RANDALL THE HANDLE
NY Jets @ Bengals
Pay no attention to last week’s 37-0 kneecapping that the Jets laid on these Bengals. The only seed that mattered to Cincinnati was con-cede. The visiting Bengals knew exactly what they were doing. Aside from being allowed to rest some starters prior to playoffs commencing, a win would have had Cincy hosting the Texans instead of these Jets. Not much of a decision from where we sit. After all, the Jets had a very gratuitous path into this post-season. Sitting at just 7-7 two weeks ago, this New York squad lucked into finishing against two teams (Indianapolis, Cincinnati) that basically laid down. Prior to facing that disinterested pair, the Jets had not defeated a winning team since September. We don’t see how that changes on this day. New York’s QB Mark Sanchez has struggled all year long.. Only Matthew Stafford’s 26 interceptions were more than Sanchez’s 20. If you’re going to throw that many picks, you’d better have a lot of touchdowns to compensate. That’s not the case here as New York’s starting QB had just 12 TD throws. Even in last week’s win, the Jets’ pivot was just 8 for 16 for a puny 63 yards. Conversely, the Bengals do have a quality passer in Carson Palmer. Even though Cincinnati’s offence has staggered at times, they possess enough weapons to inflict damage, including RB Cedric Benson, who sat out last week’s game. The Jets fell into the playoff. The thump will be heard when exiting.
TAKING: Cincinnati –2½ RISKING: 2.02 units to win 2
Eagles @ Cowboys
Two weeks ago, the Eagles were widely considered a top contender in the NFC. After last week’s 24-0 pasting by these Cowboys, their stock plummeted faster than a speeding bullet with Philadelphia dropping to a #6 seed. The Cowboys are America’s darlings once again. Perhaps it is justifiably so. Dallas has dismissed the Kong-like monkey off its back with three impressive December wins heading into this post-season, including last week’s win to secure division. But can we trust it to continue? We have our doubts. While the talent level on these two clubs is debatable, coaching is not. We’re being offered a generous amount of points with Andy Reid’s squad. Reid is 7-0 in opening playoff games with the Eagles. Dallas’ Wade Phillips is winless in four playoff attempts with Denver, Buffalo and the Cowboys. In fact, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. You need to go back just two years, to when Dallas failed to defeat the visiting Giants as a 7-point favourite on its own turf. Playing in this fancy facility won’t bother this visitor either. Under Reid, Philadelphia has excelled on the road with 17 covers in past 25 away games. We’ve seen Donovan McNabb shine come playoff time. The same cannot be said for Tony Romo. While Romo has been exceptional lately, McNabb brings the better resume. The Eagles had won six of seven before last week’s setback. These birds have a multitude of talent that is worthy of our endorsement. Let’s not write them off just yet.
TAKING: Philadelphia +4 RISKING: 2.22 to win 2
NY Jets @ Bengals
Pay no attention to last week’s 37-0 kneecapping that the Jets laid on these Bengals. The only seed that mattered to Cincinnati was con-cede. The visiting Bengals knew exactly what they were doing. Aside from being allowed to rest some starters prior to playoffs commencing, a win would have had Cincy hosting the Texans instead of these Jets. Not much of a decision from where we sit. After all, the Jets had a very gratuitous path into this post-season. Sitting at just 7-7 two weeks ago, this New York squad lucked into finishing against two teams (Indianapolis, Cincinnati) that basically laid down. Prior to facing that disinterested pair, the Jets had not defeated a winning team since September. We don’t see how that changes on this day. New York’s QB Mark Sanchez has struggled all year long.. Only Matthew Stafford’s 26 interceptions were more than Sanchez’s 20. If you’re going to throw that many picks, you’d better have a lot of touchdowns to compensate. That’s not the case here as New York’s starting QB had just 12 TD throws. Even in last week’s win, the Jets’ pivot was just 8 for 16 for a puny 63 yards. Conversely, the Bengals do have a quality passer in Carson Palmer. Even though Cincinnati’s offence has staggered at times, they possess enough weapons to inflict damage, including RB Cedric Benson, who sat out last week’s game. The Jets fell into the playoff. The thump will be heard when exiting.
TAKING: Cincinnati –2½ RISKING: 2.02 units to win 2
Eagles @ Cowboys
Two weeks ago, the Eagles were widely considered a top contender in the NFC. After last week’s 24-0 pasting by these Cowboys, their stock plummeted faster than a speeding bullet with Philadelphia dropping to a #6 seed. The Cowboys are America’s darlings once again. Perhaps it is justifiably so. Dallas has dismissed the Kong-like monkey off its back with three impressive December wins heading into this post-season, including last week’s win to secure division. But can we trust it to continue? We have our doubts. While the talent level on these two clubs is debatable, coaching is not. We’re being offered a generous amount of points with Andy Reid’s squad. Reid is 7-0 in opening playoff games with the Eagles. Dallas’ Wade Phillips is winless in four playoff attempts with Denver, Buffalo and the Cowboys. In fact, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. You need to go back just two years, to when Dallas failed to defeat the visiting Giants as a 7-point favourite on its own turf. Playing in this fancy facility won’t bother this visitor either. Under Reid, Philadelphia has excelled on the road with 17 covers in past 25 away games. We’ve seen Donovan McNabb shine come playoff time. The same cannot be said for Tony Romo. While Romo has been exceptional lately, McNabb brings the better resume. The Eagles had won six of seven before last week’s setback. These birds have a multitude of talent that is worthy of our endorsement. Let’s not write them off just yet.
TAKING: Philadelphia +4 RISKING: 2.22 to win 2
