Battle Red Blog
It’s time to lock those parlays in!
The Houston Texans are riding high after an explosive victory against the Los Angeles Chargers that has sent shockwaves throughout the league. But…danger looms in the horizon. A red hue bakes into the sky as the morning approaches. And, you know what they say: red sky in the morning, sailor’s take warning!
Yes, the eve of Houston’s divisional round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs is here. This tilt will be great drama for a plethora of reasons: a 2019 divisional round rematch, a Justin Reid revenge game, or even Houston’s mere presence in the Divisional Round after a rough finish to the regular season.
And yet, here they are. For those looking for opportunities to capitalize on a suddenly deadly Texans team, FanDuel’s Same Game Parlay offers bets on all games in the NFL Playoffs.
Take a look at this Same Game Parlay:
This parlay would win $587.49 on a $10 bet (+5874).
Similar to Kenneth L.’s parlay last week, I like the opportunity for Texans wide receiver Nico Collins to score two or more touchdowns tomorrow. I know some may see this as unlikely against Kansas City’s vaunted defense, but they actually only have two defensive backs with a PFF coverage grade over 75: Trent McDuffie and Justin Reid. They’re still a very talented group, but there’s an undeniable upside to a big, lanky receiver like Nico Collins attacking a Chiefs defense with a couple holes in their backfield.
Of course, for Collins to have multiple touchdowns, that implies that Stroud will probably be throwing the ball a lot. The Chiefs also have a top ten rushing defense, meaning it’s even more likely Stroud will be throwing. Taking him at 275+ pass yards is a little rich considering the season he has had (only three other games where he surpassed 275+ passing yards this year), but it is a total he may need to reach if Houston were to win this game.
Here’s the easiest part of the parlay: Travis Kelce +70 yards. I know he’s a bit slower than just a couple years ago, but Mahomes is going to be force feeding the ball to him as he quickly realizes the hard day in store for his favorite wide receivers. With Derek Stingley, Kamari Lassiter, and Eric Murray are all playing like All-Pros, Mahomes will be challenged to keep the ball close and inside the numbers; right towards his tight end. Regardless of where he is on the field, I think Kelce will pass up 70 yards, at least for Taylor Swift.
It takes a bit of gumption to believe in a parlay like this, but we might as well go out with a bang! It may just be recency bias, but I expect to see a lot of scoring on both sides. The defenses may be great, but I think the quarterbacks will take center stage in this game. Victory would be even sweeter considering how close Houston was...
