Nick Kostos' NFL Best Bets: Divisional Round Sunday

About Nick Kostos

Nick Kostos hosts You Better You Bet, which airs weekdays at 4:00pm ET on Radio.com. Kostos also hosts You Better You Bet's Countdown to Kickoff on Sundays from 9:00am-1:00pm ET. Each week, he will reveal his favorite bets here on BetQL! Continue reading to see his Week 16 selections!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (-3, 52)

I know a lot of people will be rushing to back the Saints on Sunday afternoon against the Bucs. After all, the Saints won both regular season matchups in definitive fashion and covered the spread both times. 

Right?

Well, technically, that's true. But we need to consider context.

First, both of these teams are dramatically different -- not just from their Week 1 matchup, but from their later meeting in the season on Sunday night football. The teams they are now don't necessarily resemble where they were back then.

In Week 1, Tom Brady threw a pick-six due to miscommunication with Mike Evans, and the Bucs handed the Saints a free field goal after a muffed kick return. You know who doesn't miscommunicate anymore? Brady and Evans. You know what the Bucs probably won't do? Muff another kick. It COULD happen, but I'm willing to bet it won't.

And in the second meeting, Bucs star guard Ali Marpet didn't play, leading to tons of pressure on Brady. Marpet is back for this matchup and the Bucs OL just did an outstanding job against the Washington defensive line.

Does our community agree with Nick's best bets? Head to the BetQL app to find out and see Nick's pick at the end of this article!