We have another massive week of NFL action and our free NFL picks have sorted through the best five games of the weekend for you!
The first week of the NFL postseason is here and Super Bowl dreams are all up for grabs. This week’s Wild Card slate includes a few old rivalries and some major storylines as teams look to make a super bowl.
Our NFL picks help find who that might be and provide you with our best picks for the games during this Wild Card Round.
Saturday, January 15th
Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals – 4:30pm ET
At the beginning of the season nobody would’ve expected this to be a first round playoff matchup. At the halfway point of the season people would’ve expected only Cincinnati to make the playoffs. However here we are with both teams in the postseason and this one has the potential to be one of the most thrilling games of the week and even potentially produce the AFC pennant winner.
Michael Lantz
January 6th, 1991—31 years ago, is a long time and it was also the last time the Cincinnati Bengals won a playoff game. They’ve had their fair share of appearances since, but the team has never been able to win that first round game since that 41-14 win over the Houston Oilers. They’ll hope they can end that skid on Saturday as they take on the Las Vegas Raiders, at home in Cincy. The Bengals young offense has been a thrill to watch all season, as second year quarterback Joe Burrow is living up to his first overall selection, throwing over 4,600 yards and 34 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter (last season he only played 10 games due to injury). Burrow, along with veteran running back Joe Mixon, and rookie phenom JaMarr Chase, will hope to propel the Bengals to their first playoff win in three decades.
Their opponent will not be easy, as the visiting Raiders have won four straight games after a 48-9 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs back on December 12th. After a season of ups and down, David Carr and Co. will hope to keep things alive against a cursed Bengals team. Carr should have a lot of opportunities to shine, as the Bengals pass defense is anything but consistent. But another reason is that their run defense is so good; Josh Jacobs might not get a lot of chances to shine in this one. The last time these two faced off back in November, the Bengals made quick work of the Raiders, winning 32-13 in Vegas. But this Raiders team has become a different team since their last meeting, as they hope their recent momentum carries into the postseason. It’s very hard for me to pick the Bengals based on their history, but I think they find a way to pull off their first playoff victory since Joe Burrow was -5 years old.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Cincinnati Bengals (-230)
Mike Su
The Raiders head to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals after beating the Chargers in a thrilling overtime game. The Raiders have made the playoffs despite a long list of problems throughout the season and this team may very well be one to reckon with. The Raiders are enjoying a 4 game winning streak and look to continue this hot end to the season in the playoffs. Derek Carr has had a quietly good season with 4800 passing yards which are a lot more than MVP Favourite Aaron Rodgers. He has led the Raiders to back-to-back game-winning field goal drives against 2 formidable teams in the Chargers and the Colts.
All. Systems. Go. #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/XhJPER8BfO
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 15, 2022
However, the Raiders will be playing the Bengals who at one point were the best team in the AFC. The Bengals are their super skilled offense that is scary against a Raiders defense that allowed 32 points last week. Burrow did struggle against the Browns but faced a lot of pressure from the scary Browns front. Against the Raiders’ front, Burrow should have an easier time. My faith in Burrow, Mixon, Chase, and Higgins does make me lean toward the Bengals but the Raiders are a wild card and ready to cause an upset. I’m going to have to take the Raiders’ line as I think this will be a tight game that the Raiders could even win.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Raiders +4.5 (-105)
Tony Battalio
The Las Vegas Raiders had a fast start to the season however it quickly turned into a drama filled disaster. After the firing of Jon Gruden and the Henry Ruggs situation, the season looked lost for Vegas. However somehow quarterback Derek Carr with the help of his kicker Daniel Carlson managed to leave the Raiders back from the brink of elimination and into the playoffs. When Daniel Carlson lined up to kick his game-winning field goal last week with two seconds on the clock in overtime the Raiders fate was decided either way. A miss would have put them into the playoffs and the make did put them into the playoffs. Now I will look to keep the momentum rolling against the surprisingly tough Cincinnati Bengals team.
The previously mentioned Cincinnati Bengals were not expected to be here at the beginning of the season; they were picked to finish last in the very competitive AFC North. However, Joe Burrow has looked like an absolute superstar coming off of his devastating injury that cut his rookie year short. In the preseason nobody could’ve expected Ja’Marr Chase to go off the way he has and now he is likely the offensive rookie of the year in the league. All of the individual success added up to the Bengals winning the division and hosting a playoff game in the first round as they will be seeking their first playoff win in nearly 30 years. As for the result of this game, I will look for the Bengals to get that coveted playoff win they’ve been chasing for so long. I expect Burrow, Chase, and Mixon to put on a show and force the Raiders to win without another last second field goal, where their luck will run out.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Cincinnati Bengals (-230)
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills – 8:15pm ET
This is the third time this season that these old rivals will face off and this is the most important one to date. As the 10-7, New England Patriots travel to New York to play the 11-6 Buffalo Bills for the rubber match this season. These teams split the season series one game apiece. This is sure to be one of the most anticipated games of the weekend.
Michael Lantz
It’s a rubber match between the NFC East’s finest as the New England Patriots face the Buffalo Bills in a battle of the Northeast’s best. The Patriots were surprise contenders this year. Led by rookie quarterback Mac Jones, the Pats were briefly leading the AFC East over the Bills and even into the final weekend had an outside chance at a one seed in the conference. Whiles Jones had an impressive year behind center, the team’s real prize was their defense and in particular, their pass defense which had lockdown cornerback J.C. Jackson leading them to the second least yards given up through the air. The only team that finished higher than them? The team they’re playing on Saturday.
The Buffalo Bills had the NFL’s top defense, giving up just over 4,600 yards of total offense this year, which cleared the second place Panthers by nearly 600 yards. They’ve become the definition of lockdown, but they also have some pretty massive talent on the offensive side of the ball as well Quarterback Josh Allen threw 36 touchdowns and ran for six more. Of the 36 touchdowns he threw, 10 were caught by star receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs will likely pair up against Jackson, in what should be a fierce showdown. The first time these two met this season, it was an old school match, with the Patriots winning 14-10 in Western New York. It was a game where Mac Jones only threw three (yes, three) passes all game as the Pats tore it up on the ground. Josh Allen on the other hand, was less than immaculate: he went 15/30 throwing for 145 yards and a single touchdown. But, in their next matchup in New England, the Bills took care of the Pats with much more ease, winning 33-21 behind Allen’s 314 yards and 3 touchdowns. In a leave it on the line, win or go home kind of game, I believe the result in this one will be closer to the old school battle of the first game. But this time, I’ll take the Bills to come out on top.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Buffalo Bills (-230)
Michael’s NFL Bonus Pick: Under 44 (-114)
Mike Su
The Patriots head to the home of their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills to face Josh Allen and co. The Patriots are coming off a rocky few weeks with just 1 win in the past 4 weeks. Their lone win was a 50-10 destruction of the Jaguars. However, all 3 losses were by 2 scores with one of those losses coming to the aforementioned Bills. The Patriots are noticeably dealing with injuries in the defensive secondary and this may be an issue as they face the pass heavy Bills. The Patriots will need to adjust and have their corners step up. The Patriots also need to go back to their run heavy game plan which beat the Bills earlier in the season to prevent Josh Allen from getting in rhythm.
The Bills are on a 4 game winning streak with a win against the Patriots in that streak. In all 4 games, the Bills have scored 27 or more with an average score of 30 points per game over the last 4 weeks. The Bills are also good when it comes to injury as they have no one on the injury report. The Bills will need to throw it early and often to win this game, but I suspect Belichick has a game plan in place to prevent that. Therefore, I am going with the Patriots Line.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Patriots +4.5 (-106)
Tony Battalio
The evil empire doesn’t rebuild they just reload and that is never more accurate than when watching Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. It only took one year for Belichick to get the patriots back to the NFL playoffs without Tom Brady at the helm of his team. At times this season New England has looked like the best team in the AFC. Led by potential rookie of the year Mac Jones they will be looking to make some noise in the playoffs as well. They went out in free agency and made a ton of noise so while they are young at the quarterback position, they have plenty of experience elsewhere that could carry this into the playoffs. I will be taking on the Buffalo Bills for the third time this season and they split with them one to one already. Make another mistake about it now waiting on is very capable of making a Super Bowl run this season.
The Buffalo Bills came into the season as potential AFC favorites and at times they have looked like it but at times they have not as it has been somewhat of a roller coaster season. Luckily they didn’t let it all slide boy and they ended up winning the AFC East with a record of 11-6 on the year. Now they will be heading into the third game against the Patriots at home primed and ready to make another run at a Super Bowl after falling short in the AFC title game last year. Led by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs they make up one of the best combos in football and they will surely provide some electric moments in this one and their entire playoff run if they were to pick up the win here. As for the result of this one I do have the Bills winning as I believe Mac Jones’ youth at the QB position will just be too much to overcome in his first ever playoff start.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Buffalo Bills (-230)
Sunday, January 16th
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs – 4:30pm ET
This game might be the most lopsided of the weekend as it is starting to feel like a changing of the guard or a passing of the torch. Big Ben is likely playing his final season in the NFL and young upstart Patrick Mahomes is still waiting to reach his prime. The narrative in this one is simple and the Steelers get to see Ben lead them to a final Super Bowl or will the Chiefs send him out to pasture on the road to the 3rd straight Super Bowl appearance.
Michael Lantz
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a borderline miracle run to the postseason. In what is likely Ben Roethlisberger’s final hurrah, the team won three of their last four (and got some help from the Raiders and Jaguars) to sneak into the playoffs. The one game they didn’t win in those final four? It came against the Kansas City Chiefs—who happen to be their opponent on Sunday. Kansas City rocked the Steelers the day after Christmas, beating them 36-10 at home. In that game, Patrick Mahomes threw 258 yards and 3 touchdowns, and while the Steelers are atrocious against the run and decent against the pass, Mahomes still found a way to cook them on his own. The Chiefs will look to repeat that success this time around, and with so much of the Steelers tape focusing on Mahomes throwing the ball, expect the Chiefs to go at them on the ground this time around.
The Steelers had pretty success running the ball against Kansas City’s shaking defense, as Najee Harris averaged almost five yards per attempt. It was a silver lining in an otherwise poor performance by the Steelers. Still, they’ll be playing with a lot of emotion behind Roethlisberger this week, and they know the Chiefs defense has had its fair share of troubles this season. That being said, the Chiefs have made consecutive Super Bowls—they know what they need to do to take care of business in the postseason. I think this one will be closer than 36-10, but I still expect the Chiefs to win with comfort.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Kansas City Chiefs – 12.5 (-114)
Mike Su
The Steelers head to the Chiefs in what may be Big Ben’s last game ever. The Steelers played the Chiefs just 3 weeks ago and got utterly obliterated in a 36-10 beatdown. Big Ben even admitted the Chiefs are likely to beat the Steelers but he was going to go out and have fun. This is dangerous, as a team that has nothing to lose can beat anyone. With such a strong defensive line anchored by the league sack leader TJ Watt, the Steelers defense could take down the Chiefs with a game plan much like that employed by the Buccaneers in last year’s Super Bowl.
Sights on Sunday night. #HereWeGo
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 14, 2022
The Chiefs are on a roll with 9 wins in the last 10 games. Mahomes has been making fewer poor decisions and the defense has been playing noticeably better. Although the Chiefs lost a game to the Bengals 2 weeks ago, the team has been competitive in every game. I think the Chiefs get serious and finally turn on the jets in the postseason. The Chiefs have often just cruised through the regular season but become a different beast in the playoffs. The hot streak to end the season is a sign of this. However, I think the Steelers will make this competitive and cover the line here.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Steelers +12.5 (-106)
Tony Battalio
The Pittsburgh Steelers are traveling to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to play what could potentially be Ben Roethlisberger‘s last game ever. The Steelers surprised a lot of people late in the season when they made a late season push to get into the postseason. Going into the season final day they need a lot of help and I need a miracle in the form of the Jag beating the court and everything they needed fell their way. They had to sweat it out twice as the night game between Las Vegas and Los Angeles was not able to end in a tie and it nearly did. As the game-winning field goal wasn’t kicked until the clock expired. A lot of people are counting out the Steelers in this one but if they can get their sensational rookie running back Najee Harris going and Big Ben can play like he has of late they have a chance to upset the Chiefs in this one.
The Kansas City Chiefs are setting off on their quest to make their 3rd straight Super Bowl and pick up their second Super Bowl title in three years. After a slow start to the season, people began to write off the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes but they turned it on late and came storming back to win the division and clinch a home game and what will likely be the first two rounds of the playoffs. Kansas City went on to finish the year with a record of 12-5, however, the one concern for them is the majority of their losses have come to AFC playoff teams like Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Tennessee. They will likely meet one of those three teams in the next round of the playoffs if they can get past their opponents while Tennessee won the biweekly AFC so they will be fresh and ready for whoever comes into their path. However, Kansas City has to win this one first and as for the result of this game, I believe they will as I think they will send Big Ben off to retirement with a dominating defeat of the Steelers.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Kansas City Chiefs (-720)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
