NFL 2015 AFC Wild Card (Chiefs vs Texans)

Early this season, I was optimistic on the Kansas City Chiefs and their chance to win the AFC West division. Though that did not occur, the Chiefs showed  great resiliency by winning their final 10 games of the season. This is after losing 5 games in a row.

The Chiefs opened the season by beating the Houston Texans - score of 27 - 20. Though I felt that the Texans were facing desperate times as a franchise, I must admit my surprise in how they turned their season around. The Texans won 7 of their final 9 games to win the AFC South division.

Houston played through controversy and injuries at the quarterback position but it was their defense that righted the ship.

In the final 9 games, the Texans held opponents to under 18 points for 7 wins.

The Chiefs did the same in 8 of their final 10 winning games. Knowing we will witness two formidable defenses, what are the key points? The Chiefs defense is more explosive, particularly when it comes to the pass rush (Sacks) and Interceptions.

Brian Hoyer threw 7 INTS in 11 games, which on a percentage basis places him in the middle of the pack for starting quarterbacks. Where he does excel is that he throws nearly 2 TDs per game, which places him at the top third for starting quarterbacks.

Level of competition faced and performance against top teams do matter in determining which offense is more potent. Statistically the Texans offense rates better than the Chiefs, except in two key areas: points scored and rushing yards.

With the matchup being Kansas City At Houston (+3; 40) the numbers favor the Chiefs at .789.

So, I take the Chiefs (UNDER), either looking at a Chiefs blowout, or a grind out defensive struggle. Pick wisely, and check out the pick for the other playoff games.

EvenMoney’s NFL 2015 – End of Season Rankings

Playoff Teams in Red

Composite Rank = average rank, across four categories

Position Rank	TEAM	Composite Rank
1	Carolina Panthers	2.25
2	Arizona Cardinals	3.25
3	Cincinnati Bengals	4.25
4	Seattle Seahawks	4.25
5	New England Patriots	5.00
6	Kansas City Chiefs	6.00
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	8.25
8	Minnesota Vikings	9.25
9	Denver Broncos	9.50
10	New York Jets	9.50
11	Green Bay Packers	11.75
12	Houston Texans	13.50
13	Washington Redskins	13.50
14	Buffalo Bills	13.75
15	Atlanta Falcons	16.75
16	Oakland Raiders	18.25
17	New York Giants	18.75
18	Detroit Lions	19.25
19	St. Louis Rams	20.00
20	Philadelphia Eagles	20.25
21	New Orleans Saints	20.75
22	Indianapolis Colts	22.00
23	Chicago Bears	22.00
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	23.50
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	23.50
26	Miami Dolphins	24.75
27	Baltimore Ravens	25.00
28	San Diego Chargers	25.75
29	Dallas Cowboys	26.50
30	San Francisco 49ers	27.25
31	Tennessee Titans	29.25
32	Cleveland Browns	30.50

NFL 2015 Week 16 - EvenMoney's Game of the Week (Patriots vs Jets)

New England At NY Jets (-3; 45) has strong playoff implications for both teams. A win for the New England Patriots mean they clinch home field throughout the playoffs. A New York Jets loss does not eliminate them from the playoffs.

This matchup is a chance at redemption for a Jets team that took a lead into the fourth quarter when these two teams met in Week 7. New York led until halfway through the fourth quarter, and then the defense showed the gaps and tendencies that would be exposed in three of the next four games.

Sitting at 5-5, with 4 losses in the AFC division, the Jets have turned their season around. Winners of their last 4 games, the Jets have found a great balance on both sides of the ball. During this stretch, the Jets have averaged 27.5 points, while giving up 16 points.

Though the level of competition was not near what they will face today against the Patriots, the same could be said of the three losses the Jets had after losing to the Patriots.

After beating the Jets in Week 7, the Patriots went on to win 4 straight games. Just as they looked to be streaking toward another undefeated season, the Patriots lost two games in a row. They have since won two straight games but the spectre of dominance is not the same.

The Patriots have battled injuries to key players and are likely resting some to avoid injuries this late in the season. Even with these injuries, the Patriots are still good for their season low mark of 20 points.

The question for this game lies on the Patriots defense, which is giving up less than 20 points over the entire season. This average is a hard split where 7 games fall above that scoring mark, and 7 do not. This says more about level of competition than it does about the Patriots defense's consistency. 

The New York Jets have scored 20+ points in 10 of their 14 games - 8 Wins, 2 Losses. Their defense has held opponents to 20 points or less in 8 games -- all wins.

With the points, this game is a toss-up, a push, where the even money goes to the home team, the Jets  (.526).

So, I take the Jets (UNDER), either looking at a defensive battle or blowout. Pick wisely, come back for Monday's pick and until then watch to see who's the winner.

Skins Eagles, Clinch NFC East - NFL 2015 TNF 16

A win tonight over the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins will clinch the NFC East division. Doing so and then beating the Dallas Cowboys next week would have the Skins finish the season 9-7, winners of four straight and provider of respectability for one of this season's much maligned conferences.

A loss in tonight's matchup - Washington At Philadelphia (-3; 49) - will have the NFC East division winner finish at 8-8 or 7-9, but let's hold off on that.

The Skins have been inconsistent all year and have only won two games in a row once, during this current stretch. If they make the playoffs, they would have done so while not beating a team that qualified for this year's playoffs.

The Skins defeated the Eagles earlier this season in a game of two disparate halves, which saw Redskins Quarterback Kirk Cousins make the early case that he's the better of the two quarterbacks.

Cousins bests Eagles Quarterback Sam Bradford in most top statistical categories, including TD/INT ratio, which might prove to be the difference in tonight's game.

At the same time, Bradford has shown the ability to power the Eagles offense, while the Eagles defense continues to struggle against teams with potent passing games.

The Eagles are 6-1 when they score 23+ points and 0-7 when they score less than 23 points.

The Redskins are 6-0 when they score 23+ points and 1-7 when they score less than 23 points.

Tonight's question is simple: Can Kirk Cousins and the Skins offense maintain the consistency of these past two weeks and score 24+ points?

Both teams' defenses give up over 23 points a game, with the Skins having the statistical advantage by 2.2 points.

The numbers are unanimous for the Skins, especially with the 3 points being given. Still, I do think the Eagles can pull off a win while not covering the spread.

So, I take Skins (OVER) because I think both teams will take more offensive risks. Pick wisely, come back for Sunday's picks and until then let's see if Skins clinch.

NFL 2015 Week 15 - EvenMoney's Game of the Week (Broncos vs Steelers)

Denver At Pittsburgh (-6.5; 45.5) is about respect and lack of it. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers have scored 30+ points in five straight games. They are 4-1 in these games and have put themselves in position to control their own playoff destiny.

If the Steelers win all three games or have the same number of victories as the New York Jets, they make the playoffs and the Jets do not. This is complicated NFL tie-breaker math that will play itself out in the coming weeks, if necessary.

In the same time span, the Denver Broncos have only once scored 30 points, an overtime victory over the at-the-time undefeated New England Patriots. The Broncos are 3-2 over this stretch and 3-1 since backup Quarterback Brock Osweiler replaced Peyton Manning as the starter.

The Broncos are one victory away from clinching a playoff spot but they still have to worry about the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have won eight straight. If both teams finish with 11 wins, then the complicated NFL tie-breaker math will determine the division winner.

The numbers point to a Steelers (.842) victory and cover.  For this game, the question is whether the Broncos defense can hold the Steelers to 20 points or less.

So, I take the Steelers (UNDER) because Steelers even though their defense is up and down, the offense is operating on a high level. Pick wisely, come back for Monday's pick and until then watch two top AFC teams earn their respect.