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**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:21 AM

Rams run over Cowboys; Chiefs dominate Colts
January 12, 2019
By The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) C.J. Anderson rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Todd Gurley rushed for 115 more yards and another TD in the Los Angeles Rams' first playoff victory in 14 years, 30-22 over the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on Saturday night.

Gurley and Anderson punished the Cowboys' normally sturdy run defense and sent the second-seeded Rams (14-3) to the NFC championship game for the first time in 17 years. Los Angeles racked up a franchise playoff-record 273 yards on the ground - also the most ever allowed in the postseason by the Cowboys, who were playing in their NFL-record 63rd postseason game.

The long-struggling Rams had won only one postseason game since their last trip to the Super Bowl in February 2002, but 32-year-old coach Sean McVay has added his first playoff victory to his spectacular two-season franchise turnaround.

Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a TD and Amari Cooper caught an early TD pass for the Cowboys (11-7), who still haven't won a playoff game on the road in 26 years. After winning the NFC East and beating Seattle last week, Dallas lost in the divisional playoff round for the sixth consecutive time and fell short of its first trip to the NFC championship game since January 1996.

Next weekend, the Rams will face the winner of the other divisional playoff game in New Orleans between the top-seeded Saints and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams are one win away from another Super Bowl trip after McVay's high-flying, inventive offense largely kept it on the ground, methodically punishing the Cowboys' normally sturdy run defense with their unlikely running back tandem.

The Cowboys, who largely shut down Seattle's league-best rushing attack last week, hadn't allowed two 100-yard rushers in a playoff game since the NFL-AFL merger.

Dak Prescott passed for 266 yards and rushed for a TD with 2:11 to play, but the Cowboys couldn't climb out after falling into a 23-7 hole midway through the third quarter. Elliott managed just 47 yards on 20 carries as Dallas lost for just the second time in its last 10 games.

Jared Goff passed for 186 yards and spent much of the night handing off, but the gangly quarterback improbably scrambled 11 yards for a first down with 1:51 to play, essentially wrapping up his first playoff victory.

CHIEFS 31, COLTS 13

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Patrick Mahomes picked apart the Colts in his postseason debut, the Chiefs defense answered their chorus of critics with a stout performance, and Kansas City rolled to a victory over Indianapolis in the divisional round to end 25 years of playoff frustration.

Mahomes threw for 278 yards while running for a touchdown, and Damien Williams ran through snow and muck for 129 yards and another score, as the Chiefs beat Indianapolis for the first time in five playoff meetings to earn their first AFC title game appearance since January 1994.

The AFC West champions will play the winner of Sunday's game between the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots next weekend for a spot in the Super Bowl in Atlanta.

Andrew Luck was held to 203 yards passing for the Colts (11-7), while Marlon Mack was a non-factor on the ground. He had 46 yards rushing before leaving late in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.

With persistent snow turning Arrowhead Stadium into a winter wonderland, the Chiefs (13-4) waltzed all over a Colts defense that nearly shut out the Texans a week ago. Mahomes and Co. scored on their first three possessions , then again just before halftime, to take a 24-7 lead into the break.

If there was any question whether this would be Kansas City's day, it was answered when Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed a 23-yard field-goal try off the upright just before halftime. It was the first time in 22 postseason attempts that he'd missed from that close.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:27 AM

NFL December's Best Bets and Opinions

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

01/12/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
01/06/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
01/05/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/30/2018 16-9-0 64.00% +30.50
12/24/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/23/2018 11-13-1 45.83% -16.50
12/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/17/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/16/2018 11-12-1 47.83% -11.00
12/15/2018 3-0-1 100.00% +15.00
12/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
12/10/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
12/09/2018 11-13-0 45.83% -16.50
12/06/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/03/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/02/2018 12-11-0 52.17% -0.50

Totals...............81-69-0.....54.00%....+25.50

********************

Best Bets For December

DATE........................ATS..................U NITS....................O/U................UNITS..............TOTAL

01/12/2019............0 - 2.................-11.00.....................2 - 0................+10.00...........-1.00
01/06/2019............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1................-0.50..............-1.00
01/05/2019............2 - 0................+10.00.....................0 - 2................-11.00............-1.00
12/30/2018............6 - 2................+24.00.....................7 - 5................+7.50............+31.50
12/24/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00...........+10.00
12/23/2018............6 - 3................+13.50.....................3 - 5................-12.50...........+1.00
12/22/2018............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1.................-0.50............-1.00
12/17/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/16/2018............2 - 5................-17.50......................5 - 2................+14.00..........-3.50
12/15/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................2 - 0................+10.00.........+15.00
12/13/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-0.50
12/10/2018............0 - 1.................-5.50.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-11.00
12/09/2018............3 - 3.................-1.50.......................5 - 6.................-3.00.............-4.50
12/06/2018............1 - 0 ................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/03/2018............1 - 0.................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/02/2018............3 - 4..................-7.00......................0 - 3................-16.50............-23.50

Totals..................30 - 22...............+34.00....................29 - 27...............+6.50...........+40.50

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:32 AM

Sunday’s 6-pack

NFL head coaching records of the Bill Belichick coaching tree:

— Bill O’Brien 42-38
— Al Groh 9-7
— Nick Saban 15-17
— Josh McDaniels 11-17
— Eric Mangini 33-47
— Jim Schwartz 29-51
— Matt Patricia 6-10
— Romeo Crennel 28-55

Quote of the Day
“I just don’t think we’re physical enough. I think defensively, we’re not taking it personal enough when guys score on us. It should be a pride thing when somebody scores; you should be frustrated every time.”
Ben Simmons

Sunday’s quiz
Which two NFL teams has Bill Belichick been head coach of?
(NY Jets for one day doesn’t count)

Saturday’s quiz
Knicks lost to San Antonio the last time they played in the NBA Finals, in 1999.

Friday’s quiz
Kawhi Leonard played his college basketball at San Diego State.

****************************

Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday…..

13) Rams 30, Dallas 22— First playoff win in 14 years; it was a happy night in Armadillo World HQ. Rams ran ball for 273 yards behind an offensive line led by 13-year vet Andrew Whitworth, who won the first playoff game of his outstanding career.

Gurley/Anderson both ran ball for 100+ yards, first RB’s/teammates to run for 100+ in the same playoff game since the 1997 Broncos (Terrell Davis/Derek Loville)

12) Chiefs 31, Colts 13— Terrible game; Indy went 3/out on its first four drives, running dozen plays for 21 yards on a snowy day at Arrowhead, which will now host its first AFC title game in its 47-year history. Who do you think they would rather play, Chargers or Patriots?

Colts won 10 of their last 12 games after a 1-5 start; this was a rough end to a good season.

11) Duke 80, Florida State 78
— Zion Williamson got poked in the eye, sat out the entire second half.
— If you’re FSU and can’t beat Duke at home with Williamson missing half the game, thats not a good omen for the rest of the season, especially March.
— Reddish made game-winning 3-pointer; no one guarded him on the OB under.

10) Louisville 83, North Carolina 62— Someone asked Roy Williams after this game if there was one glaring concern for his team. Williams answered, “Basketball”

Alrighty then.

9) Georgetown 96, Providence 90 2OT— Hoyas banked in a 3-pointer to tie game at end of regulation, then hit another 3-pointer to tie game with 0:03.4 left in OT.

Just a thought, but maybe Providence should practice fouling in last 0:10 when they’re up by three points. Very difficult loss for the Friars, and for those who had Providence, +2.

8) Oklahoma State’s 6-10 freshman Yor Anei has only eight fingers; he lost two fingers on his right hand in an accident with a blender when he was a little kid. TV guys were saying that it doesn’t really hamper his basketball very much.

7) Upsets of the Day:
— Louisville (+12) 83, North Carolina 62
— Ohio U (+11.5) 70, Ball State 52
— Kansas State (+10) 58, Iowa State 57
— Youngstown St (+10) 82, IUPUI 76
— Georgia Tech (+10) 73, Syracuse 59
— Western Carolina (+9) 94, Citadel 82
— Troy (+7.5) 87, Georgia Southern 85

6) Virginia 63, Clemson 43— Cavaliers won their last 12 ACC road games, and that includes a win at Duke last season.

5) Baylor loses 6-9 sophomore Tristan Clark for the season with an injury; he was scoring 14.6 ppg, big blow for the Bears.

4) Texas A&M 81, Alabama 80— Rough week in Tuscaloosa ends with the Aggies’ TJ Starks going length of the court and hitting a running 3-pointer at the buzzer.

3) Detroit 93, Milwaukee 84— Titans went 10-26 in Horizon League last two years, so they hired Mike Davis, the old Indiana coach, who brought his son Antoine with him. Detroit is 5-1 in Horizon this year, and Antoine is shooting 42.1% on the arc— he had 48 points in a game earlier this month, had 32 points in this game.

2) Gonzaga 96, San Francisco 83— Very misleading final score; this was a close game until the last TV timeout. USF has a very good team; they’re second-best team in WCC.

1) Tennessee 78, Florida 67— Vols had lost last three visits to Gainesville, by 26-17-13 points, so this is a very solid win for them.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:35 AM

Vegas Money Moves - DP
January 11, 2019
By Micah Roberts

We get our first postseason look at the No. 1 and 2 seeds in each conference with four NFL Divisional Playoff games this weekend. They're at home. They're all favored. They're supposed to be the best of the best in the league. But betting on them hasn't been very profitable lately. Will it be different this time around?

Since 2010, there's only been one year (2015) where betting all four favorites in this round made money and that was just 2-1-1 against-the-spread. Last season, favorites went 1-3 ATS in this round. Last week the underdogs went 4-0 in the Wild Card round continuing a 14-1 underdog trend dating back to last's years playoffs.

The first betting chalk up to bat is the AFC's No. 1 seeded Chiefs at home as 5.5-point favorites again the sixth-seeded Colts. The Chiefs are on a 1-6 ATS run and have lost their last six home playoff games while the Colts have won 10 of their last 11 aided by a healthy Andrew Luck at quarterback and an amazing offensive line (18 sacks allowed). Whoever wins this game is going to have a nice feel-good story heading into the AFC Championship game.

Bettors are liking the Colts story more. William Hill's Nick Bogdanovich said his biggest need this weekend is the Chiefs to cover. That's been the case at most books, yet there is only two -5's in town. South Point dropped it Thursday and Station Casinos dropped it Friday afternoon. There's a bunch of books staying strong on a dead number like -5.5 when they all have significant Colts risk.

"The Chargers and Colts right now," Station Casinos sports book director Jason McCormick said about his two biggest parlay risk games. "The other two games we have two-way action. We're also going to need the Unders in the Colts-Chiefs (57), Chargers-Patriots (47.5) and Eagles-Saints (51.5)."

Stations opened the Chiefs total at 56 and have been bet up to 57. Despite snow expected, no one is running to the window to bet 'under' with the Chiefs No. 1 rated offense along with the No. 31 rated defense. There's a 70 percent chance of snow Saturday in Kansas City with 1 to 3 inches expected. Winds are also expected to be 10 to 15 mph.

"The reason we're not at 5 right now is that we took two sharp wagers at -5 and -5.5," said CG Technology VP of risk Jason Simbal. "We briefly went to +6 because of it and immediately got Colts money. Overall, we have more cash on the Colts, about a 1.9-to-1 ratio, but I know there's more KC money out there if I want it."

It's a common practice for books to align themselves with what their sharpest bettors play regardless of risk on the other side.

The best money-line offered in Nevada is Caesars Palace offering +195 on the Colts and Wynn, William Hill and South Point have the Chiefs -220.

Wynn Las Vegas sports book director Doug Castaneda said they need the Chiefs and Patriots most.

The No. 2 seeded Patriots play Sunday afternoon with a crisp 29 degrees expected at Foxboro (minimal wind, no snow). They're four-point favorites over the Chargers,who are getting lots of love from the betting public. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the Patriots -4.5 on Sunday immediately after Los Angeles won at Baltimore and were bet down to -4 Monday morning. Their total has dropped from 48.5 down to 47.5, and it's important to note the Patriots have stayed 'under' in eight of their last nine games.

Caesars will give +175 on the Chargers money-line to win outright and South Point and Boyd Gaming will let you lay a cheap -190 on the Patriots. The Patriots won all eight home games this season (6-2 ATS) and this situation last season against the Titans produced the only favorite to cover in the playoffs. The Chargers are 8-1 both straight-up and against the spread on the road this season.

"The public is on the Chargers," said Simbal. "This is a game I could see us going to -3.5 before moving the Chiefs game."

CG books also have a lot of risk with teasers.

"We're going to need one or two of the big favorites to win big and kill some teasers tied in with the Colts and Eagles," Simbal said. "Most of the season the Chiefs and (NFC No. 1 seed) Saints were two of the most popular public bets, but now they're all on the other side taking the underdogs with parlays, teasers, and straight bets."

They've turned on the normally popular Patriots as well. It could the 4-0 'dog results last week or the current 14-1 run by the 'dogs dating to last year's playoffs, but it's also the story they want to see most. Maybe it's the narrative of Chargers QB Philip Rivers moving on or perhaps the Eagles winning their fifth straight playoff game as an underdog and staying alive for another Super Bowl win.

"The public loves the Eagles on the spread (+8) and money-line (+310)," said Simbal. "I wouldn't mind seeing a Saints blowout. Not only for this week, but also for futures. We have a red number on them where we lose multi-six figures if the Eagles win the Super Bowl."

He said he had a sharp play on the No. 2 seeded Rams at -7, but all the smaller public money is accumulating more with the Cowboys. That's the nightcap on Saturday. The early game is the main concern right now.

"It will be hard for us to win Saturday if we lose the Chiefs game," said Simbal.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:38 AM

Total Talk - DP Sunday
January 10, 2019
By Chris David

Three of the four teams in action on Sunday will be making a return trip to the Divisional Playoff round this postseason with the Chargers being the outlier. While L.A. will be making its first appearance in this round since the 2013-14 playoffs, its opponent in New England will be playing in its eighth straight playoff game in the Divisional round.

Similar to my first three playoff pieces, I’m going to break down every game and offer up my quick handicap and prediction for all the matchups. For those keeping track, my leans went 3-3 in the Wild Card round. As always, Press, Pass or Fade but in the end – Good Luck!

Sunday, Jan. 13

L.A. Chargers at New England (CBS, 1:05 p.m. ET)

This total is hovering between 47 and 48 as of Thursday evening and our Matchup Betting Index is showing an early ‘over’ lean. Bettors are also showing a lean to the Chargers and I believe a case can be made for both sides in this game.

The Chargers haven’t lost outside of Los Angeles this season, going 8-1 on the road and the lone loss came to their crosstown rival Rams in Week 3. Including last Sunday’s ‘under’ result versus Baltimore in the Wild Card round, the ‘over’ has gone 5-4 on the road for Los Angeles.

Travelling to the East Coast in back-to-back weeks is a rarity in the NFL playoffs. However, Los Angeles has had success in the Eastern Time Zone this season, going 5-0 and the offense has averaged 29.6 points per game. That production has helped the ‘over’ go 4-1, with the lone ‘under’ coming last week at Baltimore.

Not only is the second straight trip to the East Coast but it’s also the third straight road game for the Chargers. Those following “Total Talk” this season are aware that the “Road Total System” took a dive (0-3) but perhaps it comes through this Sunday. Either way, refresh your memory of the angle here and make a note that the ‘over’ is 44-26 (63%) over the last 12 seasons with this situation.

Playing on the road anywhere in the NFL is never easy, but Foxboro is another animal altogether. New England went 8-0 at home this season and the ‘under’ went 6-2 in those games, largely due to its defense. The unit only surrendered 16.6 PPG at Foxboro, ranked second-best in the league.

Be aware that the Patriots only faced three playoff teams at home this season and those clubs (Texans, Colts, Chiefs) averaged 28 PPG compared to 9.8 PPG versus clubs not in the postseason.

The one constant at Foxboro has been New England’s offense, no matter the opponent. Quarterback Tom Brady and company averaged 32.9 PPG and the future Hall of Famer has thrived in the Divisional Playoffs recently.

In the last seven appearances in this round, New England is averaging 37.1 PPG and not surprisingly the 'over' has gone 7-0 plus they covered six of those seven games.

2018 - New England 35 vs. Tennessee 14 (Over 48)
2017 - New England 34 vs. Houston 16 (Over 44 ½)
2016 - New England 27 vs. Kansas City 20 (Over 44 ½)
2015 – New England 35 vs. Baltimore 31 (Over 47 ½)
2014 – New England 43 vs. Indianapolis 22 (Over 51 ½)
2013 - New England 41 vs. Houston 28 (Over 50)
2012 – New England 45 vs. Denver 10 (Over 50 ½)

Including a couple of the above results, the ‘over’ has gone 6-2 in New England’s last eight playoffs games and during its eight-game playoff winning streak at home, the high side is also 6-2 in those games.

While the Patriots have been on a great postseason run to the high side, the Chargers have been the opposite with QB Philip Rivers under center. Rivers has led the Bolts to a 5-5 career record in the playoffs, which includes a 4-0 record in the Wild Card round. Doing the math, you can figure out easily that he’s just 1-5 in Divisional and Championship contests. The Chargers have seen the ‘under’ go 8-2 during with Rivers under center and the offense is only averaging 20.6 PPG.

Do you believe Rivers can do enough to get Los Angeles to the AFC Championship? I’m a big fan of the former N.C. State standout but he’s not exactly in great form the last four weeks (3 TDs, 6 INTs) and his 0-7 all-time record against Brady can’t be overlooked or the offensive production (18.1 PPG) either.

Going back to the 2008 playoffs, the ‘under’ has cashed in five of the last six encounters between the Chargers and Patriots and five of the outcomes saw a combined score of 43 points or less.

Fearless Prediction: It’s hard to go against the Patriots at Foxboro but my confidence isn’t that high on this year’s squad, especially on defense. They’ve only managed 30 sacks this season, tied for 2nd worst in the league. We’ve seen other quality QBs go into Foxboro this season and have success, plus if you exclude the 10 points put up by Broncos QB Tim Tebow in the 2012 DP matchup, the previous six have combined to average 21.8 PPG. I’m expecting a tight game but my top lean is to Chargers Team Total Over (22).

Philadelphia at New Orleans (FOX, 4:40 p.m. ET)

The Divisional Playoff finale on Sunday between the Saints and Eagles is expected to see some points but not as many as their first encounter. In Week 11, New Orleans blasted Philadelphia 48-7 at home in Week 11 and the ‘under’ (57) connected because the Eagles couldn’t do anything offensively.

Philadelphia was outgained by 350 yards (546 to 196) and it finished the game 3-of-10 on third down plus it committed three turnovers. The New Orleans offense was very sharp, posting 373 yards through the air and 173 on the ground. They could’ve easily hung 56 on the board but they settled for a pair of short field goals.

For Sunday’s rematch, the total opened much lower at 51 ½ and the number has dropped to 51 as of Thursday evening.

The Eagles will have a different QB for the second encounter, this time Nick Foles instead of Carson Wentz. Foles was the catalyst for Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run last season and he’s got them moving again this January. If the Eagles expect to have any chance in this game, they’ll need improvement from that position. In the mid-November loss, Wentz was 19-of-33 for 156 yards with three interceptions against the Saints.

Foles wasn’t spectacular in last week’s 16-15 win at Chicago in the Wild Card round and he was picked off twice in Bears territory. In last year’s playoff run, Foles and the Birds won an ugly opener at home over Atlanta before the offense scored 38 and 41 against the Vikings and Patriots respectively.

Déjà vu in the Big Easy come Sunday?

Including Sunday’s result from the Wild Card round, the Eagles have watched the ‘under’ go 10-7 this season. The ‘under’ went 9-7 for the Saints this season but the ‘over’ produced a 5-3 mark at the Superdome behind an offensive unit that posted 34.1 PPG.

Defensively, New Orleans was better on the road (18.5 PPG) than at home (25.6 PPG) but the form of the unit down the stretch was very solid. If you toss out the meaningless Week 17 loss (33-14) to Carolina at home when it rested its starters, New Orleans only allowed 14.6 PPG in their previous six games and that production helped the ‘under’ go 5-1.

Putting up points in the Merecedes-Benz Superdome during the playoffs has become a common theme. Dating back to 1998, New Orleans has watched the ‘over’ cash in 10 straight postseason games at home. That streak includes a 5-0 ‘over’ mark under quarterback Drew Brees, who has led the Saints to 35.8 PPG in those contests. In 12 career playoff games with Brees, the ‘over’ is 9-3 for the Saints.

Fearless Prediction: Since Doug Pederson became coach of the Eagles, the club has watched the ‘over’ go 18-7-1 and that’s been attributed tom weak defensive numbers (24.5 PPG). The Birds have only allowed 15 points in their last two road games but I still don’t have much confidence in the unit. Having an extra week to prepare is huge in the playoffs and Saints head coach Sean Payton has improved drastically in this spot. After starting 0-3 in his first three years, New Orleans has gone 8-2 off the bye and the average score is 34.5 to 25.6. The ‘over’ has gone 8-2 during this span and could easily be 9-1 if Ravens kicker Justin Tucker makes an extra point in Week 7 this season. I’m going to ride that trend and play the Over (51) in the game and the Saints Team Total Over (29 ½) as well.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:40 AM

Saints-Eagles Best Bet
January 11, 2019
By YouWager.eu

NFC Divisional Playoffs Betting Prediction
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints

The teams who survived the Wild Card Round last weekend will have had very little time to celebrate their success, as it’s now onto the Divisional Round.

Next up will be the teams who earned a bye in the opening round, and while that means that the players on those teams will have earned some rest, it also means that they may come into this weekend just a little bit rusty. This is particularly true of the New Orleans Saints, as they used the final week of the regular season as an opportunity to rest some of their key players after clinching the #1 seed in the NFC during the previous weekend.

There are some who think that these rests are a good idea, as it certainly helps avoid injuries to key personnel at a crucial part of the season, but there are also those who believe that it is tough for players to get back up to a high level of play after sitting out. The Saints are going to need to be at their best this weekend versus a Philadelphia Eagles team that has been rolling for a few weeks now.

The Saints are an 8-point favorite, with the point total set at 51½.

Let’s get to our expert betting prediction right now thanks to our YouWager.eu friends.

Philadelphia Eagles (10-7) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)
When: Sunday, January 13 at 4:40 PM EST
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
TV: FOX
YouWager.eu Odds: New Orleans Saints -8 -110 | -380 | U 51½ -110

Why bet on the Philadelphia Eagles

The current run that the Eagles are on is beginning to look a lot like the one that took them all the way to the Super Bowl last season. Once again, it is back-up QB Nick Foles who is pulling all the strings for a team that made it into the postseason by the very skin of their teeth. They won 5 of their last 6 regular season games, but they also needed help along the way, just as they did last week in their 16-15 win over the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Game.

The Bears were kicking a field goal to win and move on, but they saw the ball hit the upright and the crossbar before bouncing out. All of that aside, the Eagles are a solid 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games, but they have not had that level of success in New Orleans, going 1-4 SU and ATS in their last 5 trips there.

The Best NFL Divisional Playoffs Action is at YouWager.eu, Join Now and get a 50% Bonus up to $1000

Why bet on the New Orleans Saints

The Saints come into this one after losing their final game of the season, but as we mentioned earlier, that was a game were the majority of their starters enjoyed the action from the sidelines.

This is a team that has turned the Mercedes-Benz Superdome into a fortress, posting 7-1 SU records in each of the last 2 seasons for a 14-2 SU record overall. That would appear to make them a good pick here, but what about the point total? It has been the under that has hit in 5 of the last 7 games for the Saints, but things are a little different in the Dome, where they are 9-4 O/U in their last 13.

Points seem to be scored often when these two go head to head, with 6 of the last 9 meetings going OVER.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction As good as the Saints are, it’s tough to imagine them making an early postseason exit for the second straight year. The Eagles luck finally runs out this weekend, as I think the New Orleans Saints will win this one going away.

Predicted Score: Philadelphia Eagles 17 New Orleans Saints 30

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:43 AM

DP - Chargers at Patriots
January 12, 2019
By Kevin Rogers

HOW THEY GOT HERE

The Chargers (13-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) had high expectations entering their second season in Los Angeles following a 9-7 campaign. The Lightning Bolts ended 2017 by winning nine of their last 12 games with plenty of momentum heading into 2018, but L.A. stumbled to a 1-2 start. From there, the Chargers ripped off six consecutive victories, while limiting five straight opponents to 19 points or less.

Los Angeles had an opportunity to capture the AFC West title with a late surge after shocking Kansas City in Week 15 to improve to 11-3. However, the Chargers lost at home to Baltimore in Week 16, opening up the door for the Chiefs to grab the division title and eventually the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Interestingly enough, the Chargers didn’t lose a road game outside of Los Angeles this season as the Bolts fell to the Rams in Week 3 at the Coliseum.

The Lightning Bolts avenged a Week 16 loss to the Ravens by holding off Baltimore last Sunday, 23-17 as three-point underdogs. After kicking four field goals, Los Angeles finally reached the end zone in the fourth quarter on a Melvin Gordon one-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 20-3 advantage.

For the 15th time in 16 seasons, the Patriots (11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS) captured the AFC East championship in spite of compiling their worst record since 2009. New England was the only team in the division to finish with a winning record in the division, while overcoming an early 1-2 start. The Patriots ripped off six consecutive victories, including high-scoring home wins over the Colts and Chiefs and a road triumph over the Bears in a three-week span.

Two late road losses at Miami and Pittsburgh cost New England home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. However, the Patriots rebounded in the final two weeks at home with divisional wins over the Bills and Jets to pick up a first-round bye for the ninth straight season. New England closed the campaign with an 8-1 run to the UNDER, including four consecutive UNDERS at Gillette Stadium.

WHO TO WATCH

Philip Rivers put together another spectacular season for Los Angeles by eclipsing the 30-touchdown mark for the fourth time in six seasons by tossing 32 touchdown passes. Six of Rivers’ 12 interceptions on the season came in the final three weeks, including two against Baltimore in Week 16. Gordon finished shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season by racking up 885 yards in 12 games, as the Chargers’ tailback missed three games down the stretch. Wide receiver Keenan Allen accumulated 1,196 yards through the air, but was limited to 37 yards against the Ravens last week.

Tom Brady posted his 10th career 4,000-yard passing season with 4,355 yards, while tossing 29 touchdown passes. Amazingly, Brady threw for 300 yards or fewer in 11 of 16 games, compared to 10 efforts of 300 or more yards in 2017, when the Patriots reached the Super Bowl. Rookie running back Sony Michel put up 958 yards in his first season out of Georgia, including three 100-yard games at home. The Patriots didn’t possess a receiver that compiled more than 850 yards (Julian Edelman), while tight end Rob Gronkowski picked up 26 yards or fewer in three of his final four games of the season.

HOME/ROAD SPLITS

Two teams finished with 7-1 road records this season, the Saints and the Chargers. Los Angeles never owned a real home-field advantage at StubHub Center, but the Lightning Bolts closed the season with six consecutive away victories. The Chargers swept their AFC West counterparts on the highway, while winning five games in the underdog role against the Chiefs, Steelers, Seahawks, Browns, and Ravens.

The Patriots were the lone team in the NFL that didn’t lose a home contest by going 8-0 at Gillette Stadium for the first time since 2013. Bill Belichick’s squad helped bettors by putting together a 6-2 ATS record at home, including a 3-1 ATS mark as a single-digit home favorite. Since allowing 40 points to the Chiefs in Week 6, the Patriots yielded a total of 42 points in their final four contests at Gillette.

SERIES HISTORY

This series has been advantage Brady over Rivers as New England is 7-1 against San Diego/Los Angeles in the last eight meetings. The lone victory for Rivers and the Chargers in this span came in 2008 at home, but Brady was sidelined due to an ACL injury.

The two teams didn’t meet this season, but the Patriots captured the previous matchup in 2017 at Gillette Stadium, 21-13 to cash as 6 ½-point favorites. Following an 87-yard touchdown run by Gordon midway through the first quarter, the Patriots scored the next 18 points, including three field goals by Stephen Gostkowski, who kicked four in the game.

Since 2006, the Patriots have eliminated the Chargers twice in the playoffs. In the last matchup in the 2007 AFC Championship, the Patriots held off the Lightning Bolts, 21-12, but San Diego cashed as 14-point underdogs in the season that New England won 19 consecutive games before losing in the Super Bowl to the Giants. The Chargers were held out of the end zone that day in spite of intercepting Brady three times.

PLAYOFF HISTORY

The Chargers are in the playoffs for only the second time since 2010, as Los Angeles advanced to the divisional playoffs in 2013. Rivers improved to 4-0 in the Wild Card round in his career following last week’s win over Baltimore, but is 1-4 in the Divisional Playoffs. The only road win in the Divisional round came in 2007 at Indianapolis, prior to the AFC Championship loss at New England.

The Patriots have won seven consecutive games in the Divisional round, including a 35-14 rout of Tennessee last season. New England has covered in six of those games, while last losing in this round in 2010 to the Jets. New England is seeking its eighth consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship, but the Pats will have to travel to Kansas City if they win, as they have lost their last two conference title games on the road.

HANDICAPPER’S CORNER

Los Angeles survived last week’s grind-it-out win at Baltimore as VegasInsider.com NFL expert Joe Nelson looks back, “Kicking woes and big turnovers have been the norm for the Chargers in big games but a lot went right as Los Angeles was victorious in a tough battle with Baltimore last week. The Chargers had a 243-229 yardage edge and won with five Mike Badgley field goals, needing to survive a tense fourth quarter as the Ravens waged a formidable comeback threat. The Chargers gained 5.0 yards per pass attempt and just 2.7 yards per rush in last week’s win and now draw a third consecutive road game, again getting an early start east coast game against a Patriots squad that has hosted a divisional round game in nine straight seasons.”

Will this be a shootout or a defensive battle on Sunday? “The scoring numbers in the regular season were nearly identical for these teams sitting within a half-point on average on both sides of the ball. Most statistical categories paint a rather even contest with New England slightly more productive on offense and the Chargers slightly stronger on defense. The big outliers come on the sidelines with Belichick’s all-time great track record with five Super Bowl titles with a 28-11 postseason record. Anthony Lynn was a winner in his first playoff game last week, besting another head coach with an all-time great postseason record and now 22-11 in his career his win percentage comes close to Belichick,” Nelson notes.

FUTURE ODDS

The Patriots enter Sunday’s matchup at 5/2 odds to win the AFC Championship at BetOnline.ag, while the Chargers aren’t far behind at 4/1. As far as Super Bowl odds go, New England is 6/1, while Los Angeles is 8/1. New England opened up as 4 ½-point favorites at the Westgate Superbook, but that number has dipped to -4 at many books, while the total sits at 47 ½.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:44 AM

Chargers @ Patriots- New England won in this round the last seven years (5-1-1 vs spread); in Brady era, they’re 3-0-2 vs spread as #2-seed in this round. Patriots won last four games with LA, by 3-14-9-8 points. Chargers won 12 of their last 14 games after a 1-2 start; Rivers is 5-5 in playoff games, Brady has won five Super Bowls. LA is 9-0 outside of LA this season, with only road loss vs Rams in Coliseum. This is Chargers’ 3rd straight week on road; they’re 5-1 vs spread when getting points this season. Patriots are 8-0 at home this year (6-2 vs spread); their last six wins were all by 12+ points. Last five years, #2-seeds are 2-7-1 vs spread in this round, 6-4 SU. Four of last five Charger games, eight of last nine Patriot games stayed under the total.

Eagles @ Saints- Saints (-7) crushed Philly 48-7 back in Week 11, outgaining Eagles 546-196, with +3 turnover ratio. Wentz played that game for Eagles; Foles is on 4-0 playoff run for Philly. Iggles are 6-1 since loss in Superdome, winning last four games, three of which were on road- this is their 5th road game in six weeks. Eagles are 2-2 vs spread as an underdog this year. New Orleans is 3-4 vs spread as a home favorite this year; they’re 3-2 SU in last five games, but Brees didn’t play in Week 17 loss to Carolina. Saints won four of last five games with Philly, which last won on Bourbon Street in ’07. #1 seeds are 9-1 SU in this round the last five years (6-4 vs spread). Five of Saints’ last seven games stayed under total; under is 7-4 in Eagles’ last 11 games.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 02:50 AM

Sunday, January 13

LA Chargers @ New England

Game 305-306
January 13, 2019 @ 1:05 pm

Dunkel Rating:
LA Chargers
134.100
New England
141.088
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New England
by 7
43
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New England
by 4
47
Dunkel Pick:
New England
(-4); Under

Philadelphia @ New Orleans

Game 307-308
January 13, 2019 @ 4:40 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Philadelphia
130.353
New Orleans
142.908
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New Orleans
by 12 1/2
45
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New Orleans
by 7 1/2
50 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
New Orleans
(-7 1/2); Under

---------------------------------

Sunday, January 13

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LA CHARGERS (13 - 4) at NEW ENGLAND (11 - 5) - 1/13/2019, 1:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ENGLAND is 37-17 ATS (+18.3 Units) in all games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 37-17 ATS (+18.3 Units) in all lined games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 36-17 ATS (+17.3 Units) as a favorite over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 20-8 ATS (+11.2 Units) in home lined games over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 22-11 ATS (+9.9 Units) in all games where the total is between 42.5 and 49 points over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 27-13 ATS (+12.7 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 9-2 ATS (+6.8 Units) off a division game over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 26-11 ATS (+13.9 Units) in games played on turf over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) off a win against a division rival over the last 2 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 22-9 ATS (+12.1 Units) after 2 or more consecutive wins over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
NEW ENGLAND is 87-56 ATS (+25.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1992.
LA CHARGERS is 42-24 ATS (+15.6 Units) as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points since 1992.
LA CHARGERS is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road games this season.
LA CHARGERS is 8-1 ATS (+6.9 Units) in road lined games this season.
LA CHARGERS is 7-1 ATS (+5.9 Units) in road games against conference opponents this season.
LA CHARGERS is 101-71 ATS (+22.9 Units) in road games when playing with 6 or less days rest since 1992.
LA CHARGERS is 49-27 ATS (+19.3 Units) in games played on turf since 1992.
LA CHARGERS is 53-32 ATS (+17.8 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1992.
LA CHARGERS is 38-18 ATS (+18.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season since 1992.
NEW ENGLAND is 3-12 ATS (-10.2 Units) in home games when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ENGLAND is 1-0 against the spread versus LA CHARGERS over the last 3 seasons
NEW ENGLAND is 1-0 straight up against LA CHARGERS over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PHILADELPHIA (10 - 7) at NEW ORLEANS (13 - 3) - 1/13/2019, 4:40 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NEW ORLEANS is 25-13 ATS (+10.7 Units) against conference opponents over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 37-21 ATS (+13.9 Units) in road games revenging a loss against opponent since 1992.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 1-0 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
NEW ORLEANS is 1-0 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, January 13

Los Angeles Chargers

LA Chargers is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
LA Chargers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Chargers's last 5 games
LA Chargers is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
LA Chargers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Chargers's last 6 games on the road
LA Chargers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New England
LA Chargers is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games when playing New England
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Chargers's last 6 games when playing New England
LA Chargers is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against New England
LA Chargers is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against New England
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Chargers's last 8 games when playing on the road against New England

New England Patriots

New England is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of New England's last 9 games
New England is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
New England is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New England's last 5 games at home
New England is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing LA Chargers
New England is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing LA Chargers
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New England's last 6 games when playing LA Chargers
New England is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against LA Chargers
New England is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against LA Chargers
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New England's last 8 games when playing at home against LA Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Philadelphia is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
Philadelphia is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 9 games when playing New Orleans
Philadelphia is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Orleans

New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games
New Orleans is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
New Orleans is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New Orleans's last 7 games
New Orleans is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
New Orleans is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 9 of New Orleans's last 13 games at home
New Orleans is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans's last 9 games when playing Philadelphia
New Orleans is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**StarDust Bum** · 01-13-2019, 01:37 PM

SELECTION LINE AMOUNT

NE -4.0
X
LAC at NE U 47.5
X
PHI +8.0
X
PHI at NO O 52.5

**StarDust Bum** · 01-14-2019, 12:25 AM

Saints topple Eagles 20-14; Pats rout Chargers 41-28
January 13, 2019
By The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) The New Orleans Saints got two touchdown passes from Drew Brees, two interceptions by Marcus Lattimore, and rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game.

Using a dominant ball-control offense after a horrendous start, Brees took the Saints (14-3) on scoring drives of 92, 79 and 67 yards. And a few gambles paid off to assure New Orleans will host the Rams (13-4) next Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Los Angeles, which fell 45-35 at the Superdome in November, will try again next week, with the winner taking on either Kansas City or New England in the Super Bowl in Atlanta. The Saints' win finished off a sweep of the divisional round by teams coming off byes.

Wil Lutz added two field goals for the Saints, who last got this far in 2009, when they won the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia (10-8) will not repeat as NFL champion; no team has done so since the 2004 Patriots.

This was really two games in one. Philly scored on its first two drives as the Saints could do virtually nothing right.

After that opening period, it was all New Orleans, yet the resilient Eagles kept it close enough that when Lutz missed a 52-yard field goal with 2:58 remaining, they were only one-score behind.

Nick Foles, the hero of last year's Super Bowl run, got them in position for yet another late winning score - just like last week at Chicago and last February against New England for the championship.

Then Alshon Jeffery couldn't handle a second-down pass from the Saints 27 and Lattimore grabbed his second interception to clinch the win.

PATRIOTS 41, CHARGERS 28

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Sony Michel ran for 129 yards and had three touchdowns and New England beat Los Angeles in the divisional playoffs to earn its eighth straight trip to the AFC championship game.

New England (12-5) will play at Kansas City in next week's AFC title game. The Patriots beat the Chiefs 43-40 in Foxborough in Week 6. The Patriots finished 9-0 at home this season.

It is the 13th conference championship game appearance by the Patriots during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

The Chargers (13-5) haven't reached the AFC title game since the 2007 season.

Philip Rivers finished 25 of 51 for 331 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He is 0-5 in games played in Foxborough, including 0-3 in the postseason.

Brady finished 34 of 44 for 343 yards and a touchdown. He improves to 8-0 as a starter against Rivers, who drops to 1-8 against New England all-time.

James White tied Darren Sproles' NFL postseason record with 15 catches, totaling 97 yards.

New England scored on its first four possessions of the game to build a 35-7 halftime lead.

Julian Edelman had nine catches for 151 yards.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-14-2019, 12:34 AM

NFL December's Best Bets and Opinions

DATE W-L-T % UNITS RECORD

01/12/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -100
01/12/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
01/06/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
01/05/2019 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/30/2018 16-9-0 64.00% +30.50
12/24/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/23/2018 11-13-1 45.83% -16.50
12/22/2018 2-2-0 50.00% -1.00
12/17/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/16/2018 11-12-1 47.83% -11.00
12/15/2018 3-0-1 100.00% +15.00
12/13/2018 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50
12/10/2018 0-2-0 0.00% -11.00
12/09/2018 11-13-0 45.83% -16.50
12/06/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/03/2018 2-0-0 100.00% +10.00
12/02/2018 12-11-0 52.17% -0.50

Totals...............83-71-0.....53.89%....+24.50

********************

Best Bets For December

DATE........................ATS..................U NITS....................O/U................UNITS..............TOTAL

01/12/2019............2 - 0................+10.00.....................0 - 2................-11.00............-1.00
01/12/2019............0 - 2.................-11.00.....................2 - 0................+10.00...........-1.00
01/06/2019............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1................-0.50..............-1.00
01/05/2019............2 - 0................+10.00.....................0 - 2................-11.00............-1.00
12/30/2018............6 - 2................+24.00.....................7 - 5................+7.50............+31.50
12/24/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00...........+10.00
12/23/2018............6 - 3................+13.50.....................3 - 5................-12.50...........+1.00
12/22/2018............1 - 1.................-0.50.......................1 - 1.................-0.50............-1.00
12/17/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/16/2018............2 - 5................-17.50......................5 - 2................+14.00..........-3.50
12/15/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................2 - 0................+10.00.........+15.00
12/13/2018............1 - 0................+5.00.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-0.50
12/10/2018............0 - 1.................-5.50.......................0 - 1.................-5.50............-11.00
12/09/2018............3 - 3.................-1.50.......................5 - 6.................-3.00.............-4.50
12/06/2018............1 - 0 ................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/03/2018............1 - 0.................+5.00......................1 - 0................+5.00............+10.00
12/02/2018............3 - 4..................-7.00......................0 - 3................-16.50............-23.50

Totals..................32 - 22...............+44.00....................29 - 29...............-4.50...........+39.50

**StarDust Bum** · 01-14-2019, 12:44 AM

Favorites help books win in DP
January 13, 2019
By Micah Roberts

One week after seeing all four road underdogs cover in the Wild Card round, the Divisional Playoffs brought out the heavy hitters -- the No. 1 and 2 seeds from each conference -- that had last week off and they responded well. All four of them won and advanced to next week's Conference Championship game and three of them covered the spread.

The Chiefs' 31-13 win against the Colts (+4.5) Saturday and the Patriots' 41-28 win Sunday against the Chargers (+3.5) ended up being huge wins for just about every sports book and the key to a winning weekend. The public was all over both those underdogs and some sharp groups had pushed the numbers down in each, although one sharp group played the Chiefs multiple times.

So much for Tom Brady getting old, or the Bill Belichick reign coming to end, which were some of the comments heard last week prior to the Patriots embarrassing the Chargers. Brady and the Patriots are now playing in a record eighth straight AFC Championship game.

The Patriots scored in seven of their first nine possessions, including touchdowns on their first four to take a 28-7 lead. It was such a dominating start that the Westgate Superbook posted next week's AFC Championship game numbers prior to halftime. This was at 11:15 am PT with an entire half to go. It's the earliest I can ever remember a playoff price posted before while one of the teams were still playing.

"We couldn't wait. AFC Championship on the board." tweeted VP Jay Kornegay, who posted the Chiefs as 3-point home favorites with a massive total set at 59. It's supposed to be a sunny 19 degrees at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday with no chance precipitation. And yes, the forecast said sunny. The Superbook was immediately bet down to 57.5 and Patriots money moved the juice to Chiefs -3 EVEN.

"The Patriots game was really good for us," said MGM Resorts sports book hub manager Jeff Stoneback. "I don't think I've ever been able to root for the Patriots at home during the playoffs. It was kind of nice, and they blew the Chargers out so we didn't have to sweat the decision."

During the Brady era, the Patriots have always been one of the most popular public wagers. This week, the public outsmarted themselves by jumping on the Chargers wagon and riding the underdogs, a trend that became extremely popular that was riding a 14-1 ATS run over the past two postseasons.

The Chiefs played at New England (-4) during Week 6 and were handed their first loss of the season, 43-40, but the Chiefs got the money. It seems like so long ago, but the Chiefs were public darlings early on because of covering the spread in their first seven games.

"Booking the Saints game was a little bit different for us because of our locations outside of Nevada," said Stoneback who opened the Saints -8.5, flashed a -8 and -9 at one point before closing -8.5. "In Mississippi, we had all Saints money and in New Jersey, it was mostly Eagles' action and then here in Las Vegas it was a mix tilted slightly to the Eagles. I had to get a calculator out to add up all the total risk and surprisingly the difference wasn't that much."

It was one late wager that turned the MGM books into rooting for the Saints.

"We have been booked almost even to the side had it not been for casino player betting $50,000 on the Eagles money-line at +320 just before kickoff," Stoneback said.

They got the bookmakers dream in the Saints 20-14 win: the favorite wins in a big game but doesn't cover the spread. In big games, the masses love taking shots with large underdogs to win outright.

It was a weird game with the Eagles going up 14-0 in the first-quarter while Drew Brees and the Saints defense were sleepwalking or rusty from the bye and taking Week 17 off. But the Saints woke up and almost covered the spread. A missed 52-yard field goal attempt by Will Lutz with 2:58 remaining would have put the Saints up by 9 points.

"We had another house player betting the Eagles-Saints Over 52.5 for double limits ($10,000) and each time he'd bet it we'd move to 53 and then sharp money would come and play the Under. This happened about a dozen times so the total was a significant decision for us."

The house player was playing bad numbers for large money and didn't care. Despite his play and Under being the riskiest, MGM books still closed below what he played at 52. CG Technology books closed a city-low of 51.5, which is the number MGM started with last week.

"The Pats game was fantastic," Station Casinos sports book director Jason McCormick when asked how huge the win was. "The Eagles outright win and Under would have been the best case scenario for us, but we'll take the cover. The Saints and Over would have been a disaster."

Saturday's two games also turned out well for the books despite an all-way teaser hitting in the Rams' 30-22 home win against the Cowboys. The Rams (-7) got the slim cover and went Over 49.5.

"The Chiefs was great for us by knocking down the Colts teasers as well as the side, total (55.5) and money-line (-190)." said McCormick. "The all-way teaser is never good."

Prior to the four games, William Hill sports books reported the Colts had 79 percent of the cash wagered at their bet shops in that game, the Cowboys 59 percent, the Patriots 51 percent and the Saints 54 percent. Their money-lines were also tilted the underdog's way with 57 percent of the cash on the Eagles (+310) and 55 percent on the Chargers (+170).

"It ended being up a very good day," William Hill's head bookmaker Nick Bogdanovich said Saturday night. "That Chiefs game was a monster."

**StarDust Bum** · 01-14-2019, 12:51 AM

Championship Notes
January 13, 2019
By VI News

NFC Championship - History

L.A. Rams at New Orleans (FOX, 3:05 p.m. ET)

Los Angeles Road Record: 6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS, 2-6 O/U
New Orleans Home Record: 7-2 SU, 4-5 ATS, 5-4 O/U

Line Movements: The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened New Orleans -3 (-120) with a total of 55 ½. They pushed quickly to -3 ½ (Even) while early ‘over’ money nudged the total to 57. BookMaker.eu sent out New Orleans -3 ½ with a total of 56 ½. The line has held steady but the total was pushed to 57.

Head-to-Head: The two teams met at the Superdome on Nov. 4 and New Orleans captured a 45-35 win over Los Angeles as a two-point underdog. The Saints led 35-17 at halftime but the Rams tied the game early in the fourth quarter with 18 unanswered points. New Orleans countered with a 10-0 run to win the game. Both the Saints (487) and Rams (483) racked up plenty of yards and they each committed one turnover. The difference in the game was converting on third and fourth down as New Orleans was 9-of-14 (64%) while the Rams only managed to connect on 30 percent (3-of-10) in the Week 9 matchup.

The pair also met in each of the last two regular seasons as well and the home team captured both of those contests as well. The Saints captured a 49-21 blowout win in 2016 while Los Angeles earned a 26-20 win at the Coliseum in 2017.

Including those results, the Rams have dropped their last three trips to the Superdome. The last win for the franchise came in 2007 when Marc Bulger was the quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.

Playoff Notes: Saturday’s 30-22 win over Dallas in the Divisional Round was the first playoff win for Los Angeles since 2005. Head coach Sean McVay and QB Jared Goff both own career 1-1 records in the postseason but both contests occurred at home.

New Orleans improved to 8-5 in the playoffs with QB Drew Brees under center and that includes a perfect 6-0 record at home. Make a note that the Saints are just 2-4 against the spread in those wins and that includes last Sunday’s non-cover (-8) in their 20-14 win over Philadelphia in the Divisional Round.

Total Notes: The Rams have watched the ‘over’ go 9-8 this season, which includes the high side ticket from last Saturday against Dallas. On the road, Los Angeles has been a great ‘under’ wager (6-2) and one of the two ‘over’ tickets came in the aforementioned game at New Orleans.

The 34 combined points in Sunday’s playoff game against Philadelphia was the lowest this season and the game easily went ‘under’ the total. New Orleans was 10-7 overall to the low side but New Orleans watched the ‘over’ go 5-4 at the Superdome. Prior to the ‘under’ result versus Philadelphia last Sunday, the Saints had seen the ‘over’ cash in 10 straight home playoff games and that included a 5-0 run with Brees.

AFC Championship - History

New England at Kansas City (CBS, 6:40 p.m. ET)

New England Road Record: 3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS, 3-5 O/U
Kansas City Home Record: 8-1 SU, 5-4 ATS, 3-5-1 O/U

Line Movements: The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook sent out Kansas City as a three-point home favorite over New England. BetOnline.ag, a major offshore betting outfit, opened the Chiefs at -3 as well.

The SuperBook sent out a total of 58. BetOnline.ag opened at 57 ½.

Head-to-Head: Since 2000, the Patriots have won seven of 10 meetings with the Chiefs, while the last four meetings have finished 'over' the total. New England is making its first trip to Kansas City since 2014 when the Chiefs blitzed the Patriots on a Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium in a 41-14 beatdown as 2 ½-point underdogs.

The most recent matchup took place this season at Gillette Stadium as the Patriots held off the Chiefs, 43-40 in Week 6. Kansas City managed a slight cover as 3 ½-point underdogs, while both Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady each topped the 340-yard mark. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes, but the Patriots overcame blowing a 15-point lead thanks to a last-second field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

Playoff Notes: The Patriots are playing in their eighth consecutive AFC championship, as New England has posted a 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS mark in this stretch. In the last two road AFC title games, the Patriots have lost at Denver in 2013 and 2015. The last away victory in the conference championship came in 2004 at Pittsburgh.

Kansas City has never hosted an AFC championship game before as the Chiefs improved to 2-10 in the last 12 postseason contests since 1994, while picking up their first playoff win at Arrowhead Stadium since 1993.

Amazingly, this is only the second all-time meeting in the playoffs between New England and Kansas City, as the Patriots knocked out the Chiefs in the 2015 divisional playoffs, 27-20.

Total Notes: Since posting an 'over' against the 49ers in Week 3, the Chiefs are 5-2-1 to the 'under' in the last eight games at Arrowhead Stadium. In five of those contests, the Chiefs have held their opponents to 14 points or less. In the last three playoff games in Kansas City, the 'under' has cashed, while four of the past five postseason contests for the Chiefs have gone 'under.'

The Patriots are 5-3 to the 'under' this season away from Gillette Stadium, while closing the season on an 8-1 'under' run. However, that streak came to a halt in New England's blowout of Los Angeles in the divisional round.

**StarDust Bum** · 01-14-2019, 12:55 AM

NFL Today, Divisional Playoffs
January 13, 2019
By The Associated Press

SCOREBOARD

Sunday, Jan. 20

L.A. Rams vs. New Orleans, 3:05 p.m. EST. Jared Goff and the Rams (14-3) beat Dallas 30-22 to reach the NFC championship game for the first time in 17 years. The long-struggling Rams had won only one postseason game since their previous trip to the Super Bowl in February 2002. Drew Brees and the Saints (13-4) reached the NFC title game for the first time since 2009, when they won the Super Bowl, by defeating defending league champion Philadelphia 20-14.

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New England at Kansas City, 6:40 p.m. EST. Tom Brady and the Patriots (12-5) are in the AFC title game for the eighth straight year after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in the divisional round. New England will be looking to make its third straight Super Bowl appearance, and fourth in five years, with a win. Patrick Mahomes and the high-scoring Chiefs (13-4) will host the AFC title game for the first time in franchise history after beating Indianapolis 31-13. Kansas City has not been to the Super Bowl since January 1970.

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STARS

Passing

- Tom Brady, Patriots, finished 34 of 44 for 343 yards and a touchdown as New England advanced to the AFC championship game for the eighth straight year with a 41-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

- Drew Brees, Saints, took New Orleans on scoring drives of 92, 79 and 67 yards after falling behind 14-0 and finished 28 of 38 for 301 yards and two TDs with one interception in a 20-14 win over Philadelphia.

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Rushing

- Sony Michel, Patriots, ran for 129 yards and had three touchdowns to help lead New England past the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28.

- Alvin Kamara, Saints, had 71 yards rushing on 16 carries and added 35 yards on four catches in New Orleans' 20-14 win over Philadelphia.

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Receiving

- James White, Patriots, tied Darren Sproles' NFL postseason record with 15 catches, totaling 97 yards, in New England's 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

- Michael Thomas, Saints, set a franchise playoff mark with 171 yards receiving on 12 receptions, adding a touchdown to help New Orleans top Philadelphia 20-14.

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Special Teams

- Albert McClellan, Patriots, recovered a fumbled punt return late in the second quarter to help set up a scoring drive for the Patriots in a 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

- Wil Lutz, Saints, booted two field goals and converted both extra-point attempts while also missing on a 52-yard attempt in New Orleans' 20-14 win over Philadelphia.

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Defense

- Marshon Lattimore, Saints, had two interceptions, including one to seal the win with 1:52 left as New Orleans topped Philadelphia 20-14.

- Adrian Clayborn and Dont'a Hightower, Patriots, each had a sack in New England's 41-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

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STREAKS & STATS

With Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans and New England winning, it marked the first time in NFL history that the league's top four scoring offenses made the conference championship games, according to STATS. ... New England earned its eighth straight trip to the AFC championship game with a 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, extending its NFL-record streak. With the Patriots playing next Sunday at Kansas City, they finished 9-0 at home this season. ... New England will make its 13th conference championship game appearance with coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. ... Brady improved to 8-0 as a starter against the Chargers' Philip Rivers, who dropped to 1-8 against New England all-time. ... Brady has a touchdown pass in 13 straight postseason games, tied for the third-longest streak since 1950. Only Brett Favre (20) and Brady himself (18 from 2001-11) have longer streaks. ... The Patriots are the second team in league history to score a touchdown on each of the first four drives of a playoff game, joining the 2000 Indianapolis Colts (in a first-round game against Denver). ... Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles joined Pittsburgh QB Kordell Stewart and New York Jets running back Freeman McNeil as the only players in the Super Bowl era with at least one TD on a pass, catch and a run in their playoff careers.

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MILESTONES

New England's James White tied Darren Sproles' NFL postseason record with 15 catches, totaling 97 yards, in the Patriots' 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Sproles set the mark in January 2012 with New Orleans against San Francisco. ... Julian Edelman had nine catches for 151 yards, giving him the most career 100-yard receiving games in Patriots playoff history with five. ... Tom Brady extended his postseason record with his 15th career 300-yard passing game. ... New Orleans' Michael Thomas set the franchise playoff record with 171 yards receiving on 12 catches in the Saints' 20-14 win over Philadelphia.

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WELL-RESTED

All four teams with byes in the wild-card round - Kansas City, New England, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Rams - won their games in the divisional round. It's also the first time since 2015 - Denver, New England, Carolina and Arizona - that the top two seeds in both conferences advanced to the AFC/NFC title games.

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BREES-ING BACK

Drew Brees threw an interception and had a fumble that was recovered by teammate Ryan Ramczyk in the opening period. He bounced back from that rough start and took the Saints on scoring drives of 92, 79 and 67 yards after falling behind 14-0, helping New Orleans top Philadelphia 20-14. Brees went 28 of 38 for 301 yards, including had 2-yard touchdown passes to rookie Keith Kirkwood and All-Pro wideout Michael Thomas, who had 12 receptions for a franchise playoff-record 171 yards.

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CRY ME A RIVERS

Philip Rivers was 25 of 51 for 331 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in Los Angeles' 41-28 loss at New England, falling to 0-5 in games played in Foxborough - including 0-3 in the postseason. Rivers dropped to 1-8 overall against New England in his career.

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NEW CHAMP

Philadelphia's 20-14 loss at New Orleans means the Eagles will not repeat as the NFL champion. No team has won the Super Bowl in consecutive years since the 2004 Patriots.

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SUPER SONY

Sony Michel became the second rookie in Patriots history to have a rushing touchdown in the postseason, finishing with three in New England's 41-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. He joined fellow Georgia alum, Robert Edwards, who ran for a touchdown as a rookie in New England's 1998 wild-card loss to Jacksonville. Michel also became the first New England player with two rushing TDs in the first quarter of a playoff game since LeGarrette Blount did it in the 2013 divisional-round win against Indianapolis.

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SIDELINED

Patriots guard Shaq Mason left New England's 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth quarter. ... New Orleans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins went down midway in the first quarter of the Saints' 20-14 win over Philadelphia, unable to put any weight on his left foot. Two plays later, Eagles right guard Brandon Brooks hurt his right leg and departed. Both players were carted off the field.

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SPEAKING

''It's going to be a good game. They're a good team. We played them earlier this year. I know everybody thinks we suck and, you know, we can't win any games, so we'll see. It'll be fun.'' - Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on New England's AFC championship game matchup with Kansas City.

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''We were real calm and poised and we knew we were going to get things done.'' New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees after the Saints stormed back from a 14-0 deficit for a 20-14 victory over Philadelphia

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