NFL Betting Odds – AFC Playoff Parlay Pick

COLTS AND CHARGERS – ON COLLISION COURSE?

Let’s take a look at the two AFC playoff games for this weekend:

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts

Saturday, January 16 – 8 PM ET

BetOnline NFL betting odds: INDIANAPOLIS -6, Total 44

NFL football betting trends for this matchup:

• BALT has won four of its last five games SU
• BALT has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total
• IND has covered five of its last seven games
• IND has won 22 of its last 25 games SU
• IND has played five of its last six games OVER the total
• IND has won 13 of its last 14 home games SU
• IND has covered two of its last six home games
• IND has won and covered the last six meetings

You obviously have to admire what Baltimore did in its first playoff round against New England, and getting off to a big early lead, they were able to play their brand of football the rest of the way, blowing the NFL betting odds all to hell. We’re not sure they can do the same against the Colts, who have the ability to get out there and strike fast with Peyton Manning at the helm. Fundamentally, there are some things that point us to the Ravens, however, including the fact that they can not only run, but always have a fresh running back in the game, and the Colts were not all that imposing up front, allowing 4.3 yards a carry, and in their own ground attack, have not demonstrated that they can not move it (3.5 ypc). If they’re one-dimensional, that certainly helps the Ravens.

Baltimore has captured three playoff games on the road since last season, and that is admirable. So was the way they hung in with the Colts in the November 22 meeting, when they lost just 17-15. They intercepted Manning twice that day, but the game served to revisit a problem with them in dropping the last six against the Colts, in that they could not cross the goal-line.

This game is indoors, but might take on the character of one of those games on a frozen tundra. We’re going under the total of 44 points as it is posted in the BetOnline NFL betting odds for the divisional round of the playoffs.

JAY’S PLAY: UNDER 44 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, January 17 – 4:30 PM ET

BetOnline NFL betting odds: SAN DIEGO -7, Total 42

NFL football betting trends for this matchup:

• NY has won and covered six of its last seven games
• NY has won and covered five of its last six road games
• SD has won its last eleven games SU
• SD is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine games
• SD has won its last five home games SU
• SD has played five of its last six home games OVER the total

San Diego now owns the longest current winning streak in the NFL, at eleven games, covering six of the last nine in the NFL betting odds. Not that this is anything particularly extraordinary for the Chargers, because over the last several seasons they have always come on very strong in the second half of the season. While that is very admirable, none of this has produced a Super Bowl appearance, so you don’t want to get too carried away. This Charger edition doesn’t even seem as complete as some of the others.

LaDainian Tomlinson is living off past reputation and there is no getting around his paltry 3.3 ypc average. Darren Sproles, with 343 yards and less than four yards a pop, hasn’t made up the difference.

You can’t disparage Phillip Rivers’ 65% passing, nor his 28-9 ratio of TD’s to interceptions. However, the Jets have been fulfilling all that Rex Ryan envisioned for them on the defensive side. They rank first overall and have allowed a grand total of 61 points in their last seven games. And doubts about their ability to go on the road and win should have been dispelled last week with the victory at Cincinnati. While it’s true that the formula of "running game and defense" works better in the cold weather, the Jets are solid on both interior lines, and that is a concern for the Chargers, who are without nose tackle Jamal Williams and have had to deal with injuries all year on the O-Line. The Jets are capable of pulling the upset, so we’ll take the seven points in the BetOnline NFL betting odds for the playoffs.

JAY’S PLAY: N.Y. JETS +7 ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)