If the Divisional round of the playoffs can match up to half of the drama we received last weekend, we are in for a hell of a journey.
On Sunday, the Houston Texans come off the back of their Overtime win against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills to take on the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs, then Russell Wilson and his Seahawk teammates roll into Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
Bill O’Brien had never overcome a 13-0 half-time deficit before last Saturday, never mind being 16-0 down and facing another home playoff disaster.
Now, the pressure is somewhat off the AFC South winners, but don’t say that to Deshaun Watson. The heroic QB stepped up last week, taking the lead from J.J Watt on defence, he spurred on his offence, brought DeAndre Hopkins to life and put the city of Houston on his back.
Facing Patrick Mahomes is a completely different challenge, one of which the Texans D might not ever be ready for. Despite the return of Watt and the improvement from Bradley Roby in the secondary, the weapons at Andy Reid’s disposal are some of the best in the league.
Someone the Texans have missed is Will Fuller. Still classed as limited on the injury report, his importance was clear to see as the Bills were able to double team Hopkins with no fear of the deep ball. If he is still limited come game time, one player who could make the difference is Darren Fells. We didn’t see a lot of the big TE last weekend, he only had four catches for 46 yards.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 12: The Kansas City Chiefs exit the tunnel onto the field during player introductions prior to the AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium on January 12, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
He has become a huge feature of the offence this season, scoring as many touchdowns as Hopkins with only one-third of the receptions.
The Chiefs fifth lowest in the NFL in terms of yards conceded to tight ends, but it only counted for five touchdowns. Given the attention Hopkins will receive, and how eager O’Brien will be to get the passing game going, expect a bigger day from Fells on Sunday.
Back Darren Fells anytime touchdown – 13/5
NFL Football – Seattle Seahawks v Oakland Raiders – NFL International Series – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – October 14, 2018 Seattle Seahawks fan before the game Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
The over/under for Sunday’s late game sits at 46.5 and for that to happen you have to expect both teams to be involved in a shootout, rather than either side dominate the game, but at 10/11 the odds are a little short.
Over the season, the Seahawks and Packers have averaged 25.3 and 23.5 points per game respectively and over 340 yards of offence. Seattle actually rank higher than Matt LaFleur’s side in both passing and rushing yards, but Rodgers and the Packers are a different animal at home.
Defensively, neither side has been stellar across the board. Seattle conceded 24.9 points per game, with the NFC North side giving up 19.6 points on average.
You have two of the best gun-slinging quarterbacks in the NFL, with weapons like D.K Metcalf, Davante Adams, Aaron Jones and Tyler Lockett, huge plays are guaranteed, points are expected and this could be a game for the ages.
46.5 is achievable, but there are better odds to be had if you believe both sides can match their average points and score over 20 and that’s where we are putting our money.
Back both teams to score 20 points – 6/5
Put on a double with both our choices and the odds are just under 7/1
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*All odds correct at time of posting