Morning Coffee: Our first look at NFL Wild Card weekend lines

Welcome to the NFL playoffs.

While the road to the postseason included countless twists and turns along the way, the fact that the league arrived here and on time is an impressive accomplishment in itself.

Now comes the fun part, with the 13 best teams in the league and the Washington Football Team set to battle for the ultimate prize.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Monday Jan. 4, 2021.

Washington Upset Team?

Washington is just the fifth team in NFL history to reach the playoffs with a losing record.

While nobody is willing to give Alex Smith and company a chance, it’s worth noting that the last two teams that reached the postseason with a losing record each won their first playoff game at home.

It’s also worth noting that Washington went 5-1 with Smith as its starter, including a 23-17 win over the then-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 13.

Rookie defensive end Chase Young leads a defence that ranks third in the NFL in pass rush win rate and has generated the fourth-highest sack rate.

Everybody knows that Tom Brady has been susceptible to pressure throughout this season and throughout his career, so if the Washington defence steps up and Smith performs at the level he has so far this season, could we see an upset?

The oddsmakers aren’t buying it after Tampa Bay opened -7.5 – the second-biggest favourite on the board for Wild Card weekend.

Saints Should March Past Bears

The New Orleans Saints are the biggest favourite on the board for Wild Card weekend at -9.5 against the Chicago Bears.

The Saints are a combined 25-7 over the past two seasons and while they still don’t have a bye to show for it, they should win comfortably over Mitch Trubisky and the Bears to reach the Divisional Round.

New Orleans is +750 to win the Super Bowl – matching the Buffalo Bills for the third-shortest odds behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (+180) and the Green Bay Packers (+450).

NFC West Rivalry Resumed

A pair of NFC West division rivals will meet in the final NFC matchup, with the Seattle Seahawks set to host the Los Angeles Rams.

Seattle opened -4.5 against Los Angeles.

While home-field advantage is somewhat limited due to the lack of fans, it’s worth noting that the Seahawks have won 10 straight home playoff games dating back to 2004.

Jared Goff sat out Week 17 because of a thumb injury, and there is no confirmation that he will be back in time to start against Seattle.

If he can’t go, it will be on John Wolford to step up after he went 22 of 38 for 231 yards and one interception in an 18-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

If Goff is confirmed out, the line for this game will continue to grow.

If you like Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to take care of business this weekend, make sure you take them now before that numbers climbs even higher.

Bills Primed For Deep Run

Considering how good the Bills have looked over the course of six straight double-digit wins, it’s somewhat surprising that they aren’t a bigger favourite against the Indianapolis Colts.

Buffalo opened -6.5 for this home playoff game.

The Bills have dropped six consecutive playoff games dating back to their last postseason win back in 1995. Is this the year that Buffalo finally makes a deep playoff run?

Over the past month, I’ve been pushing the Bills as the second-best team in the NFL behind only Kansas City.

My early lean for Wild Card weekend is towards Buffalo -6.5 since I think there is a good chance that number climbs to Bills -7 or higher as the week progresses.

Browns Headed To Pittsburgh

The Cleveland Browns will fight for their first playoff win since 1995 when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cleveland has lost 17 consecutive games in Pittsburgh – the third-longest road-losing streak versus a single opponent in NFL history.

Is this the week that the Browns snap that slide and upset the rival Steelers? Cleveland opened as a 4.5-point underdog for Sunday’s game.

Ravens Get Their Rematch

While the Browns and Steelers go head-to-head, the other AFC North playoff qualifier will play on the road as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Tennessee Titans.

The Ravens opened -3.5 at Tennessee, which makes them the lone travelling team that will be a favourite.

While it’s easy to overlook Baltimore as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, it’s important to keep in mind that this team still won 11 games despite a three-game slide that coincided with COVID-related issues that completely disrupted their season.

The Ravens still led the NFL with a plus-165 point differential.

They also still got elite play from Lamar Jackson down the stretch.

Jackson led the NFL in QBR over the course of Baltimore’s five-game win streak to close out the regular season. What does he have in store for the postseason?

While the Titans upset the Ravens in last year’s AFC Divisional round, I think Baltimore responds in this one and takes care of business as a team that is clearly peaking at the right time.