the AFC North. The Steelers are the Championship pedigree empire. EVERYTHING about this game says “Thanks for coming, Cleveland, but the road ends here.” AND YET – that’s exactly why I think the Browns will win this game. Sometimes “it’s just meant to be” is the truth. Baker Mayfield has led the Browns to the promised land of the playoffs. I think the boost that gives this franchise, and the motivation of having their coaches out, and you’re playing your biggest rivals, and your rivals have been insulting you all week (JuJu said “the Browns are the Browns,” to suggest there was nothing different about their current crop of talent)… I am all in on the Browns bandwagon. Chubb, Hunt, Landry, Higgins, Hooper… TO THE MOON. Shake and Baker. Dawg Pound – you’re getting a win.

Pick: BROWNS

Parlay 

Using the above picks, this is my parlay for the weekend:

Titans -6.5

Seahawks -3.0

Buccaneers -6.5

Titans +3.5

Saints -9.5

Browns to win.

Depending on your bookmaker, £10 on this parlay pays around £620.

We’ll reunite here next week as we welcome the de facto 1 and 1A in the MVP race into the dance. Enter stage right: Mahomes and Rodgers. And here… we… go… Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and sane in the midst of this insane start to 2021. Fingers cross we can relax and enjoy a good time on this SUPER WILDCARD weekend. As ever, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter and Instagram. Come say hey. Have a good one everyone.

Callum Squires is an ardent Dolphins fan, and a good friend of NFL in London. 

Week 15 Draftkings

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Has somebody thought of throwing a challenge flag for the 2020 NFL season? As the world descends into further madness, we thought we would add a little joy to your Sunday with our Week 15 Draftkings picks.
If you haven’t been playing along with us this season, there is still time to play along for FREE or in PAID contests.
For many NFL fans, your fantasy season is over, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t play along with our Draftkings daily contests.
We have loads of fun trash-talking each other, and once all this virus nonsense is behind us-we look forward to meeting up with all of you in person again.

Until then, here are some of the top tips you might want to look at for Week 15 in the NFL.

QBs

Jared Goff $6300

Remember the fantasy adage for 2020…’Who are the Jets playing’? Well, this week it is the LA Rams, who have started to push the pedal down for the playoffs. It looks like the Jets are going to throw up a donut in the win column this year, and it’s kind of fun to watch Adam Gase implode. The Rams need to continue to win BIG in the rest of the regular season games, so it’s possible that LA beats the hell out of the Jets before halftime. Regardless, Goff will be a good value for the amount of points he will put up today.

Mitchell Trubisky $5300

Mitch was riding the pines for a good chunk of the season, until Nick Foles became ‘Nick Fails’ and put the nail in his own Bears coffin. Trubisky is auditioning for next season, so it’s no wonder that he is pulling out all the stops to stay in the NFL and avoid being a Walmart greeter.
In the past 2 games Mitch has looked great, moving the ball down the field easily with a balanced running and passing game. The Vikings have a weak secondary that Allen Robinson will find plenty of holes in.

RBs

Derek Henry $9500

Bling, bling baby! If you want to blow your wad this Sunday look no further than Derek Henry. The priciest of the bunch, it’s always hard to justify spending so much on one guy, when savvy bettors know that you can find value in the mid-tier players. With Henry playing a weakened Lions squad, you can easily see the Titans just letting Henry cook.

Cam Akers $6600

He’s back, he’s healthy, he’s scoring, and he’s playing the Jets. Akers has been a light in a running darkness for the Rams, so this game should be a good one to get his confidence up. If the Rams ramp up a big lead, they will rely on Akers to get the first downs.

WRs

DJ Chark $5000

Clark is healthy and ready to disrupt this week, as the Jags take on the Ravens in a big match. A few months ago the Ravens D brought with it fear and uncertainty, but seeing what the Browns did against them last week has dispelled that notion. Baltimore can be beat, and a stealthy WR will cause problems for them when he gets behind the lines. He’s averaging 11.9 fppg, which is a good deal for $5000.

Cooper Kupp $7000

Kupp is also playing the Jets, and has been finding big holes and gains all season. Kupp plays by his own tune, which is why he is found open so often as defences just don’t factor in t contain him. Kupp looks to have another big game against a horrendous Jets team.

Russell Gage $4700

With Julio Jones out, Gage is a great value play for Matt Ryan to hit on Sunday. Averaging 10.4 fppg, Gage has the wheels and hands to find some gaps in the Bucs D. It’s always good to see what value players you can get for under 5k, and Gage certainly dings that.

TE

Tyler Higbee $3800

Another Ram? Yep. Highbee has had an impressive year so far, and it should get even better on Sunday when he rips apart the Jets in the redzone. He’s too big and strong for the Jets to handle when they’re busy trying to cover Keenan Allen.

DEF

Bears $3200

The Bears play the Vikings on Sunday, but this game will be different than the one that was played a few weeks ago. The Bears are more invigorated from the desperate play of Mitch, and the D has responded by playing lights out football. They rattled Deshaun Watson relentlessly in week 14, and they should be ripped to take the head off of Cousins in this divisional match.

NFL in London League

If you want to play along with us every Sunday, make sure you join our Draftkings League here.
It’s called ‘NFL in London’, and we play every week.
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Good luck to everyone for Week 15, and have a Merry Christmas to all of you!

 

Week 15 Preview

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The playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we head into our Week 15 Preview.
Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull hit the mic this week as they unleash their thoughts on a whole host of NFL banter.
The boys rant & rave on Fantasy Managers who fail to respond to emails, Fantasy playoffs, and all of the week 14 scores.
There were some big beat downs and upsets on Sunday, making for some interesting implications for the long cold winter ahead.
Wade & Ryan also make their predictions for all of the games in week 15, listen to the whole podcast so that you can make your bets for a great bunch of NFL games.
Among some of the games the boys make their picks on.

Panthers (4-9) vs Packers (10-3)
Packers -8.5 +51.5

Oh Carolina, what a season it’s been. Blowing out their C Mac early in the season took a toll on the Panthers as they just couldn’t put together all the pieces to salvage a winning season. They have had some great play from their wide receivers, and Davis has been a solid running replacement.
Aaron Rodgers is playing like an MVP, blowing away the opposition with countless torching touchdowns. Their D has some issues, as does their special teams, but they should bury the remainder of the regular season teams.
Ryan & Wade both like Green Bay for a win here, but the boys differ as to the spread. Ryan thinks this will get ugly, whereas Wade likes a close one.
Ryan- Packers 31 Panthers 20
Wade- Packers 30 Panthers 24

Patriots (6-7) vs Dolphins (8-5)
Dolphins -1.5  +41.5

Bill Belichick loves to muffle the flow of a rookie QB, so look out Tua! Cam Newton is a garbage toss-bag, so it won’t be likely for him to deep ball this game at all. Their D is another story however, so Tua will be forced into tossing the ball into their swift handed secondary.
Miami would be wise to make this a Fitzmagic match, as they can easily rest him for the next few tough matches to sneak that wild card slot. Buffalo will take the AFC East so Miami will need to b crafty in their next few games. Flores is known for his flair, so who knows what will happen.
South Florida is always tricky for New England in December, so who knows what this game will bring.
Wade & Ryan like wise old Bill here for an upset, although this will be close.
Ryan- Patriots 20 Dolphins 17
Wade- Patriots 21 Dolphins 20

Seahawks (9-4) vs Washington (6-7)
Seahawks -5.5  +44.5

Russell Wilson cooked last week thanks to the return of some of his top linemen. Now that he has protection, they can finally give him a pocket as well as get a running game simmering as well. DK Metcalf is a beast to cover, which leaves Lockett & a slew of TEs open if he has the time.
Washington is horrible with Haskins at the helm, so they will need Alex Smith back if they have a hope. With Gibson out for the match, it will be even tougher to plan against a Seattle defence that is finding its rhythm together.
Ryan & Wade both think that this game will bring some big time excitement, but Ryan is inclined to favour the Team to keep it close. Wade sees this breaking wide open for the birds.
Ryan- Seahawks 27 Washington 24
Wade-Seahawks 34 Washington 21

Other picks

Wade & Ryan have also made some other top picks to look at for Week 15. Here are some of the top lines that they like to make your Sunday more profitable.

Ryan-Eagles Win; Bears Win; Texans Cover; Steelers by 21.
Wade-Bears Win; Saints Cover; Cardinals Cover; Rams by 20.

DraftKings ‘NFL in London’

Make sure you join our DraftKings League so that you can play along with us in daily fantasy every weekend. We have a mix of FREE & PAID contests, so do sign up-it’s totally free. We often host DraftKings live parties during the regular season, & hope to do so once this crap all ends.
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Please make sure you subscribe to our podcast. We’ve seen a huge boom in listeners lately, so thanks for that. We love to talk NFL nonsense to share it with your friends this holiday season.

Week 14 Preview

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What a wild week of upsets we had on Sunday! The Seahawks & Steelers took some big ‘L’s’, Bears blew it, Bills nailed it, Belichick was at it again, all this and more in our Week 14 Preview.
Wade & Ryan look back at all of the week 13 games, lamenting how much they got screwed on their fantasy teams.
The boys also look ahead to week 14 from Thursday to Tuesday, but anything can happen in a 2020 Covid-led NFL season.
What are some of the big games that the guys have their eyes on to this week?

Cardinals (6-6) vs Giants (5-7)
Cardinals -2  +44

It looks like people have figured out Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offence. They went from dazzling to dull in a few games, and defences have learned that he’ll sweep right under pressure, so have some guys there. Larry Fitzgerald is a shadow of his former glory, and they have a weak o-line that allows Murray to face constant pressure.
Pressure is something the Giants D has been cooking up lately. Flourishing with 5 straight wins, this New York team is starting to feel a bit of a burn.
If Wayne Gallman Jr. can get the run stuffed in the face of the Cardinals, they might find themselves in a deficit that requires them to make mistakes.
Wade & Ryan both like the hometown New Yorkers to take it to Arizona in this game on a cold December day.
Ryan- Giants 24 Cardinals 20
Wade- Giants 23 Cardinals 20

Vikings (6-6) vs Bucs (7-5)
Bucs -6.5  +57.5

Minnesota is fresh off a few close wins, too close if you really look at it. Their secondary is horrible, and you can only rely on Dalvin Cook if you’re in the game. Justin Jefferson is putting up ROTY type stats to help out. But-if you crush Kurt Cousins and stamp out Cook, then they are pretty weak.
Tampa Bay has exactly the remedy to what ills the Vikings. Fresh off a bye week TB12 will be looking to lay a bruising on the rest of their cruising schedule. This week off is a blessing for a playoff run, they will have been studying for perfection, and will likely bring it this game.
The Bucs are just far too strong and angry to keep this one close.
Ryan likes a close game, while Wade sees this getting ugly in a fun to watch way.
Ryan- Bucs 34 Vikings 30
Wade- Bucs 35 Vikings 24

Falcons (4-8) vs Chargers (3-9)
Falcons -2.5  +49.5

Atlanta has had such an off season. Their 8 losses had some close games as well as some absolutely dumb ones. You have to wonder what motivates the team going into 2021, with many of the guys looking for greener pastures, especially Matty Ice.
They lost to Taysom Hill last week and are prone to defences that rattle the QB. Enter Joey Bosa.
Los Angeles has to feel numb after the drubbing they took at the hands of the Patriots on Sunday, and fingers should be pointing at Anthony Lynn for moronic coaching. WTF is he thinking sometimes?
The Chargers will be looking to fight back for pride this week, as unlike Atlanta, many of their losses have been close.
Justin Herbert and Allen will be hitting Atlanta hard on Sunday, the only real question will be ‘can the Falcons retaliate?’
Ryan has gone against past words and is taking the Falcons for a big win here. Wade on the other hand thinks that the loss to Bill Belichick will motivate them to kick ass at home in front of the Santa Anna winds. According to the movie ‘The Holiday’, they’re crazy and bring change. Something LA desperately needs right now.
Ryan- Falcons 26 Chargers 23
Wade- Chargers 31 Falcons 24

Some of the other big betting tips the boys have for you on Sunday include:

Ryan-Patriots Win, Texans Win, Panthers Win, Lions Cover, Chiefs Cover.
Wade-Jets Cover, Dolphins Cover, Cowboys Cover, 49ers Cover.

Listen to the whole podcast for all of our betting predictions, as well as silly thoughts on nonsensical things. Like all good things our podcast is free and addictive. Take a free sample and pass it on.