The National Football League playoff games today are going to avoid harsh weather conditions despite two teams hosting contests that often face severe winter storms this time of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots entertain the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers respectively. Forecasts call for mostly clear skies at game time with expected temperatures of 38 degrees in Philadelphia and 34 degrees for the Patriots game.
In Jacksonville, where the Jaguars open play today at 10:00 Pacific Time against the Buffalo Bills, rain should subside before kickoff and temperatures are expected to be in the high 60’s.
The defending champion Eagles begin their bid for a second straight Super Bowl winning season as the number three seed in the National Football Conference. Their opponent, San Francisco, had an opportunity to capture the top seed in the conference and an opening week postseason bye last week but fell at home to the Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers rise to the doorstep of the number one seed is quite remarkable given the number of injuries they have suffered to both their offense and defense. Their best two defensive players, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, have missed most of the season and quarterback Brock Purdy was sidelined for eight games. Still, the 49ers succeeded in winning 12 games this season, one more than their hosts today.
The Eagles have not been nearly as dominant as they were enroute to their championship last season. But at home and against an overachieving 49ers squad appears a perfect spot for them to open the postseason with a win. While the public wagering on this game has been nearly equally split, the books and wise guys are obviously taking sides with the Eagles by moving the line up from an opening spread of 3½ to 6 points.
That move is a clear indicator that getting on the favorite in this one is aligned with the group that often comes out on the winning side.
The late game today, involving the Chargers and Patriots, also has an intriguing point spread clue. While I have had trouble with the prospect of going against the Patriots in this game, the numbers clearly indicate that while the Patriots are the most bet team by the public this weekend the books have not moved off the 3½ point spread.
What does that mean?
It means the books are happy to be collecting New England wagers and are not looking to fish for Los Angeles money with a line move. It is also an indicator that Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert, who is looking for his first postseason win in his third attempt, may just get it in an unlikely spot as an underdog in Foxboro.
If the books want New England money, and the line indicates they do, my recommendation is always to avoid giving the books what they want.
All three money rated games are now posted on this site.