Betting Picks

No team in the NFL playoffs was performing better down the stretch than the Atlanta Falcons. The defending NFC champions are 7-2 in their last nine games. They took care of the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams on the road in the wild card round and will look to do the same to the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional playoff round, also on the road.

The 2017-18 English Premier League season has reached its 23rd week and it is looking like Manchester City have the title wrapped up. City are 15 points clear at the top of the table, but take on Liverpool this weekend so dropping points is a real possibility.

Continuing to embolden their global initiative, the NBA will contest its eighth game in London, England since 2011 as the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics get set to do battle. But more than a marketing ploy and a chance to sell NBA products overseas, there's significant implications to this game. Both teams are enjoying very solid seasons and carried lengthy winning streaks with them as they crossed the pond.

The UK's most prestigious distance race on the flat is on the schedule this week in Bovada's future bets. Set to be run on June 21, 2018, the Ascot Gold Cup is open to horses age four and older, tasked with racing just over 2 miles and 3 furlongs on the Royal Ascot turf.

Legendary Alabama Crimson Tide coach Paul (Bear) Bryant won a record six national titles. The Tide are in their third straight title game and with a victory in Monday's national championship game, current Alabama coach Nick Saban can tie the Bear's record. Standing in his way will be a familiar foe, as Alabama faces the Georgia Bulldogs in the second all-SEC championship tilt in the past seven years.

Third time lucky? Not in the NFL, it would appear. When they clash Sunday in their NFC Wild Card game, it will be the third meeting of the season between NFC South rivals New Orleans and Carolina. The Saints took the first two meetings. This will be the 21st time since 1970 that two NFL teams have met three times in one season and one team has taken all three games on 13 occasions.

A lot can happen in 18 years, and certainly much has evolved in the football world since 1999, the last season that the Buffalo Bills earned a place in the NFL postseason. In fact it was so long ago that Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith, heroes of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, were still part of the club's roster in 1999.

The Atlanta Falcons represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last season. The Los Angeles Rams haven't played a playoff game since 2005, when they lost 47-17 to the Falcons. They were the St. Louis Rams at the point in franchise history. You have to go all the way back to 1989, their first tenure in L.A., to find a playoff game involving the Los Angeles Rams.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They opened the season 5-0 and looked to be Super Bowl favorites. A 1-6 skid followed, but the Chiefs closed 4-0 to wrap up the AFC West. The Tennessee Titans were also all over the map during the 2017 season en route to their wild card berth, making this match-up an intriguing one.