As we get ready for NFL Wild Card Weekend, these are the 8 things you need to know. The teams with the byes, the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers were not included in the eight things. I want to focus solely on the 12 teams that are vying to join them in the next round.
Who are the hottest teams going into the weekend? The Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams all have win streaks of 3 or more games.
Who are the coldest teams coming into the weekend? The Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins. The Eagles have lost 5 of their last 6 while the Dolphins have lost 3 of their last 5, and two straight.
The best records against the spread. The Detroit Lions were the best team in the ATS with a record of 12-5.Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 2nd with a record of 11-6. The Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Rams were tied with a 10-6-1 record.
The worst records against the spread. The Bills and the Eagles were the worst two teams with records of 7-10 and 7-8-2.
The teams with the best home records. The Dallas Cowboys, the Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills. Dallas was undefeated at home. The Browns were 8-1 while the Bills and Dolphins were 7-2. The Browns and Dolphins are both playing on the road this weekend.
The Quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl before that are playing this weekend. Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Flacco – Cleveland Browns, Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams.
The Head Coaches that have won a Super Bowl include Mike McCarthy – Dallas Cowboys, Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh Steelers, Andy Reid – Kansas City Chiefs, and Sean McVay – Los Angeles Rams.
The teams with the top defenses are the Browns, Chiefs, Cowboys, Bills and Dolphins. Each of these teams were ranked in the top ten in the NFL for total defense.
As you prepare to make your selections, keep in mind that defenses win championships and defenses travel to an opponent’s home stadium. Last year during Wild Card weekend, the home team went 4-2. Later this week, I will preview the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans.
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