Hot Events: Super Bowl Hopes Heat Up

The first round of the NFL Playoffs are in the books as we didn’t really get to see many tightly contested games. The Wild Card weekend brought us a win from every home team, except for the Washington Commanders who took the road win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We also saw two of the six home teams listed as underdogs. Both the Texans and Rams saw their lines move around the +3 mark and both home teams won by a combined 38 point differential.

Now, only eight teams remain with the hopes of hoisting the Lombardi trophy. Three of the four home teams are favored by at least 6 points. The fourth and final game of the weekend is a pick ’em.

To cap off an intense four games of playoff football, we also have the College Football National Championship as the Ohio Buckeyes take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Monday Night.

It simply doesn’t get any better than this, and UBET.io has you covered.

But first, time to check in with UBET’s NFL Playoff Bracket Challenge!

We saw a whole bunch of entries roll through and after the first round, ONLY ONE BRACKET remains with a perfect score!

If you missed it, don’t sweat as it’s not too late to enter! Unlike other bracket challenges, you get to make your selections after every round. This gives you a chance to analyze every matchup, key injuries and weigh your odds with each team, each round.

Now, onto our picks for the divisional AFC/NFC Divisional Rounds.

NFL Picks

Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Pick: Houston Texans +8.5 (-114)

What a defensive showing we saw from the Texans as they turned over Justin Herbert 4 times in their Wild Card win over the Chargers. They now take on the Chiefs who are in search for the first ever 3-peat. Kansas City has now won 10 straight home games at Arrowhead.

Houston had lost their matchup this season against Kansas City in Week 16 with a final score of 27-19 and we expect a similar result in this second round matchup. However, we do like the Texans on a backdoor cover with that half point, as greasy as it is. If their defense can play as well as they did, commit to the run with Joe Mixon and use CJ Stroud’s legs a bit, like they did against the Chargers, this will be their best chance at beating the Chiefs.

Don’t get it twisted, Kansas City should take care of the Texans, no problem. Just keep in mind, the Chiefs have been below average against the spread this year with a record of 8-9, 8 of those nine losses coming in a row in the middle of the season.

HOT BET: Kansas City Chiefs To Win Superbowl (+400)

The Detroit Lions are slight favorites to win the Super Bowl, just ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs. With the chance at history to become the first team ever to win 3 consecutive Super Bowl wins, UBET.io gives you the best odds with this future play, as most books only offer this at +325!

Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions

The Pick: Detroit Lions -9.5 (-113)

What a treat of an NFC divisional round matchup. Two top 5 offenses, with Detroit putting up +31 points in their last 5 games. The main issue here will be Washington’s rush defense which was second worst in the league. They allowed 4.9 YPC to running backs this year which ranked 30th in the league. You didn’t need to see that stat to know that Detroit will pound the ground, regardless. Mix in the air assault, with Goff mixing his targets up in front of the Detroit faithful, we can expect a high scoring affair. 9.5 points is a lot to cover, but Detroit has shown no mercy and against rookie phenom Jaden Daniels, we’re looking at a score around the 38-24 range.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Pick: Los Angeles Rams +6.5 (-113)

There’s no denying the Rams defense has been elite under Chris Shula. They’ve shut down teams of late, including their statement win against the Vikings. But that was a very one-dimensional offense they faced and were able to rattle Sam Darnold. The Eagles are a different story.

This offense is very reliant on Saquon Barkely, as they should be. Back in Week 12, Barkley had his biggest performance of the year against the Rams with a staggering 255 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Rams defense has also been pretty poor against mobile quarterbacks this year. However, since that beating they took against the Eagles, they straightened out their defense and have held their opponents to under 10 points in 4 of their last 5 meaningful games. With improved defence and learning from their mistakes, LA should be able to make this one close. Admittedly a Rams fan, I do think Philly wins this one, but the Rams keep it close with a final score of 24-19

Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills

The Pick: Buffalo Bills Moneyline (-104)

We will actually be live on location in Orchard Park, so if you’re reading this, come say hello to us at the ‘Fans Of Buffalo’ tailgate by the Big Tree Inn.

We’re going to keep this one simple. It’s a battle of the MVP’s. Josh Allen vs Lamar Jackson in what is hoped to be an instant classic. It’s going to be cold, it’s going to be gritty and you better believe Baltimore is going to run the ball just like they did in Week 4’s blowout against the Bills. King Henry ran for a jaw-dropping 199 yards with a TD against Buffalo earlier this season in a 35-10 win. Mind you, Buffalo was pretty banged up at that point which likely affected their defensive ranking, which sat at 12th in the league for average YPG.

All that being said, we expect (and hope) Buffalo has a bounce back effort and adjust against Harbough and the Ravens. Perhaps a 27-24 finish, with a Tyler Bass redemption walk-off field goal? Either way, it’s hard not to roll with the heart of this Buffalo Bills squad in what should be an incredible game.

CFP Picks

To celebrate the natty, UBET.io is rolling out the CFP National Championship: $1,000 Prize Pool! This is open to all UBET players, so if you have an account, you already qualify!

It’s super easy to throw your name in the hat, here’s everything you need to know:

• After the game on Monday, January 20th, 20 lucky UBET users will be randomly drawn. In order to be eligible, you must place a minimum wager of $20 on the National Championship.

• Each one of the 20 selected winners will receive $50 into their UBET account!

• Winners will be announced on UBET’s socials and notified via email.

It’s that easy! Get your picks in now and perhaps, start with our best bet for the big game.

College Football National Championship: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes -9.5 (-108)

The story here is all about the supporting cast. Will Howard has a ton of support around him. Riley Leonard, does not have the same or as much as Howard does. Doesn’t mean that Notre Dame can’t win, but there’s a reason why Ohio State is this heavily favored, and it starts with the defense.

The fact that Ohio State has 16 sacks over three college football playoff games and zero in their two losses this year shows that they have accountability and have made adjustments. That aside, they are first in defensive PPG, total YPG, passing YPG and third in rushing YPG. Mind you, Notre Dame only allows 14.3 PPG, which may lead to a lower scoring affair. But in that same breath, nobody has been able to run on Ohio State, so the under does also look enticing at 45.5 points. We’re looking at a 27-17 Buckeyes win for the Natty, Monday night.