Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes against Kansas City Chiefs defenders in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
RANT SPORTS – NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND KICKS OFF SATURDAY
Just as it was a week ago with four of the six wild-card games being rematches of regular-season games, three of this weekend’s NFL Divisional Round games are also rematches.
Saturday night’s game between Washington and Detroit is the only meeting that has not already been played this season.
There were three mild upsets in the wild-card round and one road winner. What’s in store this weekend? Let’s take a look.
NFL Divisional Round Saturday Afternoon
Houston (+9) at Kansas City
The Texans, and the combination of head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud, won for the second consecutive year in the opening round.
And for the second consecutive year they face a much tougher game in the second round. Last year it was Baltimore and a 34-10 loss. This year it’s the going for the Three-Peat Chiefs.
These two met just about a month ago and KC won at home, 27-19. It was close for a while and the Chiefs put it away late. Expect a similar result, Saturday afternoon.
It’s going to be cold outside at Arrowhead Stadium, which is never good for visiting dome team. And what’s worse is facing a rested and healthy Patrick Mahomes.
Houston’s season ends and the Three-Peat Dream lives at least another week.
Kansas City 26, Houston 14
NFL Divisional Round Saturday Night
Washington (+10) at Detroit
This is a really bad spot for Washington. It will be making its third straight road trip (Dallas, Tampa Bay) and on a short week. Washington beat Tampa last Sunday night.
Over the past two seasons, 12 teams have gone on the road three straight weeks, only one managed to go 3-0. That was Minnesota with wins at Jacksonville, Tennessee and Chicago earlier this season. Note the Chicago game went to overtime. So it can be done, it’s just not probable.
Detroit is rested and starting to get some injured players back as well. It’s been a great season for Dan Quinn’s team and rookie QB Jayden Daniels. It just comes to an end in Motown as the Lions get ready for the NFC title game.
Detroit 41, Washington 21
NFL Divisional Round
Sunday Afternoon
Los Angeles (+6) at Philadelphia
Earlier in the season the Eagles went out to L.A. and easily took care of the Rams, 37-20.
Los Angeles wasn’t playing very well then. It is now.
The Rams are 6-1 since that loss to Philly and the only loss was to Seattle the final week of the regular season when they rested their starters.
Weather could be a factor in this one, as snow is expected just before the start of the game. That doesn’t bode well for Rams QB Matthew Stafford and the team from Southern California.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts knocked off some rust last week in the win over Green Bay and should be ready to roll against a young, but talented Rams defense.
Philadelphia 24, Los Angeles 17
NFL Divisional Round Sunday Night
Baltimore (-1) at Buffalo
This is the game of the week.
Two former Andy Reid assistants — John Harbaugh (Baltimore) and Sean McDermott (Buffalo) — will battle to see who will likely meet the old boss in the AFC title game.
Baltimore put a 35-10 beating on the Bills in Baltimore early in the season. It would be a surprise if that were to happen again.
It should come down to the fourth quarter, probably late fourth quarter. After Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry give the Ravens the lead, Josh Allen gets it back for Buffalo as time expires.
I have to come clean here: I picked Buffalo to win the Super Bowl before the season, so I can’t change now.
FILE – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) waves after the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas. Kelce will bring his highly successful music festival called Kelce Jam back to Kansas City. The second annual one-day event held on May 18 will be hosted by the superstar tight end of the Chiefs and headlined by Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Diplo and local legend Tech N9ne. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
RANT SPORTS – As Super Bowl LIX Beckons, Football Fans Gravitate to Key Stats and Storylines
On February 9, 2025, the NFC and AFC Conference Champions will meet at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Super Bowl LIX. Football fans have been piling into the action all season to make their picks and predictions for the winner.
As Super Bowl Sunday beckons, there will be a tsunami of interest in the many different forms of football betting. Last year, the Super Bowl set records for American wagering, with some $23 billion bet. This year, seeing the popularity of the big game, platforms are going all out to appeal to this mass of betting interest.
So, there are plenty of offers bouncing around and unique ways to bet on the outcomes of Super Bowl LIX. Keep reading to explore these novel options and discover some stats to keep in mind for the potential Super Bowl contenders this year.
A Diverse Landscape for Super Bowl Fans
Every year, betting lines light up with a whole range of quirky selections. For the Super Bowl, prop markets are always a point of interest – and not just for the player lines. The length of the national anthem, style of the halftime performer’s attire, and the color of the winning team’s Gatorade douse are all in the odds.
In daily fantasy sports betting, the lines can also see a bit more variation. With some platforms, you’ll be able to bundle in these once-a-year kind of props. Many will also offer boosts on certain players hitting or missing their under-over lines. Others are adapting the formula entirely for the big game.
At Sleeper, the emphasis is on collaborating with your squad to make top fantasy picks. You’ll all get to select the DFS player lines that you think will happen, bundle them into a picks list, and watch the stats move in real time. With the Super Bowl fast approaching, savvy DFS teams will be claiming a Sleeper promo for NFL betting like this.
With the offer, each player will get a $55 bonus cash offer after playing $5. So, naturally, many teams will open an account, make the $10 deposit, play $5 on an upcoming game of the NFL, NBA, or anything else, and then get their 11 $5 bonus wagers to use on the big game.
What to Keep in Mind for the Super Bowl
On the NFC side, coming into the Conference Championships, Jayden Daniels absolutely had the upper hand on the Eagles’ QB, who’d suffered a concussion and then a leg injury. However, the Philadelphia defense ranked as the best in the NFL by quite some margin, only allowing 278.4 yards on average. It was Philadelphia that romped to an easy 55-23 victory.
Over in AFC territory, the Super Bowl machine that are the Kansas City Chiefs might have a shot at history with the unheard-of three-peat, after their 32-29 win over the Bills. There’s also Travis Kelce’s shot at unseating one of Jerry Rice’s long-standing records. With just three receptions in the big game, Kelce would overtake Rice’s haul of 33 takes at the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LIX promises to be a fascinating game, with a second matchup of these two teams in three years. That contest came down to the final seconds, but who will win this one?
The bigger question here is, where will fans be placing their bets for the colossal event?
William Byron (24) and Kyle Busch (18) race into turn one during the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
RANT SPORTS – NASCAR likes to open with a short track exhibition
A week before heading to Daytona for the 2025 NASCAR season, they will kick off the year with an exhibition race on Saturday night under the lights. The event, known as The Cookout will take place at Bowman Gray Stadium, a NASCAR-sanctioned quarter-mile asphalt flat oval short track and a historic football stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The race, also known as The Clash, will mark the debut for several new drivers. Two of the top young talents making their NASCAR Cup Series debuts are Tim Brown for Rick Racing and Burt Myers for Team Amerivet.
This race also features the Front Row Motorsports debut for Noah Gragson and the return of Zane Smith that team. Additionally, Todd Gilliland will be driving the flagship No. 38 after three seasons in the No. 34. Furthermore, Josh Berry iin the iconic Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford.
Some familiar names with new and full season rides
AJ Allmendinger has returned to Kaulig Racing full-time, while Riley Herbst has joined 23XI Racing. Cole Custer is back now full time at the Haas Factory Team. Cody Ware is also time in the family-owned No. 51.
Ryan Preece is debuting for RFK Racing and Michael McDowell has moved to Spire Motorsports. Shane Van Gisbergen is racing full-time in Cup for Trackhouse Racing
Here is the full list of cars the teams
1 | Ross Chastain | Phil Surgen | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
2 | Austin Cindric | Brian Wilson | Team Penske | Ford
3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Boswell | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet
4 | Noah Gragson | Drew Blickensderfer | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
24 | William Byron | Rudy Fugle | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
34 | Todd Gilliland | Chris Lawson | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
35 | Riley Herbst | Davin Restivo | 23XI Racing | Toyota
38 | Zane Smith | Ryan Bergentry | Front Row Motorsports | Ford
41 | Cole Custer | Aaron Kramer | Haas Factory Team | Ford
42| John Hunter Nemechek | Travis Mack | Legacy Motor Club | Toyota
43| Erik Jones | Ben Beshore | Legacy Motor Club | Toyot
45 | Tyler Reddick | Billy Scott | 23XI Racing | Toyota
47| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Mike Kelley | HYAK Racing | Ford
48| Alex Bowman | Blake Harris | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet
50 | Burt Myers | Tony Eury Jr. | Team Amerivet | Chevrolet
51 | Justin Haley | Billy Plourde |Rick Ware Racing | Ford
54 | Ty Gibbs | Tyler Allen | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota
60 | Ryan Preece | Derrick Finley | RFK Racing | Ford
66 | Garrett Smithley | Carl Long | Garage 66 | Ford
71 | Michael McDowell | Travis Peterson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
77 | Carson Hocevar | Luke Lambert | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet
88 | Shane Van Gisbergen | Stephen Doran | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
99 | Daniel Suarez | Matt Swiderski | Trackhouse Racing | Chevrolet
Where to watch and listen to the race
Practice and qualifying is set for 6:10 on FS1 and heat races are set for 8:30 on FS1. The last chance race is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday on FOX and the main event is scheduled for 8 on FOX.
