NFL Postseason Opening Weekend Outlook; Monday, Jan. 17 

How can you not love football? It’s impossible not to love football. This weekend, the NFL has blessed us with extra playoff football. We have six games instead of five because only the first seed in each conference receives a bye this year.

The games begin on Saturday with Las Vegas and Cincinnati. They conclude with a Monday night primetime battle between Arizona and Los Angeles. The betting handle is going to be huge this weekend, but before you place a wager, it’s time to start preparing.

Here is your NFL postseason opening weekend outlook. Let’s go to work!

We will look at Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

Arizona Cardinals Travel to Los Angeles to Face the Rams

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams will meet for the third time this season. Both teams suffered losses, forcing them to play on Wild Card Weekend. This year’s series has been split, with each road team emerging victorious. Arizona took the lead in early October before Los Rams reclaimed it in late December.

Given that these teams are division rivals, this is one of the more difficult games to forecast. Nonetheless, there is a lot going in the Rams’ favor. The Cardinals have been slumping as a unit, losing four of their past five games. Their only win over that period was a blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys

The final game of the weekend will feature the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams. This could be one of the weekend’s best games because of the two potent offenses competing.

Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford should put on a clinic. The spread favors the Rams at -4, but this is the one game where America is high on the underdog.

57% of bettors are taking the Cardinals at +4. Arizona is 10-7 ATS this season compared to the Rams at 8-9 ATS. The total is set at 50 points and 78% of bettors are taking the over.

Even if they’ve performed better on the road in 2021, the Rams still have an advantage at home because they’re 5-3 in Los Angeles this season. Finally, and most importantly, I give Sean McVay a head coaching edge over Kliff Kingsbury. With two strong teams playing in their own stadium with home-field advantage.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.