My plays
$2500.00 Philadelphia (-4) over Arizona (3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18)
I’m going to stay on Philadelphia’s bandwagon and I just think that Donovan McNabb is playing better than any quarterback left in the postseason. Philadelphia already hammered Arizona once this year, winning 48-20 earlier this year in Philly. They won that game because they are just that much better than the Cardinals and will win again here for the same reason. Arizona has been a great story, but I don’t think that they have three consecutive outright wins as an underdog in them. Their defense has played pretty well, but they still gave up 24 points to Atlanta at home and gave up some decent drives to the Panthers before Carolina shot themselves in the foot with six turnovers. Philadelphia has the experience and they have owned Arizona, historically. The Eagles are 7-2 ATS in the last nine meetings and they are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 road games. The points won’t matter in this one.
$2000.00 Baltimore (+6) over Pittsburgh (6:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 18)
We’ve been riding the Ravens so why stop now? Baltimore lost both of the previous games by a combined seven points so I think that six points is too many here in a game that the Ravens will win outright. The Ravens defense has the look of the 2000 championship unit and I think that they are just too tough to beat three times in one season. Pittsburgh has lost three straight home conference championship games, falling to New England in 2005, 2002, and Denver in 1998. I think they come up short once again. The Ravens are 6-1 ATS in road playoff games, 7-3 ATS in all playoff games, and 6-2 ATS in the last eight games straight up against the Steelers.
$300.00 TEASER: Take Baltimore (+16), ‘Under’ 44.0 Baltimore at Pittsburgh, and ‘Over’ 37.0 Philadelphia at Arizona
