CNOTES 2020-2021 NFL SEASON - NEWS - NOTES - PICKS !

[Cnotes53]

Sunday?s games
Baltimore (11-5) @ Tennessee (10-6)
? Baltimore won its last five games, scoring 37.2 ppg.
? Baltimore scored 23 TD?s on their last 47 drives.
? Ravens lost field position in only two games this season.
? Lamar Jackson is 0-2 in playoff games, losing at home to Chargers/Titans.
? Ravens are 9-2-1 ATS in last 12 games as road favorites, 4-2 TY.
? Baltimore hasn?t won a playoff game in six years; they?re 1-3 in playoff games since they won the Super Bowl eight years ago.

? Tennessee won three of last five games to win AFC South title.
? Titans gave up 38+ points in three of their last five games.
? Titans split their last six home games SU.
? Tannehill was 2-1 in playoff games LY, which were all on road.
? Over is 6-2 in Titans? last eight games overall.
? Titans scored 22 TD?s on their last 51 drives.
? This is Tennessee?s first home playoff game since 2008.

? Titans (+5) beat Ravens 30-24 in Baltimore in Week 11, running ball for 173 yards.
? Tennessee (+10) upset the Ravens 28-12 in Baltimore in LY?s playoffs.
? Tennessee won three of last four series games.
? Teams split last six meetings played here.

Chicago (8-8) @ New Orleans (12-4)
? Chicago won/covered three of its last four games.
? Bears are 5-3 ATS on the road this season.
? Chicago gave up five TD?s on seven drives vs Green Bay LW.
? Trubisky lost his one playoff game, 16-15 at home to Philly, in 2018.
? Bears haven?t won a playoff game since 2010; this is their first road playoff game since 1994.
? Bears are 3-5 ATS in their last eight games as an underdog.

? New Orleans split its last four games, giving up 24 ppg.
? Saints are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four home games.
? Five of New Orleans? last 11 games were decided by exactly three points.
? Saints are 7-1-1 ATS in their last nine games overall.
? Saints are 4-6 in playoff games, since winning Super Bowl 11 years ago.
? Brees is 8-8 in playoff games, 6-3 in first playoff game of a year.

? Saints (-4.5) beat Bears 26-23 in OT in Chicago, on November 1st.
? Saints were only 2-13 on 3rd down that day, won field position by 9 yards.
? New Orleans won last six series games.
? Bears lost last five visits here; their last win here was in 1991.

Cleveland (11-5) @ Pittsburgh (12-4)
? Cleveland HC Stefanski (COVID) will miss this game.
? This is the Browns? first playoff game since 2002.
? Cleveland won four of its last five road games.
? Browns won six of their last eight games overall.
? Browns lost field position in eight of their last nine games.
? Cleveland gave up 28.0 ppg in their last six games.
? Mayfield is playing in his first NFL playoff game.

? Steelers lost four of last five games, after an 11-0 start.
? Last five games, Pittsburgh averaged 54.3 rushing yards/game.
? Last four games, Steelers were outscored 57-20 in first half.
? Pittsburgh lost in Cleveland LW, but they rested players, while Cleveland needed the win to get here.
? Since 2011, Steelers are 3-5 in playoff games; this is their first playoff game since 2017.
? Roethlisberger is 13-8 in playoff games, 7-3 in first playoff game of a season.

? Steelers are 13-3-1 in last sixteen series games.
? Home side won both series games this year.
? Browns lost their last 16 games in Pittsburgh; their last win here was in ?03.

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

BAL at TEN 01:05 PM
BAL -3.5
U 53.5

CHI at NO 04:40 PM
NO -10.5
U 48.5

CLE at PIT 08:15 PM
CLE +5.5
O 48.0

 

[Cnotes53]

DATE LEAGUE GAME SCORE STATUS PICK

NFL 2021 PLAYOFF RECORD:

01/10/2021 6-0-0 100.00% +3000 Detail
01/09/2021 5-1-0 83.33% +1950 Detail


TOTALS.............11-1-0......91.66%.............+ 49.50

 

[Cnotes53]

Monday?s 6-pack
Leading scorers in the NBA:
35.0? Bradley Beal, Wash
30.6? Steph Curry, GState
27.9? CJ McCollum, Port
27.1? Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milw
27.1? Kyrie Irving, Bklyn
27.0? James Harden, Hous

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 373,588
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
?I love Ron (Rivera). I want to be back in Washington.?
Washington QB Tyler Heinicke

Monday?s quiz
Before Sunday night, who did the Cleveland Browns? last playoff win come against?

Sunday?s quiz
Russell Wilson played college football for NC State, Wisconsin.

Saturday?s quiz
Red Holzman coached the Knicks to their only two NBA titles, in 1970 and 1973.

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Monday?s Den: Wrapping up a sports Sunday

13) Ravens 20, Titans 13:
? Tennessee led 10-0 after the first quarter.
? Lamar Jackson gets his first playoff win (1-2).
? Ravens held Derrick Henry to 40 yards on 18 carries.

? Baltimore outgained Tennessee, 401-209
? Titans? last six series: 31 plays, 103 yards, 3 points.
? Ravens visit Buffalo Saturday night.

12) Saints 21, Bears 9:
? New Orleans outgained the Bears, 385-239
? 3rd down conversions: Saints 11-17, Bears 1-10
? Chicago?s only TD came on the last play of the game.

? Saints had 3 drives in 2nd half; they lasted 7:29, 8:51, 5:19 (38 plays)
? Chicago went 3/out on five of their ten drives.
? Saints host Tampa Bay Sunday.

11) Browns 48, Steelers 37:
? Browns were +5 in turnovers, always a good thing.
? Cleveland led 28-0 after the first quarter, 35-10 at halftime.
? Roethlisberger was 47-68/501 passing, most completions EVER in any NFL game.

? Steelers started season 11-0, then lost five of their last six games.
? New Browns started up in 1999; this is their first playoff win.
? Old Browns, who moved to Baltimore, last won a playoff game in 1994.
? Cleveland visits Kansas City Sunday afternoon.

10) Last three years, home teams went 4-10 SU in this round of the NFL playoffs.

9) Washington QB Tyler Heinicke threw for 306 yards in his 2nd NFL start; he made himself a lot of money, proving to all 32 teams that he is good enough to be productive in a playoff game.

Heinicke went to college at Old Dominion, while the Monarchs were transitioning from I-AA football to I-A; he once started a game ODU lost 80-20 to North Carolina. Monarchs went 35-15 in Heinicke?s four seasons- starting in college for four years is solid experience.

We?ll see if Saturday?s effort was enough to make the Washington roster next fall. Either way, he?ll be on someone?s roster in 2021.

8) Kyrie Irving has sat out the Brooklyn Nets? last three games, apparently because he was upset by the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington last Wednesday.

Here?s the thing: Irving?s salary works out to $405,452 per game, every game. Is he getting paid while he refuses to play? If not, then that?s on him. If he?s still getting paid, then what the bleep are we doing here? A guy gets $1.2M over five days for doing nothing, because he doesn?t feel like going to work? Nets aren?t saying much; they cannot be happy.

7) In 2013-14, Zach LaVine played his only season of college basketball, for UCLA; he scored 9.4 ppg in 24.4 mpg, nothing amazing, but the NBA is a developmental league now, and he was taken with the 13th pick by Minnesota in the 2014 draft. Great pick.

LaVine has worked very hard on his game; last three years, he?s averaged 23.7/25.5/26.0 ppg; he is a legit star, because he got good coaching and he obviously worked his butt off to become a great player, which he now is.

Problem for Minnesota is, on June 22, 2017, they traded him to Chicago; here?s the trade:
? Minnesota got: Jimmy Butler, Justin Patton
? Chicago got: LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen

Wouldn?t have been a terrible trade for Minnesota, but Butler/Karl-Anthony Towns didn?t get along, and one of them had to go- they?re 57-98 last 2+ seasons, with Butler traded elsewhere.

6) Wichita State 82, Cincinnati 76? First seven fouls of the game were called on Cincinnati, which reminded me of a story.

March 2001, I was an assistant basketball coach at Schenectady High; we had great players, and won the public school state championship, our second title in four years.

We?re playing St Raymond?s from New York City in the Federation tournament- they had Julius Hodge, who went on to play at NC State, then in the NBA for a couple years. The game starts, and the first five or six fouls are called on our guys. No bueno.

There were lot of people at this game in Glens Falls; we were the local team and those people weren?t very pleased with the refs. Our coach says something to the ref, who has the onions to reply: ?You should sit down. You don?t hear the other coach complaining!!!?

Well genius, you haven?t called a bleeping foul on his team yet!!! Go figure.

5) You know the State Farm commercial where the guys are all getting their hair cut like Patrick Mahomes? On a table behind one of the guys, there is an old fashioned dial-up phone- don?t see a lot of those anymore. It just looks out of place in the commercial.

4) Washington Nationals gave Kyle Schwarber a one-year, $10M contract; Schwarber hit only .188 in last year?s shortened season- he?s a career .230 hitter, but he?s also hit 105 homers the last four seasons. His career OPS is .816.

3) Was surprised to see that Victor Rojas has walked away from his job as TV voice of the Los Angeles Angels; the son of former big leaguer Cookie Rojas, Victor interviewed for the Angels? vacant general manager job last fall, but they hired someone else. Rojas worked for the Angels for the last 11 years.

2) Week or so ago, MLB Network ran a replay of the Bronx-Boston playoff game from 1978, the Bucky Dent game. Seems like 1,000 years ago; I was still in college. A million things are different now than they were then, but these stood out:

? There were no ads on the Green Monster
? There were no graphics on the TV screen, except after each half-inning.
? The first baseman for Boston (George Scott) wore a batting helmet in the field.
? It was a day game; wouldn?t be today. TV would want the game at night.
? There were no (zero, none) mention of pitch counts.
? Bucky Dent only hit 40 homers in his MLB career; his homer in this game made him an iconic figure in New York sports.
? Bronx had acquired him for LaMarr Hoyt and Oscar Gamble. Hoyt won 43 games for Chicago in 1982-83.

1) If you?re on Twitter, and you want to follow someone who will make you smile nearly every day, follow former NBA player Rex Chapman. He posts all kinds of stuff, lot of unusual animal videos. Guaranteed he will make you smile at least once a day; these days, we can all use that.

Sunday, Chapman posted a video of a bear on a golf course, trying to get the flag out of a hole on one green, but instead the bear winds up dancing with the pole. Funny stuff.

 

[Cnotes53]

NFL Divisional Odds: Opening Lines, Sharp Money & Line Moves
Patrick Everson

Tom Brady and the Bucs are 0-2 SU and ATS against the Saints this season, but they'll get a third crack in the NFC divisional round. The SuperBook opened New Orleans -5.5 and very quickly went to -3.5.

NFL divisional playoff betting is on deck, and NFL divisional round odds are on the board and getting action for the four matchups. Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the surprising Cleveland Browns, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints meet for the third time this season.

The SuperBook's John Murray provided insights on NFL divisional playoff opening lines and early line movement, sharp money and public betting.

NFL Divisional Round Odds

Rams at Packers Odds
Opening line
Packers -7, Over/Under 46.5

Why the line moved
Los Angeles and its banged-up quarterback corps somehow went to Seattle on Wild Card Weekend and knocked out the third-seeded Seahawks 30-20 Saturday. Jared Goff didn't start for the Rams against Seattle, due to his thumb injury, but backup John Wolford suffered a neck injury in the first quarter, and Goff had to jump in. On Sunday night, both were questionable for the Saturday night divisional game.

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers and top-seeded Green Bay had a bye week and got some rest this weekend.

"Not much action to report there," Murray said Sunday night, noting the line was stable at Packers -7. "We were happy to see this game in the first time slot of the weekend. If that was the last game of the weekend, every parlay would've gone to the Packers, and it could've been a huge-exposure game."


Ravens at Bills Odds
Opening line
Bills -2.5, Over/Under 49.5

Why the line moved
Josh Allen and No. 2 seed Buffalo stemmed Indianapolis' late comeback bid to claim a 30-27 victory Saturday, the Bills' first playoff win since the 1995-96 season. Fifth-seeded Baltimore went to No. 4 seed Tennesee on Sunday and dug itself a 10-0 first-quarter hole, but didn't give up another point until the fourth quarter in a 20-13 victory.

"The Bills are still at -2.5. That's gonna be a huge-handle game," Murray said. "The public loves both teams right now. Great two-way volume."


Browns at Chiefs Odds
Opening line
Chiefs -9.5, Over/Under 54

Why the line moved
Cleveland punched No. 3 seed Pittsburgh in the mouth by taking a 28-0 first-quarter lead, largely aided by three turnovers, then held the Steelers enough in check to notch a 48-37 victory Sunday night. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City, meanwhile, rested up for the divisional round, getting a bye week as the AFC's No. 1 seed.

"The Chiefs are up to -10 from -9.5, but that could come down," Murray said. "I think the Browns will be a very square 'dog on Sunday."


Buccaneers at Saints Odds
Opening line
Saints -5.5, Over/Under 49.5

Why the line moved
Tom Brady and fifth-seeded Tampa Bay got more than they could've expected from backup Washington QB Taylor Heinicke, but prevailed 31-23 on Wild Card Saturday. On Wild Card Sunday, No. 2 seed New Orleans slogged to a 21-9 win over Chicago, setting up the third meeting this season between these NFC South rivals.

The Saints won both regular-season clashes, opening the season with a 34-23 home victory, then posting a 38-3 rout at Tampa on Nov 8. But early action was swift on the underdog Bucs.

"We opened Saints -5.5 and the sharp guys flooded us with Bucs bets, so that disappeared quickly," Murray said Sunday night. "We moved down to -3.5."

The total was also on the move Sunday night, jumping up two points to 51.5.


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NFL Divisional Round Betting Tips: Bet Now or Bet Later
Jason Logan

Early money thinks Buffalo was lucky to escape the Colts in the Wild Card Round and is taking the Bills down from -3 to -2.5 vs. Baltimore. If your money is on Bills Mafia in the Divisional Round, wait and see how low this spread with go.

The NFL playoffs are down to four final matchups for Divisional Round betting and the spreads and totals for those games still have that new car smell after hitting the board late Sunday night.

These will be some of the toughest NFL lines to beat all season, as bookies and bettors know the remaining eight teams inside and out. That makes getting the best of the number all that more important and remains the sharpest NFL betting strategy for the Divisional Round games.

These are our best NFL betting tips for which Divisional Round odds to bet now and which ones to bet later.

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers (-7): Bet Now

The Packers earned one of the exclusive postseason byes into the Divisional Round, giving them time to rest up and study their potential opponents. Aaron Rodgers & Co. finished the schedule on a six-game winning streak, averaging 33.5 points per game during that red-hot run (4-2 ATS)

The Rams defense will put that scoring attack to the test. Los Angeles smothered the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round and has limited its last five foes to 14.6 points per contest. However, L.A. does have some injury concerns entering the next round of the playoffs. Pass rush god Aaron Donald is nursing tender ribs, top WR Cooper Kupp is cutting on a sore knee, and QB Jared Goff is still healing up from thumb surgery just three weeks ago (remember, he didn't get the start in the Wild Card Round). All three are expected to suit up, however.

Some books are dealing the Packers as touchdown chalk while others are at Green Bay -7.5. The weather in Wisconsin is going to be cooler than a polar bear?s toe nails this weekend and the Pack are 4-2 SU and ATS at Lambeau Field in the postseason since Rodgers took over the QB1 gig. If you?re taking a big bite of Cheese this weekend, make sure you get it now at -7 and avoid having that half-point hook stuck in your throat.

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills (-3): Bet Later

Even before the Browns and Steelers were at halftime, some online books had this AFC Divisional Round spread on the board. Buffalo opened as a field goal fave at home but the vig was giving back +106, indicating that any early money on Baltimore could bump this under the key number of a field goal.

Buffalo edged Indianapolis by three points as touchdown chalk at home in the Wild Card Round, despite the Colts purely outplaying the Bills, out-gaining them 472 yards to 397 yards and dominating time of possession to the tune of 34:17.

All the Ravens did this past weekend was go into Tennessee and earn their sixth straight win and cover with a solid two-way effort, most notably limiting the Titans? fourth-ranked scoring attack to just 13 points. Momentum is worth its weight in gold during the postseason.

Some offshore books have already taken this spread down a half-point tick, dealing Buffalo -2.5 (-120). If your bookie is still hanging Bills -3 and you like the home side in this AFC Divisional Round war, wait it out. This one could fall even further before kickoff this weekend.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (Under 51.5): Bet Later

To quote San Diego news legend Ronald Burgundy, ?Boy that escalated quickly.?

The total for this NFC South trilogy hit the board as low as 49.5 points at some books and within minutes bounded as high as 51.5 (Over -115). Even after the Saints slow-played the Chicago Bears to a 21-9 win in the Wild Card Round, bettors are backing a fireworks display in the Big Easy this weekend.

This will be the third time these divisional foes have faced each other this season, with the teams going Over the 48.5-point total at NOLA way back in Week 1 and staying Under the 51 in Tampa in Week 9. The Saints won both games with scores of 34 and 38 points?the two highest point totals allowed by the Buccaneers this season.

But, besides all the offensive weaponry on both depth charts, we also have the No. 2 versus No. 5 defenses in DVOA at Football Outsiders butting heads in the Superdome. Neither team can afford the other to build momentum, so expect some offense on defense and a slower, plodding pace as they each try to ice their respective rival future Hall of Fame QB.

The Brady vs. Brees hype could continue adding points to this total, so if you like lower-scoring football, see if it goes 52 or higher before coming back on the Under.

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs (Under 54.5): Bet Now

How quick do you have to be to get the best of the NFL odds? Well, as of this writing the Browns are still working on the Steelers and some online books have already hung a line on Cleveland-Kansas City. For our purposes, we?re looking at the opening total of 54.5 points.

Cleveland just swamped Pittsburgh with plenty of points, however, some of that scoreboard work came from the defense. The Browns benefitted from a nightmare first half from Ben Roethlisberger and received plenty of extra reps with the football, so we?re not as smitten with this scoring attack as we are with Cleveland?s defense.

Kansas City, on the other hand, is Kansas City. Points could fall from the skies over Arrowhead this Sunday. But so could snow. The extended forecast in Missouri is calling for a chance of the white stuff this weekend. The Chiefs stop unit has snoozed a bit in the second half of the schedule but allows just 22 points per home game and can find another gear in the postseason, coming into the Divisional Round rested and ready off the bye.

If you like the Under, I?m going to say grab it now. The Browns offense isn?t as good as it looked in the Wild Card and staying ahead of possible bad weather is a smart move. Start following those Kansas City meteorologists on Twitter.

 

[Cnotes53]

301LA RAMS -302 GREEN BAY
GREEN BAY is 13-1 ATS (11.9 Units) in home games vs. poor punt coverage teams, allowing >= 12 yards per return in the second half of the season since 1992.

303BALTIMORE -304 BUFFALO
BALTIMORE is 7-0 ATS (7 Units) in road games vs. winning teams over the last 2 seasons.

305CLEVELAND -306 KANSAS CITY
KANSAS CITY is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) vs. poor passing defenses - allowing a comp. pct. of 61% or worse in the second half of the season in the current season.

307TAMPA BAY -308 NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS are 18-7 ATS (10.3 Units) with <=6 days rest in the last 2 seasons.




NFL
Dunkel

Division Round

NFL
Long Sheet

Division Round

Saturday, January 16

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LA RAMS (11 - 6) at GREEN BAY (13 - 3) - 1/16/2021, 4:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
LA RAMS are 79-109 ATS (-40.9 Units) in games played on a grass field since 1992.
GREEN BAY is 122-88 ATS (+25.2 Units) as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points since 1992.
GREEN BAY is 207-150 ATS (+42.0 Units) in games played on a grass field since 1992.
GREEN BAY is 49-30 ATS (+16.0 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.
GREEN BAY is 78-51 ATS (+21.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1992.
LA RAMS are 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LA RAMS are 6-0 ATS (+6.0 Units) off a division game this season.

Head-to-Head Series History
GREEN BAY is 1-0 against the spread versus LA RAMS over the last 3 seasons
LA RAMS is 1-0 straight up against GREEN BAY over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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BALTIMORE (12 - 5) at BUFFALO (14 - 3) - 1/16/2021, 8:15 PM
Top Trends for this game.
BUFFALO is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in games where the line is +3 to -3 this season.
BUFFALO is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) after 2 or more consecutive wins this season.
BALTIMORE is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) in all lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 31-16 ATS (+13.4 Units) as a road underdog of 3 points or less since 1992.
BALTIMORE is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 12-3 ATS (+8.7 Units) in road lined games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 17-8 ATS (+8.2 Units) against conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 35-18 ATS (+15.2 Units) against AFC East division opponents since 1992.
BALTIMORE is 14-4 ATS (+9.6 Units) in road games in playoff games since 1992.
BALTIMORE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 7-0 ATS (+7.0 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
BALTIMORE is 2-0 against the spread versus BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
BALTIMORE is 2-0 straight up against BUFFALO over the last 3 seasons
1 of 2 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Sunday, January 17

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CLEVELAND (12 - 5) at KANSAS CITY (14 - 2) - 1/17/2021, 3:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 3-10 ATS (-8.0 Units) against conference opponents this season.
KANSAS CITY is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
KANSAS CITY is 1-0 against the spread versus CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
KANSAS CITY is 1-0 straight up against CLEVELAND over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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TAMPA BAY (12 - 5) at NEW ORLEANS (13 - 4) - 1/17/2021, 6:40 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) when playing with 6 or less days rest over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 20-9 ATS (+10.1 Units) after 2 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ORLEANS is 0-6 ATS (-6.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 5-1 against the spread versus TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 5-1 straight up against TAMPA BAY over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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NFL

Division Round

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Trend Report
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Saturday, January 16

LA Rams @ Green Bay
LA Rams
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Rams's last 6 games when playing on the road against Green Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Rams's last 5 games
Green Bay
Green Bay is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Rams
Green Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

Baltimore @ Buffalo
Baltimore
Baltimore is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Baltimore is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Buffalo
Buffalo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Buffalo is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home


Sunday, January 17

Cleveland @ Kansas City
Cleveland
Cleveland is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Cleveland is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
Kansas City
Kansas City is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games
Kansas City is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games at home

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
New Orleans
New Orleans is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay

 

[Cnotes53]

NFC Divisional Round Cheat Sheet, Odds, Trends

The road to the NFC Championship continues this weekend in the NFL Divisional Playoff Round as four teams will look to advance to the conference championship game.

A pair of division winners (Washington and Seattle) has been eliminated, while Wild Card teams Tampa Bay and Los Angeles picked up road wins.

After losing in the NFC Championship last season, the Green Bay Packers own home-field advantage in the NFC as they are the top seed at 13-3.

NFC Matchups

1 Green Bay vs. 6 L.A. Rams
2 New Orleans vs. 5 Tampa Bay

Odds to Win NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers +135
New Orleans Saints +200
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +360
Los Angeles Rams +800

Matchup - L.A. Rams vs. Green Bay

Date: Saturday, January 16
Venue: Lambeau Field
Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin
TV-Time: FOX, 4:35 p.m. ET

Opening Line: Packers -7, Total 46

L.A. Rams Road Record: 5-4 SU, 5-4 ATS, 5-4 O/U
Green Bay Home Record: 7-1 SU, 5-3 ATS, 4-4 O/U

Head-to-Head

The Packers and Rams last met in 2018 at the Los Angeles Coliseum as L.A. edged Green Bay, 29-27 as 7.5-point favorites. It marked the first win for the Rams over the Packers since 2006, but Green Bay has covered six consecutive matchups between the two teams.

Playoff Notes

This is the third ever meeting between these clubs in the postseason as the St. Louis Rams and the "Greatest Show on Turf" bounced Green Bay in the 2001 Divisional Round, 45-17.

The Rams are 3-2 SU/ATS under head coach Sean McVay in the playoffs after L.A. eliminated Seattle in the Wild Card Round, 30-20. That marked only the second 'over' in McVay's five playoff appearances.

The Packers are 10-8 with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback in the playoffs since 2009, which includes a 4-2 SU and 3-3 ATS mark at Lambeau Field. Green Bay is 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS in the Divisional Playoffs when having the bye, but the two victories came by exactly five points apiece.


Matchup - Tampa Bay vs. New Orleans

Date: Sunday January 17
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
TV-Time: FOX, 6:40 p.m. ET

Opening Line: Saints -3, Total 52

Tampa Bay Road Record: 7-2 SU, 4-5 ATS, 6-3 O/U
New Orleans Home Record: 7-2 SU, 5-4 ATS, 6-3 O/U

Head-to-Head

It's Round Three between these NFC South rivals as the Saints took care of the Buccaneers in each of the first two matchups by double-digits apiece. New Orleans topped Tampa Bay in Tom Brady's debut with the Buccaneers in Week 1 at the Superdome, 34-23. The Saints returned a Brady interception for a touchdown and won as four-point favorites in spite of gaining 271 yards of offense.

In the second matchup at Raymond James Stadium in early November, the Saints wrecked the Buccaneers as three-point underdogs, 38-3 for their fifth straight win in the series. New Orleans outgained Tampa Bay, 420-194, while the Saints held the ball for 40 minutes.

Playoff Notes

New Orleans and Tampa Bay are hooking up for the first time ever in the postseason, while the Saints look to improve on a 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS record under head coach Sean Payton at home in the second round.

The Buccaneers picked up their first playoff win since 2007 after edging Washington last week, 31-23 as 10-point favorites. Brady is undefeated in his last eight divisional round appearances, although they all came at home as a member of the Patriots. The last time Brady played on the road in the divisional round came at San Diego in 2006 as New England escaped with a 24-21 victory.

The last time Tampa Bay played in the divisional round was back in 2002, when the Bucs rolled the 49ers, 31-6 and eventually captured their first and only Super Bowl in franchise history.

 

[Cnotes53]

AFC Divisional Round Cheat Sheet, Odds, Trends

The road to the AFC Championship goes through Kansas City as the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will take the field for the first time in the postseason.

The top-seeded Chiefs host the Browns, who shocked the Steelers in the Wild Card round to win their first playoff game since 1994.

The Bills last won a postseason game in 1995 prior to their victory over the Colts on Saturday. Buffalo advances to host Baltimore, who knocked out Tennessee in the Wild Card round.

AFC Matchups

1 Kansas City vs. 6 Cleveland
2 Buffalo vs. 5 Baltimore

Odds to Win AFC Championship

Kansas City Chiefs -125
Buffalo Bills +280
Baltimore Ravens +400
Cleveland Browns +1200

Matchup - Baltimore vs. Buffalo

Date: Saturday, January 16
Venue: Bills Stadium
Location: Orchard Park, New York
TV-Time: NBC, 8:15 p.m. ET

Opening Line: Bills -2, Total 50

Baltimore Road Record: 7-2 SU, 6-3 ATS, 3-6 O/U
Buffalo Home Record: 8-1 SU, 6-3 ATS, 6-3 O/U

Head-to-Head

These squads did not meet this season, but Baltimore won at Buffalo in 2019 as 6.5-point favorites, 24-17. Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes in the victory, marking the fifth straight win for Baltimore over Buffalo since 2010.

Playoff Notes

The Ravens improved to 6-1 in the Wild Card round under head coach John Harbaugh with the 20-13 triumph over Tennessee, avenging last season's loss to the Titans in the divisional round.

However, Baltimore owns a 2-3 road record in the divisional round during Harbaugh's tenure with the two wins coming at Tennessee in 2008 and at Denver in 2012, which ultimately led the Ravens capturing Super Bowl XLVII over the 49ers.

Buffalo won its first playoff game in 25 years against Indianapolis, ending a six-game postseason skid dating back to 1995. The last time the Bills picked up a victory in the divisional round of the playoffs came way back in 1993 against the L.A. Raiders, as Buffalo owns a perfect 4-0 record in franchise history at home in this round.

The Ravens and Bills have never faced each other in the playoffs, as Buffalo will have now faced every current team in the AFC North in the postseason at some point in franchise history.


Matchup - Cleveland vs. Kansas City

Date: Sunday January 17
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
TV-Time: CBS, 3:05 p.m. ET

Opening Line: Chiefs -10, Total 56

Cleveland Road Record: 6-3 SU, 4-5 ATS, 5-4 O/U
Kansas City Home Record: 6-2 SU, 3-5 ATS, 4-4 O/U

Head-to-Head

This is the second meeting on the pro level between these former Texas Tech quarterbacks as Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs past Baker Mayfield and the Browns, 37-21 as 7.5-point road favorites in 2018.

Kareem Hunt scored three touchdowns for Kansas City, but the running back is now with Cleveland, making for an interesting storyline. The Chiefs and Browns are hooking up in the playoffs for the first time ever, while Cleveland is making its first trip to Arrowhead Stadium since 2015.

Playoff Notes

The Browns clinched their first postseason berth since 2002, when they ultimately lost to the rival Steelers in the Wild Card round. Fast forward 18 years later, Cleveland jumped out to a 28-0 first quarter lead to bounce Pittsburgh from the playoffs in a 48-37 triumph as five-point underdogs.

The Chiefs are fresh off their first Super Bowl title in nearly 50 years when they rallied past the 49ers last February. Kansas City is 4-1 in the playoffs with Mahomes as their starting quarterback, including a 3-1 mark at Arrowhead.

AFC top seeds won six consecutive divisional round games from 2013-18 before Baltimore was tripped up by Tennessee in 2019. Kansas City's four postseason victories under Mahomes' guidance have all come by 11 points or more.

 

[Cnotes53]

NFL Divisional Round Injuries, Weather
Patrick Everson

Los Angeles' star pass rusher Aaron Donald injured his ribs versus Seattle in the Wild Card Round but is expected to play versus Green Bay in the Divisional Round.

A wild Wild Card Weekend is in the past, NFL Divisional Round odds are up, and several betting factors are already in play. That includes the typical injury information, most notably surrounding Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

This week?s NFL Cheat Sheet serves as one-stop shopping for that information and more.

Divisional Round Injuries

Los Angeles Rams: Star defensive lineman Aaron Donald left the Rams' road victory over Seattle with a rib injury, X-rays for which came back negative, but he's questionable for Saturday's game at Green Bay. Jared Goff (thumb) didn't start against the Seahawks, but backup John Wolford (neck) was injured early, forcing Goff to come in and lead the Rams to victory. As of Monday, coach Sean McVay hadn't committed to who would start against the Packers. Interestingly, however, The SuperBook moved the Rams from +7 to +6.5 Monday night

Buffalo Bills: Second-leading rusher Zack Moss (ankle) is out for the remainder of the postseason. The Bills opened -2.5 and on Monday afternoon dipped to -1.5 at The SuperBook for Saturday's home game against Baltimore.

Cleveland Browns: Cleveland is dealing with a potential cluster-injury situation on the offensive line, with guard Michael Dunn (calf) and right tackle Jack Conklin (hamstring) questionable for Sunday's game at Kansas City. The Browns opened +10 at The SuperBook and were still +10 Monday night.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Running back Ronald Jones II (quad), who sat out the Bucs' Wild Card win over Washington, is questionable for Sunday's game at New Orleans. However, Tampa Bay was at +3 Monday at The SuperBook, quickly moving from an opener of +5.5.


Divisional Round Weather

Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers: Green Bay won't quite be the frozen tundra, but per usual in January, it won't be warm Saturday. Game temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s, with winds of 10-15 mph.

Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills: It's a night game Saturday in Buffalo, so it'll be chilly no question. The early forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s and winds of 10-20 mph. Still, the total ticked up from 49.5 to 50.5 Monday night at The SuperBook.

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs: The early forecast looks pretty good for a January Sunday in Kansas City, with temperatures in the mid-40s and a light breeze of 5-10 mph. The SuperBook opened the total at 54 and quickly got to 55.5.

 

[Cnotes53]

Hot & Not Report - DP Angles
Matt Blunt

Divisional Playoff Betting Angles

Last week's stuff found some nice winners with the data from here and here, as the 'under' in the Baltimore/Tennessee game had more than one reference point and was never really in question.

The Ravens bucked the trend of the shortest WC favorite losing outright, as the Saints did against the number as the biggest favorite.

Fading Buffalo was also an option as the team that had the best ATS record during the regular season, and the playoff team with the worst ? the Cleveland Browns ? put together the most shocking performance of the weekend to push that run to 7-1-1 ATS the past nine years now.

Handicapping Cleveland is interesting this week because how much of last week do you throw out of the memory bank with head coach Kevin Stefanski back? Considering how many turnovers Cleveland benefited from in that Pittsburgh win, it almost makes the question a little harder.

The Browns do occupy a rather neat 16-game sample size dating back to realignment that I'll get to a bit later, but first it's a nice angle that comes from a reader's theory (thanks Jay) I was asked to look into before the Wildcard games even kicked off.

After doing the digging, I just hoped it would come up this week or beyond, and it only took the Bills game to go final for it to be applicable.

Therefore my apologies go out to Bills Mafia once again (although we both were happy last week with a Colts cover and Bills SU win), but if Buffalo's playoff run ends this week, I hope for their sake the saying ?misery loves company? has some truth to it.

And Buffalo?s old pal Tom Brady could join them on the same ship.

Who's Hot

Since realignment, fading NFL playoff teams that won SU but fail to cover ATS (any round) is 25-8 SU and 15-17-1 ATS since realignment of 2002.

This is quite the angle to grasp but when you boil it down it does make a lot of sense to consider. And the SU and ATS disparity in numbers makes sense as well with it having enough times where it's a possible suspect Wildcard team going on the road against a team off a bye in the Divisional round.

But for it to hold true for all of the final three rounds is still pretty impressive, and quite the memory bank of plays to keep it in consideration every season, especially with it not being applicable once in last year's playoffs.

Teams to win SU but not cover the number could be victimized by lofty expectations on a number that's a TD or bigger like say the Bills and Buccaneers were last week. They could be a -4 favorite that squeaks out a late kick to break a tie/come back to win, or anything in between.

Either way there are some leaks in the games of those squads, and in scenarios where they are either on the road in the Divisional round, up against another very good team with a Super Bowl berth on the line, or in the Super Bowl itself, you advance in the NFL playoffs these days without an ATS win, your playoff run tends to not last much longer.

Who could you follow?

Baltimore
New Orleans

The duality of the SU and ATS numbers does create a few more puzzle pieces in the puzzle this week with the spreads in Buffalo and Tampa both being in the FG or less range.

Only one time in the last nine tries has a NFL team in this spot won the game outright though ? 45-42 Jacksonville over Pittsburgh in 2017 ? and 2018 saw the Rams make it all the way to the Super Bowl as the beneficiaries of the other end of this trend, beating Dallas after they failed to cover, and getting by New Orleans (won't say ?beat? after the no PI) the following week after the Saints failed to cover.

The double-revenge spot for the Bucs is another layer to that cake in the other applicable game, especially with the latter loss being as ugly as it was (38-3 on SNF). Brady has been rather ruthless in his career when he's on a quest for another championship, and maybe that cutthroat nature returns in being the guy to retire Drew Brees.

After all, as great as these two future Hall of Fame QBs have been in their careers, this is also probably the closest thing we get to a WWE-style, ?loser retires? matchup in the NFL, although who knows, Brady might go the George Blanda-route and transition to a kicker soon to play until he's 48 as well.

But one of these two may end up showing their age a little bit, in this matchup or beyond (for the winner), and even with this great historical angle suggesting it won't be the end for the Saints, a double revenge angle off the ugliest of losses for the Bucs isn't a spot that's fun to stand in front of either.

Understandable how it's hard to be confident in either side for this game.

Who's Not

Since realignment in 2002, backing NFL playoff teams to allow 30 or more points and win you are 6-10 SU and 7-9 ATS. Those games are also 8-7-1 O/U

Cleveland put on quite the performance in that 48-37 win over the Steelers, as it was like everything that went against the Browns the entire week without practicing and coaches missing flipped to good luck all at the same time.

The huge early lead allowed Cleveland to play a soft shell much earlier than they ever would have expected, but the 30+ points they gave up in a win isn't the best omen for thinking they can take down Goliath aka Kansas City.

Who could you fade?

Cleveland Browns

Benefiting from five turnovers won't happen again for the Browns, but getting 10 points can look like a lot when you just saw the team nearly put up 50.

If there ever was a team that would be capable of winning a football game 60-50, it would be a Patrick Mahomes-led KC Chiefs team, and with only one team in each conference getting the bye this year, the positive effects of that time off could easily be amplified.

Yes, there have been plenty of bye teams laying an egg and going the one-and-done route each year, but those games also accounted for 100% of the action during the Divisional Weekend, as opposed to just 50% this season.

Cleveland is still a very bad defense against the pass ? Ben Roethlisberger's numbers are considered slightly inflated because of game situation ? and now they are going up against the QB who's the future of this game in that regard.

The basis behind this trend is generally that these teams have very leaky defenses (to give up that many), had a way above their head effort offensively to still win with 31 or more, and/or took full advantages of turnovers, special teams returns, shock plays etc, all of which can't particularly be counted on to happen again. It's tough to trust either of those likely offensive scenarios to duplicate themselves a week later, and now that leaky defense is going up against a far better offensive team.

But laying the -10 with Kansas City does come with concerns as well, as to how you grade a coach returning after a week off.

Players get healthy after a game and it's known what to expect from them, but with bias already naturally coming from what's been seen last, how does the coaching return/switch completely overshadow it. It should, but you can see why Cleveland + the points has been gaining some attraction in the market.

What peaked my interest about those numbers though was looking at the 'over' results being slightly ahead, and that being the side of the total that does have some attraction to it.

Cleveland may not benefit from all those turnovers again, but they don't even need half of what they put up a week ago to do more than enough to see an 'over' ticket cash here if the Chiefs are sharp and decide to keep their foot on the gas for the full 60 minutes with it being the playoffs now.

The run the Chiefs had going of winning SU games but failing to cover the spread was absurd this year (maybe that earlier angle applies to KC next week), and eventually that's got to flip one way or another.

At 6-10 SU for teams in the same spot as Cleveland this week, it suggests that flipping to a KC outright loss may not be the most likely (don't get me wrong, as does the -10 spread), and if KC does continue letting their foes hang around and finish inside the number, in that case, I'd rather be holding an 'over' ticket for the full game.

Cleveland's defense isn't likely to have tremendous success holding QB Mahomes and company down, and Browns QB Baker Mayfield is never shy about going down swinging if the game calls for it, as the Baltimore Ravens from a few Mondays ago can surely attest too.

 

[Cnotes53]

Saturday?s 6-pack
? Falcons hired Titans? OC Arthur Smith as their head coach.
? Bronx re-signed DJ Lemahieu for six years, $90M
? Siena 78, Rider 69? 5-0 Saints win road game without their best player.
? UAB 61, Charlotte 37? Blazers led this game 24-1.
? Monmouth (-10) 92, Quinnipiac 80, OT? Bad Beat of the Week???
? Wisconsin 60, Rutgers 54? Scarlet Knights lost 5 of last 6 games.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 388,887
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
?It?s no secret he?s disappointed in the (lack of) communication during the hiring process.?
Houston Texans? owner Cal McNair, on his QB (Deshaun Watson) being unhappy on how the team chose its new general manager

Saturday?s quiz
Of all current NBA players, who has the most games with 20+ points/20+ rebounds?

Friday?s quiz
Before coaching Florida/Ohio State, Urban Meyer was a head coach at Utah, Bowling Green.

Thursday?s quiz
James Harden played his college basketball at Arizona State.

*********************

Saturday?s List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here??

13) Jacksonville Jaguars made some noise Thursday, hiring Urban Meyer as their new coach; it will be fascinating to see how this works out. 56-year old Meyer is 187-32 as a college coach, but has zero NFL experience, so who he hires as assistant coaches will be interesting.

Jaguars have four of the top 45 picks in April?s draft, have $74M in cap space, so they figure to get better fairly quickly.

Meyer seemed to have stress-related issues at Florida/Ohio State; can he deal with 9-7 or 8-8 being a great year with the Jaguars? Or 5-11 being a big improvement?

Again, Meyer was 187-32 in college; last three years, Jaguars are 12-36. This will be interesting.

12) There were murmurs on the Interweb Thursday night that Scott Linehan would be the new OC in Jacksonville. Linehan was head coach of the Rams from 2006-08, then OC in Detroit from 2009-13 and OC for Dallas from 2015-18. He was the OC at LSU this past season.

11) Detroit Lions hired LA Rams? director of college scouting Brad Holmes as the team?s new GM; Holmes worked for the Rams for 17 years, starting out as a PR intern. He is the son of former Steelers? lineman Mel Holmes, the nephew of Luther Bradley, who was the Lions? first round draft pick in 1978.

Here?s what makes all this a little different; because Holmes is a minority, Rams will get two 3rd round draft picks, as part of the NFL?s new hiring initiatives- when one team hires a minority coach or a GM from another team, the other team gets two 3rd round picks as compensation.

10) Texas Longhorns hired Jeff Banks as their new special teams coach; the guy was making $750,000 as special teams coach at Alabama, will make $1M for doing the same thing at Texas.

9) Atlantic 14 pulled its conference tournament out of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, will have it at a campus facility- they?ll be back in Barclays Center next year.

8) Purdue 81, Indiana 69:
? Purdue won last eight series games, last five visits to Bloomington.
? Purdue?s last four games were on the road, the first time since 1960 they played four straight conference games on the road. One of their home games was postponed because of COVID.

7) 76ers 125, Heat 108:
? Shake Milton scored 31 points in 27:00 off bench; 76ers were +24 with him on the floor.
? Ben Simmons had 12 assists, 10 rebounds, took only 8 shots. He is a unique player.

6) Something to look forward to: spring training for Korean baseball starts February 1st, two weeks from Sunday. Spring training for the major leagues starts February 17th.

5) Baseball stuff:
? Mets signed 1B/DH Jose Martinez, a solid right-handed bat
? Phillies signed reliever Archie Bradley, who was most recently with Arizona.

4) Former Red Sox/Cubs GM Theo Epstein got a job this week in the commissioner?s office as a consultant. According to a MLB statement, Epstein will ?work with baseball analytics experts from the Commissioner?s Office and the Clubs to determine the likely effects of various contemplated rule changes.?

3) Blind resume for the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
One of these QB?s is in the Hall of Fame, one is not.
Player A: 62-63-4 career regular season record, 2-1 in playoffs. 173 TD passes, 220 INT?s
Player B: 72-72 career regular season record, 8-2 in playoffs. 164 TD passes, 198 INT?s.

Which of these two resumes do you think belongs to a Hall of Famer?

2) If you?re one of the morons who attacked the Capitol in Washington last week, and you had your cellphone with you, get ready to be arrested, since the phones have GPS tracking systems in them, so it is a matter of time until they find you and fingerprint you.

1) I?m a little annoyed that the Secret Service was spending $3,000 per month to rent a studio apartment, just so they could have a bathroom available to use while they protected Jared Kushner and his cruddy wife. The Kushner?s didn?t let the Secret Service, the people who were PROTECTING THEM, use one of the SIX BATHROOMS in their house. Oy.

 

[Cnotes53]

 

[Cnotes53]

NFL
Armadillo's Write-Up

Division Round

Sunday?s games

Cleveland (12-5) @ Kansas City (14-2)
? Cleveland won seven of its last nine games.
? Last week was new Browns? first playoff win ever, their first playoff game since ?02.
? Cleveland won five of its last six road games.
? Browns won six of their last eight games overall.
? Browns lost field position in eight of their last nine games.
? Cleveland gave up 28.0 ppg in their last six games.
? Mayfield is playing in his first NFL playoff game.

? Kansas City had last week off, also rested guys in Week 17.
? Chiefs won 10 of last 11 games, but are 0-7-1 ATS in last eight games.
? Chiefs are 9-7 ATS in last 16 games as a home favorite, 3-5 TY.
? Last eight games, Kansas City allowed 26.3 ppg
? Last time Chiefs covered was November 1st against the Jets.
? Before winning Super Bowl LY, Chiefs had lost 12 of previous 14 playoff games.

? Chiefs won last three series games, by 6-4-16 points.
? Browns are 1-3 at Arrowhead, with lone win in 2009.
? Cleveland lost last two visits here, 23-17/17-13- their last visit here was 2015.

Tampa Bay (12-5) @ New Orleans (13-4)
? Last week?s win was Tampa Bay?s first playoff game since 2007.
? Tom Brady has a 31-11 career record in playoff games.
? Buccaneers won last five games, scoring 26-31-47-44-31 points.
? Last six games, Bucs converted 45-95 third down plays.
? Tampa Bay is 12-0 when it scores 25+ points, 0-5 when it does not.
? Three of their last four games went over the total.
? Bucs won their last six road games; they?re 2-1 ATS as an underdog.

? New Orleans is 3-2 in its last five games, giving up 21 ppg.
? Saints are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five home games.
? Five of New Orleans? last 12 games were decided by exactly three points.
? Saints are 8-1-1 ATS in their last ten games overall.
? Under is 7-3 in Saints? last ten games.
? Saints are 5-6 in playoff games, since winning Super Bowl 11 years ago.
? Brees is 9-8 in playoff games, 2-5 in 2nd+ playoff game of a year.

? Saints beat Tampa Bay twice this year, 34-23 (week 1), 38-3 (week 9).
? New Orleans led 17-7/31-0 at halftime of the two games.
? In 2nd meeting, Bucs ran ball five times for 8 yards, the whole game!!!

 

[Cnotes53]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

LAR at GB 04:35 PM

GB -7.5

O 45.0

 

[Cnotes53]

SATURDAY NIGHT PICK

BAL at BUF 08:15 PM

BAL +2.5

U 50.0

 

[Cnotes53]

DATE LEAGUE GAME SCORE STATUS PICK

NFL 2021 PLAYOFF RECORD:

01/16/2021 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
01/10/2021 6-0-0 100.00% +3000 Detail
01/09/2021 5-1-0 83.33% +1950 Detail


TOTALS.............14-2-0......87.75%.............+ 59.00

 

[Cnotes53]

Sunday?s 6-pack
? Alabama 90, Arkansas 59? Crimson Tide is 6-0 in SEC
? Auburn 66, Kentucky 59? Wildcats slip to 4-8 this year.
? Baylor 68, Texas Tech 60? Gonzaga-Baylor is what people want to see.
? Virginia 85, Clemson 50? Game was 18-2 after the first 10:00.
? Utah St 64, San Diego St 59? Aggies are now 8-0 in Mountain West.
? Minnesota 75, Michigan 57? Wolverines? first loss this season.

Americans who have died from COVID-19: 395,372
PLEASE wear a mask (over your nose/mouth) when you go out.

Quote of the Day
Writer: ?Whats it like hitting off of Sandy Koufax??
Willie Stargell: ?You ever drink coffee with a fork??

Sunday?s quiz
Who did the Buffalo Bills play last time they were in a Super Bowl?

Saturday?s quiz
Of all current NBA players, Dwight Howard has the most games with 20+ points/20+ rebounds, with 51.

Friday?s quiz
Before coaching Florida/Ohio State, Urban Meyer was a head coach at Utah, Bowling Green.

********************

Sunday?s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday

13) Apparently someone in the NCAA has gotten a copyright on the phrase ?Mask Madness? for this year?s NCAA tournament, which will be held entirely in Indiana. Sounds like there will be t-shirts sold.

12) Jets hired Robert Saleh as their new head coach; he is expected to bring Mike LaFleur with him from San Francisco to be the Jets? new offensive coordinator.

Because Saleh is a minority, 49ers get a 3rd round draft pick this year, and one next year. That is part of the NFL?s new minority hiring initiative.

11) UCLA swept their Arizona road trip this season; last seven times UCLA swept their Arizona trip, here is how they made out in the NCAA tournament that year:

? won NCAA tournament once
? lost in championship game once
? made two other Final Fours
? made two other Elite 8?s
? made Sweet 16 the other year

So they?ve won 2+ NCAA tournament games the last seven times they swept in Arizona.

By the way, this is the first time since 1994 that UCLA started out 6-0 in Pac-12 play.

10) Florida State 82, North Carolina 75:
? Tar Heels are 8-5, 3-3 in ACC games.
? Carolina is turning ball over 21.5% of time (#265).
? UNC is #284 in eFG%; they were #309 last year; in the five years before that, their average ranking in that category was 88.8.

9) It is January 17 and Saint Louis hasn?t played a conference game yet, and they?re an NCAA-level team. Billikens are 7-1, with wins over LSU/NC State, but they haven?t played since two days before Christmas. They may wind up playing a lot of games in a short period of time.

8) Auburn has a 6-1 freshman G Sharife Cooper who became eligible three games ago; Auburn won two of the three games he?s played, scoring 83.7 ppg. Much more dynamic team with him in there; even when he went 3-13 from floor like he did Saturday, he also had eight assists.

7) There were 1,039 transfers in college basketball last year; there are 357 Division I hoop teams, so that works out to 2.91 transfers for EVERY team last year. College hoop is turning into baseball, with big $$$ schools pillaging the schools with fewer resources.

6) The founder of Jersey Mike?s sub shops is a guy named Peter; go figure.

5) Steph Curry is a very famous alumnus of Davidson College, but because he never graduated from the school, they?ve never retired his number. Wonder if that affects how much of a donation he gives them every year?

4) Portland Trailblazers? C Jusuf Nurkic broke his wrist, is out eight weeks.

3) We posted these blind resumes yesterday:
One of these QB?s is in the Hall of Fame, one is not.

Player A: 62-63-4 career regular season record, 2-1 in playoffs. 173 TD passes, 220 INT?s
Player B: 72-72 career regular season record, 8-2 in playoffs. 164 TD passes, 198 INT?s.

Player A is Joe Namath, who is in the Hall of Fame; Player B is Jim Plunkett, who is not.

2) Green Bay 32, LA Rams 18:
? Packers scored the first five times they had the ball.
? Green Bay outgained LA, 484-244, converting 8-12 third down plays.
? Packers host NFC title game in first game next Sunday

1) Buffalo 17, Baltimore 3:
? Taron Jackson had a 101-yard pick-6 for the Bills.
? Lamar Jackson was KO?d from this game with a concussion.
? Buffalo hosts next week if Cleveland wins Sunday; otherwise, they go to Arrowhead.

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

CLE at KC 03:05 PM

CLE +9.5

U 57.0

 

[Cnotes53]

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

TB at NO 06:40 PM

TB +2.5

O 52.5

 

[Cnotes53]

DATE LEAGUE GAME SCORE STATUS PICK

NFL 2021 PLAYOFF RECORD:

01/17/2021 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
01/16/2021 3-1-0 75.00% +950 Detail
01/10/2021 6-0-0 100.00% +3000 Detail
01/09/2021 5-1-0 83.33% +1950 Detail


TOTALS.............17-3-0......85.00%.............+ 68.50