‘Bear Bets’: The Group Chat’s favorite NFL Super Wild Card Weekend bets
The NFL Super Wild Card Weekend is finally here!
And if you are betting on the games, you’ll want to listen to this week’s latest episode of “Bear Bets,”, especially The Group Chat segment, as the fellas break down this week’s matchups.
FOX Sports’ Chris “The Bear” Fallica and Geoff Schwartz, along with Will Hill, had a lot of thoughts on the betting slate, sharing their thoughts game-by-game.
Let’s dive into all the action.
Cleveland Browns (-2.5) vs. Houston Texans, Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET
Hill: Try to get Texans +3
“I’m getting the better quarterback with C.J. Stroud, with the points and the home team. The road-home splits are pretty big, so I don’t feel great about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cleveland won this game by three, so wait for +3s to pop up.
Schwartz: Texans defense anytime TD (+850)
“Joe Flacco throws a ton of interceptions. … he does turn the ball over a lot, and Flacco to have one turnover probably is an expensive price. I don’t know if you want to pay for that. But I sort of like a Flacco pick-six. Houston having a defensive score feels like something that’s a decent enough wager.”
Miami Dolphins (+4.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Hill: Chiefs -4.5, Under 44
“It’s just the perfect storm, no pun intended, for Miami here with a short week, weather and injuries. They’re so beat up that their entire defense is hurt, basically. They had to play Sunday night. I mean, this team was in contention for the one seed all year, and now they’re the No. 6 seed and gotta go on the road.”
Schwartz: -4.5, Under 44
“Kansas City is seasoned. Miami’s down five pass rushers; it’s top five pass rushers. … I think the Chiefs handle this game.”
The Bear: Chiefs money line
“It feels like the Chiefs nickel and dime them with Isiah Pacheco runs and then Patrick Mahomes settles in and just picks his targets.”
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills (-9.5), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
The Bear: Leaning Steelers +9.5; James Cook most rushing yards this weekend +950
“I wouldn’t want to lay 10 with Buffalo. But at the same time, do you think Pittsburgh, without T.J. Watt and some of the injuries that they have now, can get Buffalo off the field? Are we going to trust Mason Rudolph again to go on the road and not turn the ball over?
“I think Cook’s gonna get a lot of carries because the conditions will dictate that. Maybe he’s not going to get the goal line work, but I could see him breaking off a long run or two.”
Hill: Stay away from Bills -9.5; Josh Allen Under 220.5 passing yards, Mason Rudolph Under 170.5 passing yards
‘I can’t lay 10 when there will potentially be 50 mph winds. I don’t like laying 10 with Buffalo, to begin with. I just don’t trust them. Josh Allen’s so volatile. There’s so much variance with Allen, where he’s a double agent.
“If this wind is that big of a factor, Under passing yards is a good look.”
Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys (-7), Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET (on FOX and the FOX Sports app)
The Bear: Cowboys -7
“I could see Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb just going completely crazy, and maybe the Packers get some points and this could be like one of those 41-30 types of games. But I like the Cowboys quite a bit here in this spot.”
Hill: Cowboys team total Over 30.5
“The Cowboys are a machine at home. They score 37.5 points per game and are 8-0. The thing about laying the points here is that over the last few home games, they haven’t been as good. Against the Seahawks on a Thursday night, they did cover, and they could have lost. That Saturday night against the Lions, they didn’t cover and really should have lost. So they haven’t been as dominant the last month or so.”
Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions (-3), Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Hill: Lions -3
“The fact that this number is does feel a little dismissive. Detroit has been the better football team all year. They’re a play away from being the two seed, they probably should have won that game in Dallas a couple weeks ago.”
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday, 8 p.m. ET
The Bear: Buccaneers +3
“Philly, their defense over the last six, seven, eight games, has probably been the worst defense in the league. It just looks like something is wrong in the locker room. They’ve got injuries. This team couldn’t get the Cardinals off the field a couple of weeks ago, and they lost to the Giants last week.”
Schwartz: Mike Evans to have the most receiving yards this weekend (+1800)
“You look at the Eagles pass defense, they can’t stop anyone. Mike Evans is one of the best receivers in the NFL; one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL. Baker Mayfield’s not great. He’s OK. But against this pass defense, he might look like Tom Brady.”
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