The National Football League will have their playoff field set once the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills complete play tonight. The weather for our first Sunday in January is mostly mild at the ten outdoor venues today, although snow is expected in Foxboro, where the New England Patriots host the New York Jets, and possible snowfall for the Philadelphia Eagles visit with the New York Giants.
Ten of the fourteen playoff teams have been determined with three teams still alive, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills to claim one of the two spots still up for grabs in the American Football Conference. The Steelers did their part for their advancement yesterday with a win over the Baltimore Ravens. Today, the Steelers need a Jacksonville or Buffalo loss to join the AFC seven team postseason field.
The Jaguars will win the AFC South Division with a victory today over the Tennessee Titans, while with a Jacksonville loss will see them drop out of the playoff competition on the heels of losing five games over the final six weeks of the season. The Buffalo Bills, who visit Miami tonight, can clinch the AFC East Division with a win, or even with a loss a playoff spot if the Jaguars are upset in Tennessee.
The National Football Conference is much more complicated. There are five teams confirmed for a playoff date, but the two remaining spots in the NFC are up for grabs by six possible squads. If the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears they are in, as are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a victory over the Panthers in Carolina.
If either the Packers or Bucs are upset, the door is open for the Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.
The 2023 regular season has been distinguished by the number of opening day starting quarterbacks who either lost their jobs through poor play or more commonly a season crippling injury. The Cleveland Browns have had more starting quarterbacks this year than you could fit in a standard size car. Joe Flacco, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens to complete the 2012 season, emerged from years of obscurity to lead the Browns to the playoffs. He won’t play today, as with Cleveland assured of their postseason slot they will rest a number of starters and Jeff Driskel will get the start at quarterback.
The public seems to know how the tight division race in the NFC South is going to shake out. Their two most bet-on teams this week are the New Orleans Saints (-3) over the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3½) over the Carolina Panthers. The third most bet game by the public is their choice of the Las Vegas Raiders (-3) over the Denver Broncos.
As for the Qoxhi rated point spread plays for the final week of the regular season, those selections are now posted on this site. If a Bullet Play develops in the final hour leading up to the first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.