The playoffs have arrived and they are kicking off with a Saturday double header. We have the Chargers taking on the Texans at 4:30 PM. Then we have an AFC North showdown between the Steelers and Ravens at 8:00 PM. I have gone through both of the slates and picked the best bets for each. Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, our best boy Jamie picked the entire playoff bracket here. The Let’s make some money!

First things first, the Best Bets:

Best Bets

• Joe Mixon Rush Yards Under 71.5 (-110) FanDuel
• Steelers +9.5 (-106) FanDuel

Best Bet Background- Joe Mixon Rush Yards Under 71.5

Joe Mixon has been averaging 72.6 yards per game this season. He has been very much a “boom or bust” running back in terms of his yardage. When facing a poor rush defense (bottom 10 in the league) he goes for over 100 yards seemingly every time. When he faces a good run defense, he struggles. Today, he will be facing a Chargers defense that is ranked 14th in the league against the run. They allowed an average of 114 run yards per game. So, while they are not a top ten run defense, this matchup still favors the Chargers. The Texans have been struggling with consistency, not only in their offense, but with their offensive line play. They have allowed CJ Stroud to be one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league and have been bad when running the ball. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Texans have the second worst run success rate in the league. Much of this can be attributed to the offensive line play. With the Chargers being favored in this game, I think we can expect the Texans to be playing from behind in this one. That would point towards the Texans having more of a passing attack. Add in the fact that CJ Stroud will most likely be under fire and lose yards, forcing the Texans into passing situations, I would not expect Joe Mixon to be able to have much room to run today.

Best Bet Background – Steelers +9.5

The second game of today’s slate features an AFC North classic. The Steelers are traveling to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. It is supposed to be a very cold night in Baltimore, with a forecasted high of 32 degrees, winds of 20+ mph, and a wind chill of 19 degrees. In short, this has the potential to be a low scoring game with a lot of running. When these two teams meet, history has shown that it will be a hard-fought game. These teams have a ton of history but in the last 10 games, only one game has been decided by more than 10 points. That game was earlier this year, when the Ravens won 34-17. At one point, the game was 17-17 with the Steelers knocking on the door for the lead. It was derailed by turnovers. While the Ravens are probably going to win this one, I do not like to bet against Mike Tomlin and his ability to motivate his team when others are doubting them. That is why I am taking the Steelers +9.5.