This weekend, two playoff spots will be secured between NFC foes Tampa Bay and Carolina, and then in the AFC North between bitter rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
In Carolina, I’m rolling with Rico Dowdle, Bryce Young, and this offense to find their rhythm against Tampa Bay, while Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are difficult to bet against at home at this point in the season.
Carolina has had their best year in recent memory, sitting at 8-8 heading into the final week of the regular season, with QB Bryce Young scoring 23 touchdowns this season in his best year of his career.
Behind the dynamic duo of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, this offense can get going when they have momentum created by their solid defensive front. The Panthers haven’t won or lost two straight games in ten weeks. That dates back to a three-point win over Dallas on October 12th.
They defeated Tampa at home just two weeks ago, and in a win-or-go-home scenario, this is a Rico Dowdle, Bryce Young, and Carolina game as Tampa has been seriously struggling on both sides of the ball recently (1-6 over their L7).
Tomlin doesn’t go down in these games without a fight. The Steelers were shocked last week against Cleveland away from home while scoring just 6 points, and now, they will have to take on the Ravens for a playoff spot that is up for grabs.
With Lamar Jackson seemingly returning from injury for the first time since December 21st, this game is a practical toss-up in my eyes, but giving 3.5 points to a Baltimore team that has struggled to defend all year long seems too forgiving, even with Jackson back.
Pittsburgh won its first matchup in Baltimore by five points, with Rodgers going for nearly 300 yards and a score. With this Jaylen Warren/Ken Gainwell backfield reaching prime form, I’ll take Tomlin’s guys to take this game down to the wire.
Young has run the ball four or more times over his L5, hitting this prop in all but one of those games. He has serious wheels once he’s out in the open, and there were a few fantastic escapes for 1st downs last game against Seattle.
After struggling to get out of the pocket and into open space during the start of the season, Canales and the offensive unit have found a way for the former 1st overall selection to utilize his legs for a team that has been really great on the ground this season.
Over the course of his career, Young has rushed the ball more and more towards the end of the season, averaging 4.0 attempts per contest in December for 22.9 YPG (24.0 YPG in January with two games played).