The NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday evening with the first two matches in the wildcard round taking place and the action starts in Ohio where the Cincinnati Bengals host the Las Vegas Raiders in what could be a banger to get things going.
The Bengals won the AFC North which means that they will host this playoff match. Las Vegas go on the road but they have already played knockout football this season and will be looking to set up a clash with one of the big guns next week.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals were beaten in their final regular season match last week but I don’t think we can hold that against them. They had already secured the AFC North title and knew they couldn’t really do anything to their seeding in terms of getting home field advantage for longer in these playoffs so that was largely a nothing game. It isn’t always easy to turn the form tap on though so they do need to be wary of that.
We all know the record of the Bengals in the postseason is not the best. It is now 31 years since they last came away from a playoff match with a win and that is going to be referred to a lot in the lead up to this match. I sense they are a different animal this year though. They have the best quarterback they have had in ages and a potent offensive which is very exciting. If there is a concern then you wonder if their defence is ready to go deep this term but the offense certainly is.
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Las Vegas Raiders
Whether you are a subscriber to the it being an advantage to rest players the week before the playoffs or not, the one thing which can’t be underplayed is the value of having played a knockout match and won it before the real thing comes along. That is what the Las Vegas Raiders achieved last week when coming out on top in an epic do or die battle with the Los Angeles Chargers to book their spot in this clash.
Anything from here is a bonus for the Raiders given the season of upheaval they have had but the fact that they have endured what they have and are still alive means they shouldn’t be written off. They showed last week that they have no problem winning an all or nothing shootout which should serve them well here, although they will hope that their defence can come to the party a little more in this one just to take some of the pressure off Derek Carr and his offensive players.
Betting
I know the playoffs don’t tend to run to the same course as the regular season and matches tend to be a little cagier but I can’t help but this the points line is too low at 47.5 here. Both these offenses are perfectly powerful enough to clear this and given that there are weaknesses to be exploited in both defences I don’t think we have to try too hard to find a way that this turns to a shootout so I very much like the over here.
These two met earlier in the season when the Bengals won 32-13 but the Raiders were in a bit of a rut off the pitch then and were missing one or two key players on it. Neither is the case with them here so I expect their offense to put a lot of points on the board here. Cincinnati look primed to do likewise having put up 75 of them against the Ravens and the Chiefs prior to their loss last week. Vegas scored 35 last week and in what could be a great tussle I like the over here.
Tips
Back Over 47.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Coral
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