Morning Coffee: A FanDuel best bet for the NFC Championship Game

​Bill Belichick is among the most decorated coaches in the history of professional sports.

Some think he might not have a job next season.

The Atlanta Falcons were the betting favourite to land Belichick as their next head coach at FanDuel.

Then they named Raheem Morris head coach.

The reaction to the Falcons decision is fascinating.

Some believe that the organization made a mistake.

Some believe that they made the right decision.

According to some commentary, Atlanta passed on Belichick in large part because his record without Tom Brady at quarterback is 83-104.

No mention of who Brady was before and after Belichick.

No mention of what they accomplished together.

No mention of how few coaches have had success without Pro Bowl-calibre quarterbacks in the NFL.

No mention that Morris is 24-38 as a head coach.

To be clear, I don’t think that the Falcons necessarily made the wrong decision when they hired Morris.

It’s just that I’m not willing to highlight selective data to justify the decision made by the same organization that just passed on Morris three years ago when he was their interim coach and they replaced him with Arthur Smith.

How did that decision turn out for Atlanta?

The people making the decisions don’t always get it right.

Ultimately, the Falcons choice will be judged by results.

To succeed in Atlanta, Morris will need a capable franchise quarterback.

After all, winning isn’t easy when you don’t have a Brady.

This is the Morning Coffee for Friday January 26^th, 2024.

A FanDuel Best Bet For The NFC Championship Game

It didn’t take long for me to make the decision to lock in the first two FanDuel Best Bets for Championship Sunday in this column.

First up, I locked in Lamar Jackson to rush for 60 or more yards in the AFC Championship Game at -130 odds.

Then I recommended a Same Game Parlay for the NFC Championship Game that featured George Kittle to finish with 40 or more receiving yards and Christian McCaffrey to record 3 or more receptions at -140 odds.

My third and final FanDuel Best Bet for Championship Sunday is a Same Game Parlay with the San Francisco 49ers to win outright and Amon-Ra St. Brown to finish with 60 or more receiving yards at -150.

The Lions have been my favourite story of the playoffs.

Of the four teams still standing, Detroit was the biggest longshot to make it this far, and they got here by silencing the doubters with impressive wins over the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of some of the best fans in the entire NFL.

This week’s match-up looks a lot different on paper.

For the first time this postseason, the Lions will be on the road and playing outdoors.

It’s also the first time that Detroit will be in the underdog role, as the 49ers represent a much toughest test than either the Rams or the Buccaneers.

San Francisco is currently a seven-point favourite at FanDuel.

That number would be higher if Deebo Samuel was healthy.

It would also be higher if Brock Purdy didn’t struggle throughout much of the first half in last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers.

Regardless of Samuel’s status, I think Purdy will perform much better this week and the 49ers will find a way to win the game.

Meanwhile, St. Brown opened the playoffs with seven catches for 110 yards on nine targets in the Wild Card Weekend win against the Rams.

He followed that effort up with eight catches for 77 yards on 14 targets against the Buccaneers.

St. Brown has at least six receptions in six straight and 15 of 18 games this season.

The San Francisco defence has done a good job against slot receivers for the most part this season, but this is a unique situation in which they will go up against one of the best in the NFL in a game that decides who goes to the Super Bowl.

As a seven-point underdog, the Lions could end up playing from behind for a large chunk of this game.

Regardless of where he lines up, I believe Goff will make every effort to get the ball in the hands of his best receiver.

St. Brown’s over/under is currently 85.5 receiving yards at FanDuel.

I’ll take the 49ers to win and St. Brown to finish with 60+ receiving yards at -150 as a FanDuel Best Bet for the NFC Championship Game.

Oilers Close As Biggest Favourite So Far This NHL Season

The Edmonton Oilers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on Thursday night to extend their win streak to 15 in a row.

Edmonton officially closed at -630 on the moneyline at FanDuel.

That number made the Oilers the biggest favourite in any NHL game so far this season.

Edmonton is down to +900 to win the Stanley Cup.

Only the Colorado Avalanche have shorter odds.

Next up, the Oilers host the Nashville Predators on Saturday before a road trip to Las Vegas to play the Golden Knights on Tuesday night.

The 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins own the record for the longest win streak in NHL history at 17 in a row.

If Connor McDavid and company take care of business against Nashville on Saturday night, Edmonton will have an opportunity to match the longest win streak in NHL history in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

If they beat the Predators and Golden Knights, it would set up a date with the Anaheim Ducks a week from tonight with a chance to set a new NHL record for the longest win streak in NHL history.