The NFL playoff schedule is out for this week, and today, I’m set to make my NFL playoffs pointspread picks for the ‘total’ in this crucial clash. The Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons are going to do battle at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. Join me for my Divisional Round playoffs tips for this 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff that can be seen on FOX.
The Seahawks had played five straight ‘over’ contests before a Week 17 win over the St. Louis Rams, and now, they have played back to back ‘under’ games after beating the Washington Redskins 24-14 and shutting them out in the final three quarters of the Wild Card round last week. The Falcons meanwhile, have played ‘under’ contests in three straight and six out of seven, yet the oddsmakers have still lined this ‘total’ far too high at 46. I’m most certainly taking full advantage of this one.
Wild Card Playoff Picks
Seattle Seahawks (12-5, 12-5 ATS) +2.5
Atlanta Falcons (13-3, 9-6-1 ATS) -2.5
Over/Under 46
The Falcons were a bad defensive team this year, but they were still able to hold teams down to just 18.7 points per game in spite of the fact that they were ranked 24th in the league in total defense. That means that the oddsmakers are thinking with the NFL betting odds in this one, that QB Matt Ryan is going to have a great game through the air. There are just a few problems with that. The first is that Matty Ice has never thrown for even 200 yards in a game here in the playoffs in three tries, and he has just three TDs against five picks in those games. Heck, last year, his defense at least scored two points against the New York Giants. He wasn’t able to get a single point on the board. The second problem is that this is a very nasty Seattle defense that is going to take tremendous advantage of the fact that the Falcons only have a passing game. DB Brandon Browner is back, and he has done a remarkable job all season long helping shut down opposing passing games. With the pressure that is sure to be coming on Ryan, it’s a wonder how he is going to get anything going in this one.
When you look back at it this year, the Seahawks really did a great job defensively against playoff teams. They kept the Packers to 12 points, the Patriots to 23, the 49ers to 13 (twice), the Vikings to 20, and most recently, the Redskins to just 14. It wasn’t a mistake that they had the No. 1 scoring defense in the league this year at just 15.3 points per game allowed, and I really think that this unit is going to shine on Sunday afternoon. Don’t be all that shocked if this one turns out to be a mild upset, but in the end, the ‘under’ is the far better play to make.
Seattle vs. Atlanta Picks & Tips: Under 46
