GRIDLINE's Primetime Plays
National Football League 2014 Season
GAMES OF WEEK 17
content below posted 18:30SUN28DEC14 cst
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The last bet of the year. Both of these teams are going for a home game in the playoffs so they should be concentrating. The big difference should be Pitt's passing game. Over the last month the Bengals pass D has been average, thanks to the absence of a pass rush. Pitt isn't any better, but Dalton can't pass like R'Berger. It should be the quick strike Steelers against the steady moving Bengals. If the turnovers even out and the coaches know what they're up against the Steelers should come through.
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| Steelers -3 |
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Steelers 28 Bengals 21
Computer Projection |
| HIT: Pitt 27 Cincy 17 |
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content below posted 13:30SUN28DEC14 cst
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Plays for Sunday afternoon
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This is the first real playoff game of the 2014 season. The winner goes on to the Wildcard round, the loser goes home. These are also two evenly matched teams and they both have beem playing well lately. The key that the system is focusing on is points per yard. At home, we expect the Birds to make better use of their yardage. In other words, while both teams may find themselves facing 3rd and goal on multiple occasions, we expect the Birds to be more likely to score the TD. If that happens just once it's a spreadbeater. Maybe it's an oversimplification but that's what we're going with for a Full play.
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| Falcons -3 |
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Falcons 29 Panthers 23
Computer Projection |
| MISS: Pants 34 Birds 3 |
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| Broncos -14 |
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Broncos 34 Raiders 16
Computer Generated BEST BET |
| HIT: Broncs 47 Raiders 14 |
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With a bye on the line it could be the Broncos are the only unit concentrating on their jobs out there. We're wondering if the Raiders are under orders to blow this game, and we're wondering if the officials can influence its outcome any more than they did in that Denver/Cincy game.
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content below posted 02:30SUN28DEC14 cst
It's not that we don't think there is an emotional aspect to the games, it's just that we feel it's unpredictable. We discount it because it really shouldn't be part of the game for the pros. They always should play at 100%. They don't, of course. Many games are lost because a player loses concentration for just a split second. It happens, but GRIDLINE hopes it doesn't happen to teams we bet on, or we hope it evens out in the end. In week 17, mental components are front and center as some teams vie for a playoff seed while others maneuver for a high draft pick. Then there are a few teams who have nothing on the line and simply mail it in. We don't like trying to figure out how much a game might mean to a player or a coach but in Week 17 we have to. After eliminating most of our plays out of these concerns, we had just a few picks left for the early games.
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Here we go with the classic run vs, pass scenario. The Chiefs have the pass defense to give the Chargers trouble. We can't say the same for the Chargers' run D. We know that Alex Smith is out but Daniel has been around for awhile, and even though he's seen little action we don't expect him to be too nervous back there. KC beat them earlier this season in San Diego. When a team has already beaten somebody on the road it always impresses us. The Chiefs are tied for the best ATS record and their playoff chances may be bleak but they are not nonexistent. Call it a Full play on the home team.
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| Chiefs -1 |
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Chiefs 24 Chargers 18
Computer Generated BEST BET |
| HIT: Chiefs 19 Bolts 7 |
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| Vikings -6 1/2 |
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Vikings 27 Bears 19
Computer Projection |
| MISS: Vikes 13 Bears 9 |
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It's almost as if the Bears should be glad to get out of this season, but we don't believe in that stuff. It's a rivalry game, both sides should be trying to win. We do believe Bridgewater and the Vikes have found a bit of a passing game lately. The Vikes can be had running the ball but it looks like the Bears are ill-equipped to exploit that. It might be a little blustery in Gopher stadium but it shouldn't affect the game much. In that respect we're like the owners. Who cares how comfortable ticket holders are?
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We're going with the RECENT forecast with this one, even though it should be okay to give up to 3 according to the OFFICIAL forecast. The Giants have been throwing the ball well the last few weeks and Philly's secondary has been exposed. On the flip side, the Giants still give up a bit too much yardage but they have managed to keep the damage off the scoreboard, while the Eags yardage isn't resulting in points the way it should. This one could be a barnburner in the rain.
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| Giants -2 1/2 |
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Giants 29 Eagles 26
Computer Projection |
| MISS: Eags 34 Giants 26 |
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Good Luck Everyone!
Last Week's Games
