NFL Divisional Playoffs

But first, how about a salute to my aging partner, dating himself with that Norm McDonald reference? I'm surprised he didn't opt for a Burns and Allen crack.

Not a lot to like this week. One underdog, the Cardinals, is getting a lot of points, but also a lot of the action, which of course we don't like. Two other road dogs, Baltimore and Philly, are the top two teams in the DVOA rankings. I was ready to play the Eagles at the +6 or +7 number I expected, but alas, Vegas denied me and put them at +4. The final game, San Diego at Pittsbugh, just leaves us feeling blah.

So we're gonna fade one of our favorite/most profitable teams this season. Ugh. I feel dirty.

Tennessee Titans -3 +111 (Matchbook), 1 unit to win 1.11 units.

The Ravens are actually getting the majority of the action as a three-point underdog. Tennessee appears to have fallen out of favor with the public, but I'm not exactly sure why. They have been playing well, and now they're healthy again (except for Kevin Mawae). In fact, Sportscenter is playing in the background as I type, and they just said Vanden Bosch and Hanynesworth are good to go. Baltimore is the top team in the DVOA rankings, but the Titans are close enough to the top to make them a decent play at home with an extra week of rest in the playoffs. I think the recent runs by the Giants and Steelers from the wild card slots have made a lot of people forget about the historically enormous edge that the home teams have in this round. Remember how a couple of years ago these games were almost formalities setting up a Conference championship between the top two teams? I don't think two impressive runs by the Steelers and Giants changes things that much.