The divisional round of the NFL Playoffs concludes on Sunday evening with the final two matches in the round. That means at the end of the evening we will know the four sides who will battle for their respective Conference titles next week and be one win away from the Super Bowl.
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Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers
The surprise package of the season, Jacksonville Jaguars, will take their excellent pass rush and defence into Pittsburgh in the opening match on Sunday to take on a Pittsburgh Steelers side who were cruising to the number one seeding before losing to New England towards the end of the regular season. The reward for the winners of this is a trip to New England.
These two sides met at Heinz Field earlier in the season and Jacksonville won 30-9. In fact they have a pretty decent record in Pittsburgh so they will be hoping they are something of a bogey team for them. Since that day Pittsburgh have lost just one match so they will be buzzing going into the game even if their defence has been exposed since the Ryan Shazier injury.
They have conceded 24pts or more in three of their last four matches which will give a surprisingly potent Jacksonville offense encouragement. You would think Pittsburgh will play well on offense though so I fancy the 40.5pts line could be on the low side.
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
The final match of the divisional round will see the Super Bowl hosts Minnesota Vikings looking to move to within a win of being at their own party when they host New Orleans Saints with a trip to Philadelphia Eagles on offer for the winner.
The Vikings have been very good on both sides of the ball this season which is a surprise when you consider they have been without Sam Bradford for most of the campaign. Their defence has been one of the best in the league to the extent that only two sides have put on more than 24pts against them since the second week of the season.
New Orleans are much improved these days and have actually improved as the season has gone on with the help of their exciting running back duo of Ingram and Kamara. Those two and their offense in general will need to be at their very best to get it done here.
These two met in this stadium in the opening week of the campaign and Minnesota won by ten points. It might not be quite as emphatic here but I do think their defence will allow them to get over the line. I think they’ll cover a 5.5pt start.
Tips
WON – Back Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers – Over 40.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Ladbrokes
Back it here:
Back Minnesota Vikings (-5.5pts) to beat New Orleans Saints for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with Betfair
Back them here:
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