OK, let’s continue to talk about these 2 games. Of course I’m looking at these from another angle, and that’s the betting angle. I saw the lines the minute they came out, and have been following closely. I had an initial lean in both games; I’ve flipped on one of them. And the winner is….
Let’s start with the early game; let’s start with the game where I’ve stayed firm with my pick. I’m taking the 49ers +2.5… hoping to get 3. I like them to win, but will gladly take the points in this one. Why? Well, defense and running for one, or is that two? Yes, the Eagles defense is really good; the 49ers defense is better. Yes, the Eagles stable of sub-par running backs ran well against the Giants, and yes, you need to include Hurts in those rushing totals, but… the 49ers running game is better. Those two things travel, which San Fran will need, in Philly Sunday afternoon. How will the rookie QB do in that kind of environment? Well, most sensible people will think it’s coming to an end; the undefeated streak, the uncanny performance of Purdy, will all come crashing down in Philly against the “better team”. Well, I’m not one of those sensible people. I, for one, think this Purdy run will continue. I think it may even “end” with him holding the Super Bowl trophy in about 2 weeks. Yeah, he wasn’t really impressive last week; thing is, he doesn’t need to be. Yes, he DOES need to make plays, but more importantly, he CANNOT turn the ball over. If he protects the ball in this game, I think the Niners get the win. If he doesn’t, it may be a long day for the Niners. I’m not taking anything away from Jalen Hurts; he’s awesome. I just think the Niners defense will hold him in check. I think they’ll make the Eagles one dimensional, forcing Hurts to throw the ball a ton. I think Philly will score some points; I think the Niners will too. Over anyone? Final Score Prediction: 49ers 26 Eagles 24.
OK, let’s head over to “Burrow-Head” for the AFC Championship game. Bengals and Burrow and Cincinnati are pretty cocky huh? I remember another team that was pretty cocky; they actually recorded a song titled the “Super Bowl Shuffle” before the regular season was over. The reason we remember them? Because they won. Will we remember the cockiness of the Bengals? 2 more wins we will, but first, they need to win THIS Sunday. They were the most impressive team last week, hands down. They took out the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills in easy fashion. This is why my initial lean in this game was Cincy; I’ve flipped. Almost every single person I’ve talked to, almost every single person on TV, is picking the Bengals; hmmmm…. what has my betting experience told me about this? Well, the line has been jumping around all over the place; the Chiefs are now favored by 1.5, where it originally started. It had been Cincy -1.5; I don’t know what to make of all this line movement, but regardless, this is a case of going oppo. Oh yeah, and I’m going “oppo” with Reid, Mahomes, and the Chiefs at home in Arrowhead, hungry to get back to the Super Bowl themselves after only raising one Lombardi in their recent run of success. Yes, Mahomes is hurt, but… I did see a stat saying that Mahomes was the best pocket passer in the NFL this year; wow. Were they just flashing that up there to trick me into believing Mahomes will be just fine Sunday? I didn’t need to be tricked; I’m already easily fooled. Maybe I’m a fool in this one, but… that’s OK, it won’t be the first or last time. I’m going Chiefs in this game, laying whatever, ML… waiting until gametime to make this play. But I will definitely be on the Chiefs side. Final Score Prediction: Chiefs 24 Bengals 23
Now I need to find somewhere to watch the games. Normally, I would be sitting on the couch next to my son; there’s nowhere I’d rather be. But… work has taken me on a rare out of town trip this weekend; I’m flying solo… hoping to get together with my wife’s cousin. One way or another, I’ll be in front of a TV on Sunday afternoon and evening, hopefully with a cigar in my mouth, hopefully winning my bets. Have fun everybody; enjoy!!!
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