The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Sharp or Square - NFL Playoffs Divisional Round Bets: Bills-Broncos, Niners-Seahawks, Texans-Patriots, Rams-Bears

Episode Date: January 14, 2026

The 2026 NFL Playoffs moves to the Divisional Round, and betting expert Chad Millman is joined by professional sports gambler Simon Hunter to discuss every game for this second weekend of playoff action. Together the duo provide initial betting picks and predictions for the Wild Card games, covering both spreads and totals as their free SHARP OR SQUARE PRO FOOTBALL PICK 'EM CONTEST continues throughout the playoffs at https://sharporsquare.thevolume.com/ Today's betting coverage starts with two huge Saturday matchups, as Josh Allen and the resurgent Buffalo Bills look to stay hot in Mile High against Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos. On Saturday night, fans and gamblers alike are treated to an NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. Will Brock Purdy and coach Kyle Shanahan fall flat as road underdogs against quarterback Sam Darnold's top-seeded squad? Or will Darnold "see ghosts" again in a high-stakes matchup? Moving on to betting picks and predictions on the Sunday slate, we hear our duo's opinions on struggling quarterback C.J. Stroud and his Houston Texans, who visit Foxboro to take on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. But first we hear an exciting recap of the Texans' defensive demolition of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. And finally, today's episode wraps up with a breakdown of Sunday night's game between likely NFL MVP Matt Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams, who travel to frigid Soldier Field for a showdown with magician quarterback Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. Does coach Ben Johnson have more tricks up his sleeve to delight gamblers and the Windy City faithful one more time? Plus, as a special bonus, loyal alumnus Chad Millman is being dispatched to Florida to cover his Indiana Hoosiers as they take on the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. So our audience is sure to receive plenty of inside access and coverage in the days ahead. #Volume 0:03:00 - START 0:03:45 - HOUSTON TEXANS VS. PITTSBURGH STEELERS RECAP 0:07:30 - BUFFALO BILLS VS. DENVER BRONCOS 0:20:48 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS VS. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 0:28:30 - HOUSTON TEXANS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 0:38:50 - LOS ANGELES RAMS VS. CHICAGO BEARS 0:47:00 - INDIANA HOOSIERS VS. MIAMI HURRICANES -- All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet Subscribe to Sharp or Square for gambling advice, best bets, and predictions from sports betting experts Chad Millman and Simon Hunter. Follow on all platforms: https://www.instagram.com/sharporsquare/ https://x.com/SharporSquare_ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms.

So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips.

This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got them. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There are times when the mind becomes a difficult place to live.

This is David Eagleman with the Inner Cosmos podcast, and for Mental Health Awareness Month, we'll talk with singer-songwriter Jewel about anxiety. I started living in my car, and then my car got stolen. I was having panic attacks. I was agoraphobic. This is a month of deeply personal and honest conversations about what happens when the brain goes off course. Listen to Intercosmos on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Sharper Square presented by Hard Rock Bat. We are part of the volume podcast network. This is the show that makes Square Sharper.

Makes the wise guys pay attention. I am Chad Milman. I am joined as always by my co-host, my companion, my compadre my BFF professional better simon hunter hello simon jett how we doing listen i feel like we ended the weekend the way we started the weekend being on the wrong side of a game that included missed fourth and goal opportunities momentum swings we had the steelers plus three and a half we fell the one and four in the contest for the opening weekend of the playoffs. I got to tell you, Simon, things were going so badly for us this weekend that in the final two minutes and 35 seconds after the Texans scored that pick six to make it 30 to six. And at this point, I think they had scored something like 21 points or 14 points,

whatever it was off of defensive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The plus three and a half is out of reach. But you and I had both bet the under 39 and a half and the under 38 and a half. We've been telling people to take the under 38 and a half. I just assumed that 36 points with two and a half minutes left, there was enough time that the Steelers were going to have to punt or go forward and fourth down. They had all three timeouts. The Texans were going to kick the field goal and we were going to lose that total too.

That's how I felt we had been, things have been going for us this weekend. We didn't get the job done. We came up short. Please don't talk to me about more victories. That'd be disrespectful to those guys in the room. Well, Chad, some professional advice. You just flush it, buddy. I'm sorry you just relived all that once again, but I don't care.

Whether we go four and one, one and four, I sit here Tuesday with the exact same feeling. Can I win again this upcoming week or can I do better than the week before? So, yeah, sucks. But just on the same feeling after winning week. move on. That's that's kind of the way this business is. It's whatever have you done for me lately. So, yeah, bad week, but keep it moving. It's, it's Rhonda, the visual around now, brother. Last night you were in your fields and I felt like we were sort of connecting in our emotional distress. I feel the same way you do right now. I was only sharing my feelings last night.

As soon as the game was over, I'm like, time to move on. I woke up feeling fresh. I did the Peloton. I took my dog for a walk. I had some calls. Moving on. It's like I'm clean. I'm back to being as arrogant and confident as we can possibly be. For the season, we are now 52 and 43, thanks to our one and four week. Looking at the leaderboard in our Sharper Square Pro Football Bickham contest,

a new solo leader has emerged last week's number one, Nikki Abbs. has fallen to second. Some guys have it all. I know, right? Reynolds 3-1 stands alone at the top at 23 points with just three more slates to go. Good luck to everyone playing. All right. As I said, tough wildcard round for us.

But as Mike Tomlin would say. Last week was last week. This week was this week. Next week will be next week. I feel like that's what you just said. It's time to move on. This is our Tuesday divisional round. show where we'll view the entire slate. As a reminder, we'll have our normal Tuesday and Thursday

shows through the end of the week, through the end of the season. For this week, we will do our pre-kickoff episode on Saturday morning with our official contest picks, a Sunday night review show after the Rams Bears game. You know, we assume that'll be around 10 p.m. Eastern. I, of course, will be in Florida prepping for the Indiana Hoosiers, Miami Hurricanes, National. And then, we assume that. title game hoping I can stay awake for the 10 p.m. show. Don't forget you can get the shows at Sharper Square on YouTube. Go subscribe and like the video while you're at it. You can also subscribe to Sharper Square. Apple pods, Spotify, wherever you get your pods. I don't know, Simon, it's an interesting final grouping of teams. There's no one we can say is totally dominant,

offensively and defensively. Teams have dominant units. But the teams with the most dominant units, say Seahawks defense, Broncos defense, Texas defense, have inconsistent player quarterback. Teams with the best quarterbacks, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, have inconsistent complementary units on defense. It feels like it's wide open right now. Wide freaking open. Let's get into it. Buffalo.

One point road favorite at Denver. This is Saturday, January 17th, the first game, 4.30 p.m. Eastern total was 47. Reminder of the playoff contest includes all totals for all games, sides and totals for all games. Dude, this line's actually bouncing around. There were times when it's been Denver minus one. So what do you think? Yeah, Jack. Give me a Denver Broncos, Simon says, plus one, brother. I want to play a game. Simon says. Simon says Denver Broncos plus one. Simon says.

presented by hard rock bet the Denver Broncos plus one. Weird game. I want to hear theories on this. I feel like this is the power of Josh Allen. He's a road favorite against the top seat in the conference. He has no proven number one wideouts against the best defense and one of the best corners in the NFL. And his defense is suspect.

And it's definitely a coaching disadvantage. Give me your take. Yeah. And we talk all the time about, you're always thinking what are they going to make these lines with Josh Han because like we've talked about he's the best and I was honestly shocked to see them open this as a favorite but the books they know what they're doing right they're trying to take money here on this this Bill's team and I do think this line is going to

flip to the Broncos being an overwhelming favorite so I'll give it a stat now that's probably going to be useless in a couple a couple days if they do flip but I just want to talk about historical this is for the Broncos they're a home dog as the one seed. I'm sure you remember the last time this happened, Philadelphia with the dog mask at home against Atlanta. Oh, yes. Obviously, Eagles won that game outright.

I think they were plus two and a half dog. Yes. Before that, it was a 49ers. They were three and a half dog against New Orleans. 49ers won that game outright. And then before that, in 96, 97, Panthers home dog of three and a half against Dallas. Carolina won that game.

game outright. So, you know, I'm not the only one of those data points. This is a huge, huge, huge, glaring trend flasher for a lot of professionals. So I do think this line will flip just off that, but matchup wise, you kind of nailed it, Chad. It's defensively, the Jaguars are a very talented team. What's their one thing you could say is lacking a pass rush? That is not something that's lacking at all for Denver. They get after the quarterback. And, you know, Josh Allen, as great as he has been this year. You've seen some games that he has struggled is when he has a ton of pressure around him, right?

He's not let it. Maybe he was set into that in. The quick throws, which he, you know, dominated last week with, right? Shakir, I think he had 12 catches on 12 targets for like 80 yards. I was going to say, I think he, 12 catches for negative 75 yards.

But that's why I love Josh, because it's like he's taking exactly what the defense was giving him. And he kept attacking a guy who was not a good tackler. And he kept getting that 5, 6 yards, which we talked. NFL, that's a huge deal. You saw it last night. The Pittsburgh died because they were living in second and 12, third and 12s. Like if you're just, if you're not in third and five, third and six

against good defense as you're dead, especially teams can pin the ears back. So just the matchup wise too, it's hard for me to find reasons to think the bills be able to stop this Broncos offense that, you know, they are streaky, but you just nailed it with talking about Sean Payton. Sean Payton on extended time with extended prep. And, you know, the number is back. up my exact sediment, which I looked it up. And it's like, okay, that all makes sense. Sean Payton his career, 4-0, straight up in the playoffs when he's extended prep time that's since 2003.

So he's never lost in this exact scenario of having more time to prep. Now, he has two and two against the spread. So I guess that does matter in some aspect. But my only fear is right now is just like last week where every game, I got the best of the number and I had zero to show for it, right? You got the 10 on the Rams, dead. Got the Jags as a dog that flipped. That was dead.

Got Green Bay as a dog that flipped. That was dead. So I am worried about this one because the public has just been crushing it. The bills are going to be just like those other teams, like the Bears last week and the bills last week. The public is going to hammer Josh Allen on the road here for good reason, right? All they look at is the quarterback. It's going against Bo Nix, who in his career, he lost his first playoff game to this exact same team in Josh Allen. And so, yeah, for me, it's another one I'm leaning into it, right?

I'm taking the best of the number the books given to me. I know the pros will come on the Broncos as well. And I get it. If you just want to bet loosely, just trust your gut. I totally understand going the bill side, but it's not a winner. It's not a long-term winner. Like I said, you're getting a dog here that the public doesn't believe in, and the professionals do.

And that usually is a nice spot to be in. So public coming off of five in one week, Chad. I think they're going to get crushed this week. Oh, the Denver Broncos. Well, look, that's the trend, right? Like, it never stays that way for the public. So we'll see how it goes. I'm just looking up right now.

Let me see. You know, what do we got here? We got... I mean, I can hit you with a ton of stats if you want. I know people like it because, again, we gave it out. If you didn't listen to me in Chad last week, you blindly bet the stat, bet every dog in the wild card round, and bet every under.

both went four and two. Yeah. So we make it very complicated of ourselves, but like I, that's why I give these stats out because it's like these people make tons of money just betting these stats that have held true for 26 years now. Like it's going back to 2000.

Yeah, I was just going to say somehow the only two teams that didn't cover his dogs were two of the teams we had in the contest. Which is just a remarkable bit of. And if you would ask professional betters going in, they might have said the two teams that like the most as underdogs were the Chargers and the Steelers. No, what I was just checking was any betting percentages. I saw a slight lean on betting percentages on the Broncos right now. What is your take on the total?

47 to me, this feels to me, we've seen both teams give up a ton of points. And we've seen both teams score an egregious amount of points. in the second half in these games. I tend to want to play unders, and we're going to talk about that in a second, but just like eyeballing this feels like an over to me. That's fair. I'm not going to have a play on until maybe Thursday,

maybe Saturday morning. I'm just not going to grab early lines here without knowing anything about what the weather is with a condition. Because like you're saying, if it's 30 degrees, clear skies, I'm with you. Why would you not take me over here? But if it's in the teens, maybe some weather, some wind, yeah, I immediately like that under.

Both these teams are happy to lay into the run. We already know that, right? And both these teams are happy to burn the clock. So I'm in no rush to play this one. But like you said, it opened at 47 and a half, 47. It's already back down to 46. And a half. So not that shocking to see the professionals come in there because we talk about playoffs.

Everyone gets tight. It's just the way it is. And that's why I think of what? It was 2 and 0 to the overs. to start on Saturday and then four straight unders because that's just that's the normal way usually is right everyone's just so tight so yeah it's uh it's a game where I can hit you with all the trends it's it's not that great of a spot technically for Denver if if people are bullish on this bills team uh since 2003 division around these these favorites because they're going to be they're

going to flip to it be a favorite I believe the Broncos basically at home in the division around 33 and 44 against the spread. So 43%, that's 3 and 7 against the spread since 2020. That obviously fits Seattle as well. If you want to make it, I mean, we're going to get to Seattle game. It's even worse for Seattle. If you're a 7 point favorite in the divisional round, off a buy, 17 and 26 against the spread, so 40%.

So once again, another just a blind fade spot. So I know I'm asking a lot here with Denver, but it's as a dog, I think that's a good, number just because you're getting ahead of the movement. Well, that's why it's Simon says. You know what I mean? Listen, Simon, anyone who listens to this show or watch the show knows I'm in Indiana University alumni.

Who? Who? Hoosiers! Go, I, you, fight, fight, fight. Everyone also knows that this Monday night, the Hoosiers, the Unstoppable Indiana Hoosiers are playing the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 college football players. national title game at the fabulous and famous hard rock stadium in miami gardens the best place to stay not too far from where the game is happening is at the unbelievably cool seminal hard rock

hotel and casino in hollywood florida the guitar hotel at the hard rock totally lives up the hype i lives up to the I know this. I've stayed there. I've played there. I've eaten until I could eat no more there. I go all in on the good times and the good food at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. And of course, they got the full casino. They got the incredible sports book. It's going to make you want to skip the Florida beaches. Thanks to our friends, our very good friends at Hard Rock. I'm going to be in town. for the Indiana Miami National Title Game. This weekend I'm going to be roaming around the casino and the sports book, soaking it all in.

If you see me, please say hello. When I'm not there, I happen to leave at any point. I'm going to be using the top-rated hard rock bet app so I can hammer the Hoosiers because it is the only legal. sports betting app available in the state of Florida. Tons of betting markets already live for the game. Get excited because on Thursday show we're going to have a very special guest who's going to help us break down the college football title game.

Dude, if you can't tell, I'm freaking out a little bit. I'm really not thinking about the next game. I'm thinking about cracking open a beer. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call, changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself.

I'm Renee Stubbs, And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian went. I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now.

And I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Saturday, January 17th, 8 p.m. Eastern San Francisco at Seattle. Seattle, you just noted 7.5.5. The total is 45.5. Simon, Chatch Choice, presented by Hard Rock Bet, is going to be the under 45.5.

Are you sure you want to do this? Are you willing to make a choice? My choice. We can't run from where we are. Sharp dudes can just see it. You know what I mean? We do have a very recent comp for this game. They played two weeks ago.

Seahawks dominated 1-13-3 to win the number one seed. And that was when the Niners had George Kittle at tight end. And how often have we seen Simon like a good team. loses one of its best players. And for the rest of that game, they adjust, they're playing on energy, they're playing on adrenaline, the Niners pulled it out, but they had to use just about every bag in their, every trick in their bag to get past the Eagles. Seahawks, look, it's arguable that then the Texas, the Broncos are the most dominant

defense left in the playoffs right now. We talk about sort of imbalanced units against Mike McDonald's. defense. The Niners had a 38% success rate, 173 total yards, three points. It was the lowest of Kyle Shanahan's career, and I'm stealing this directly from Brandon Anderson, our buddy at action. Seattle currently ranks number one in defensive DVLA, top two against both the run and the pass, top seven versus the middle of the field, motion, play action, under center looks, all core Kyle Shanahan strengths. And on flip side, it's not like Seattle's offense

as a shooting star, so taking the under here. Am I the only one who is resisting this tide? Don't hate it. I'll be there with you. For me, though, I definitely feel more confident about taking the 49ers here on the spread. Just seven and a half feels like an egregious, egregious number. And yeah, I get it.

They did dominate that last meeting. but come on everything went wrong for the 49ers in that game like we talked about just everything that could have gone wrong went wrong and um you know I just have so many questions about Sam Donald he's not played well totally it feels like since week 11 week 10 and now it's the biggest stage the most pressure and you know I give I have tons of stats I mean Evan Amers had a really great stat um it was basically teams that didn't make the playoffs last last year that make the divisional round and now they're their underdog, which is exactly what this Niners team is. They're 29 and 14 against the spread in this exact spot. So 67%, which just

shows, like I thought last week, these certain teams get underrated by the public. And this fits that description, right? The team that aren't they, didn't they get lucky against the Eagles? I think a lot of people would be thinking that way. And I also could see the Seahawks being a huge money-line teaser player, right? This is, I think that the foreign actually could cover, I would honestly be shocked if they do win. I just, this defense is so impressive the Seahawks team. I do think it's going to be a lot to overcome, but seven and a half, and a back door, it always being a possibility with this Niners offense. I like that, especially where you go through it and it's, you know, a Purdy against a Seahawks team, which I know people don't believe it,

but in his career, he's kind of owned this team in this matchup on the road, Brock Purdy in his career, 4-0 against a spread, straight up against the Seattle team. team winning by almost 10 points per game in this exact spot. So he's kind of been the owner of that stadium, the Seattle team, whether it's been Gino or McDonald coaching this team, right? He's done well against them on the road. And, you know, the more I look into it, it's more like, okay, if this comes down, that would make more sense than ever getting up to eight and a half.

So to me, this is another one where it's like, you just got to grab the number. It's this feels a game is going to close at seven, six and a half, right? It's just I can't see this getting up to eight, eight and a half. There's just nothing about this Seahawks team that's going to keep pushing this number up. But I just see the professionals and the public alike eventually coming on the Snyder's side because it's just, it's too many points. It just is way too many points. The third time these teams have met, right? Divisional teams playing for the third time.

We know it's going to be a close game. I mean, like, again, we just saw that Bears Green Bay game. Yeah, yeah. Divisually just play these insane close games. That's what tends to happen. So I am shocked. honestly the book's open this much. And one more stat from our guy, Evan, that I loved.

Divisional round, wild card round. Kyle Shanahan, his career is now 7-0 straight up, 6-1 against the spread. And the divisional round is an underdog, a road dog. He has 3-0 straight up in his career, Shanahan. So, I mean, if you want to sprinkle it on the Seahawks, I mean, the 49ers, I'm sure me and Chad will probably have that our money around Robin, but this doesn't feel like it's going to break a lot of people's

teasers and stuff like that. It's just I think most people are counting out this 49ers team, and that's what the spread's reflecting. Look, I think what I'm thinking about for the total lines up with what you're thinking about for the spread. To me, this is a 24-21 game, right? It's not going to be up and down, you know, fast-paced, high-scoring. And if there's a big total, which you're getting over a touchdown,

it is, that lends itself to. a much closer game so it would play into the theory that the Niners would cover in this game. So it could be interesting, Simon. We couldn't make two of our picks off of the same game because we get a chance at the total in the spread. Interesting theory, though, on the Niners. It's interesting. Look, I would love nothing more if the Niners continue to advance and then lose to the Bears. But if I can't get the Bears in the Super Bowl, I'd really like the Niners because it's basically my only

my only future left after everyone else has been bounced out. So, uh, if you can get, if you're a Bears fan, you can get the Niners at home and late, my God. And when it's one degree out, yeah.

Although, to be honest, I've seen that movie, you know, when the Bears had won the Super Bowl in the next year, I think it was the next year of the year after, we get the Niners in January and the NFC title game. We lost like 27 to 3.

I was at that game. It was cold. Is that Joe Montana? It must have been Montana. Yeah, it had to have been. There you go. Can't beat him. Sunday, January 18th, 3 p.m. Eastern Houston is visiting the New England Patriots.

The total is three, or the spread is New England three. Total is 41. It opened at two and a half. It's still at two and a half. A lot of books. Jumped up at Hard Rock. At this point, Simon, how much are we coaching handicapping, or handicapping coaching in the playoffs? because right now no one is better at this than Mike Frable.

Like, just nobody. The guy just has this team locked in and understands exactly what they're great at and then how to get the most out of them. Hard team to bet against right now. Yeah, I hate this game because immediately it's like I feel like, again, if we were coming off a hot streak, I would be hammering this game.

But Texans plus three in a total of 40, I could not believe the total was that high or the Texas were plus three. And I said, a game I'll be patient on because we were so early in the week here. I don't need to make a play on it yet. But, yeah, it's,

I mean, we just talked about Drake May, that Chargers team was going to be the best defensively. You saw him struggle. The Texans are a level way above that Chargers team. This is another level we're going up here with this Texas team defensively. So as much as people are just crushing,

CJ coming off that game, we talked about. that's the Pittsburgh voodoo, baby. That game was going just according to the plan. A guy, I think they should have said, he might have three fumbles in his career and he had two in a quarter. Like that's just what happens when you get to Pittsburgh.

I don't know if it's the same type of voodoo and the Patriots. And, you know, if Christian Gonzalez is playing, if Nicos Collins is playing, okay, I guess they can't see each other out. They both might miss this game. Yeah. That's true.

I think that favorite's Houston, where you've seen Higgins, Christian Kirk, He can do it with these random receivers because the design of their play is they find these huge gaps. And that's what CJ's strength is, right? Pushing the ball down field to these guys streaking wide open. And the Patriots now lose the number one corner, I feel like that's a way bigger deal than them losing Nico Collins. I've just seen CJ Bill and make other guys be number ones where Patriot's defense, we've talked about. Gonzalez shuts down half a field.

He is exactly what you look for in a number one corner. So big, big injury watch here for both these teams. but yeah the stats people know i think we gave it all last week drake may new england as a favorite three points or more drake maynish career three 11 and no straight up and nine and two against the spread and like we said before that's against we think poor competition we don't really buy into that and you know we ate it last week but that was really about herbert not showing up i mean his defense held them to 16 points herbert gave us a nothing in burger i don't see cj having two really bad games in a row and uh

My fear is that I gave you out those numbers the last week. CJ, that was his first road win. I think I was Houston's first win on the road, Texas. Organizationally, right? That was the first time. And I think seven tries, Houston had been on the road and they lost every time they finally broke through. And I know they were a sleepy pick for a lot of people on Super Bowl run

because of the defense. I think it's another spot here where it's like, okay, the better defense with the better quarterback is a dog. I mean, coaching level. I know we have a lot of props of Ravel. I don't think it's that he's that big of a gap. Amico Ryan's is a genius thing, especially defensively. So, yeah, like I said, I'm not trying to fall into a trap here again

because it's like I can't believe they're giving us plus three. I want to talk to the pros see what they're seeing here, but my early condition is, even I should say, what I'm betting right now, I've already bet the plus three, and I bet the under right away. But I will let you know on Thursday if I'm missing something here. And if, you know, I'm walking right into it once again, but I could not believe it. I couldn't believe they opened Houston at this big of a dog.

To me, one and a half, too. That made sense here. So that's why I'm just not going to put a ton into it because I'm worried if there's something I'm missing here. It feels too easy, Chad. Yeah, I'm baffled by this line. I'm baffled by this game. It's a really hard one to figure out.

What you just said about the Steelers, when CJ was throwing that interception again in the red zone towards the goal line, I was thinking to myself, this is classic Steelers football. Muck it up, muck it up, muck it up. Whatever Tomlin does, he's so patient as a coach. I think Vrable is a brilliant coach too, but I don't know that the Patriots have the same defensive weapons

across the board that the Steelers do. They were getting a really good pass rush on CJ that was screwing up a lot of what he was trying to do. Really tough game. I definitely like the under more than I like the side at this point. So I'm curious to see how the sharp calls go on Thursday. And we'll get a better sense of what people are saying about this game. Let's get a quick word from our friends at Hard Rock Bet.

Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet, with Miami making the national championship. You know Hard Rock Stadium will be rocking. And if you're going to the game, Hard Rock Bet is giving you a $10. bonus bet to get in on the action. If you're watching the game out in Miami, head to the Hard Rock Cafe Miami, Duffy's North Miami Beach, American Social Miami, and Batch Brickle. Hard Rock Bet is dropping $10 bonus bets there too. You can turn that free $10 bonus bet into a big win by placing the same game parlay.

Or even if you're just watching the game at home, there's still no better place to bet than Hard Rock bet because it's Florida Sportsbook. So they're going crazy with promos for this one. If you haven't tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet, there's still time for you to get $150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. And if it hits, you get not only a winnings, but also an extra $150 in bonus bets.

Even if your team may be out of the playoffs, that doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines. Between same game, parlay's live betting, I can't miss, welcome offer, a new promos dropping every day. Hard Rock Bet, as you've covered, all postseason. long. That's Hard Rock Bat. Download the Hard Rock Bat app and make your first deposit today. Payable and bonus bass, not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida,

offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC and all other states. Must be 21 or over and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida, call 1-833 playwise. In Indiana, if you or some of you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris.

Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jen Chinchin win. I mean, she went down. three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any surface.

Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. The main event, the NFL knew. I knew when they were like teasing at the end of the game last night what the schedule was going to be.

They could have just said, whatever the schedule is, we know the Bears are going to be in the prime time Sunday spot because the country is enamored with Midwestern football right now. The country is enamored with the Chicago Bears. Chicago, Chicago, that toddled in town. Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around. I love it. The country is loving the accents from Chicago, the kitsch of Chicago, the characters of Chicago.

The way this team is letting a fire under the city and connecting with the Whitney City right now is amazing. They're four-point home underdogs against the Los Angeles. Angeles Rams. The total is 50 and a half. Stafford is going into the cold with the sprained finger. He said it's fine. The line moved from four to three and a half back up to four. The betting percentage is heavy on the bears. So it's hard for me to know right now, Simon, is this wise guy money? Is it just the public coming in on the bears? I feel like we've said this 13 times this season. Is it a sell high spot for the bears? I don't know, man.

I don't know. My inclination is honestly the Rams because it just feels like when everything is zgging, we have to zag. But then I don't want that to be the reason why I'm doing it. No. And I've got a couple of people ask about should I just throw on my model in the playoffs

because, yeah, it's like money balls. It built for the regular season. And Trettox window, no, I'm not picking the worst players at the cheapest price and trying to make it work. It's nothing like money, buts. I should do well in the playoffs. That was a total outline anomaly. This game scares us showing me, though, just because like last week I had the Rams is way big favorite. Same here.

I have them at seven and a half point favorites here in the model. I'm like you. I don't feel that way at all. If this was seven and a half, I'd be hammering the bear. Yeah. You're kidding me? And first glance at this number, it's like, well, bears, all their games are close, whether they win or lose. They keep their games close.

Like, shouldn't I just be grabbing this one? And we talk all the time about playoffs. You're looking for unique spots. And this defines as one, my first unique spot of the day. Bears, home underdog, wild card round, not divisional round. Do you remember the last time that happened, Chad? I don't. The Eagles.

They beat Atlanta with Nick Foles and they beat the Vikings, Case Keenum, at home. So that's worth talking about historical here. These one sees, these two seeds, they're just never home dogs in these rounds. And, you know, if I was a Bears fan or a backer, it's like, well, good, no one believes in us. Unfortunately for you guys, Chad just told you everybody's believing you all the moment. Because we've all seen those numbers, the reports, right? It's supposed to be an Arctic freeze. I mean, Stafford, like you just said, on a bad finger, and in the cold, hard to grip a ball already.

Now with a bad finger, that has to be a big deal. So I am lost with this one. I will give you a fortune another good Stafford's that. Stafford unique in the sense that he has never lost a playoff game as a favorite in his career. So he's 4-0 in his career straight up as a favorite. That's going back to 2000. That's the best mark of any quarterback in the NFL. Like no one's been better in the playoffs as a favorite than Stafford,

which to me when I looked that up was shocking because it's like, we just think of him wasting 10 years in Detroit. And like those are all, that's all Rams numbers. So just shows him in McVeigh's favorites. They've earned it, right? The books, they know what they do, given that type of pattern, especially like last week.

That was crazy looking back that they were a 10-and-a-half-point favorite, but it's a tough one to get a read on. So, you know, another game I'll be patient on the side and the total where, you know, if it is an Arctic blast, if it is zero degrees, and they're hanging of 50,

I mean, if we want to combat the magic that is Caleb Blooms, maybe we just go the first half under, right? I mean, take the year of 26, get away from what we know Caleb can do, which is light a team up in the second half. And we've seen this Rams team. They give up big plays, just like we saw Bryce Young. Totally. I mean, even against bad teams like Arizona,

they had moments where they had wide open guys streaking out against them. They just, they are susceptible. They don't have a good number two corners. They play with their food. They do. Just do. Yeah, it's really a great number hung by the books. Because if they hung it too high,

I think they would have been showing their hand here a little bit. I really think they hung up a perfect number here. So, Jed said, I think early money public and professionals, they'll come in on the Bears. I think people like me that do want to take the ramps potentially. Maybe I just see if I can get a three if the books are nice enough. But if I can't do better than three and a half off the butt of bullet, but I honestly want to be on the Bears.

But I'm just fine. Give me a reason. Give me a reason, please. I got to find it. I got to talk to some pros. I see if there's smart, smart reasoning on the Spares team, other than what we just talked about,

which is all their games are close, but this is, at what point do they run into an actual legit contender, which is what this ramps team is. So it is tough for me right here. And I also had a couple of people, what's I like back at teams off miracles? Through it,

there was not a laugh, like from my own personal experience, I just told you about that Vikings game, the Vikings, that was the digs against the same. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess there was a letdown after the Mirrors. game, but...

I don't think that's applicable for this team because every game is a miracle. You can say that, Chad, you guys reacted like, holy shit, we just won the Super Bowl. I mean, let's be serious here. Come on. Yeah, but we reacted the same way the other time we beat the Packers, and we've reacted the same way when we beat the Raiders.

Taking a shirt off and falling over himself on the field the last time he beat the Paco. Oh, he got knocked down. Yeah, he couldn't even walk. And he got back up again. Never got. Let you let you down. Like I said, I want to find a reason to buy this Barryston,

but right now I am leaning heavy towards this Ramstein. Look, the total is ticked down from 52 to 50. And a half. I would grab that under. It's going to be. Do you think it is going to be like Arctic Blast, what they're predicting? I just looked at the weather right now. It's predicted to be a high of 18 and a low of nine.

That's cold. So I would grab the under. That's the highest total we're seeing of the weekend. So it's going to be a night game in Chicago. it is going to be bitter, bitter, ice cold. I would not be surprised. Definitely like the under in the first half. Yeah, that's only better when we get off this call.

Being conservative for sure. So yeah, I'm going to grab that one too. But yeah, I don't know that we have a consensus on this one. Again, these are good lines. Both those last few games are really, really tough lines. All right. So right now, just to recap a little bit, Simon says was Denver plus one, grab it because it's going to flip to Denver minus one. Chad is on the Panthers, I mean, not the Panthers, on the Seahawks and the Niners under 45 and a half.

Simon also likes San Francisco plus seven and a half. I think we're most tempted by unders right now in these games. We're going to need more conversation about Houston as an underdog and the Bears. an underdog. I think we both... Any trends if that holds true. I know wild card round, the trend is obviously the unders.

I don't know about division around. I'll try to find out more info on that as well. We're tempted by the ears. We love the unders, right? We're like four and aides of the unders all right this week. We like the unders. And we like the under first half in the Bears ramp. So go grab that when you're done.

Listening before we go, any initial bets on Indiana and Miami. The line opens seven and a half. It's now up to nine. Indiana minus nine. in the national title game. Anything you're here, anything you like? Ooh, Kurt Signetti.

Nothing gets people excited like winning. It's pretty simple. I win. Google me. I mean, you know, I'm a sucker for history. So I would say the pros obviously hammered the seven when it opened. Not a shocker, the Hoosiers. Like you said, it's now moved almost two points. A couple books that's poppy in nine.

I'm going to take the adjusted line. Like I've already bet the minus 13 and a half on the Hoosiers. just feels like if they're going to win this game, it's just what they've been doing. They're going to roll and blow out this team. And I'm sorry to say, Chad, I'm definitely throwing a bet on the Hurricanes money line. Like this is David and Goliath, which is crazy to think, but you guys are going for, is it 17 or 16 or now? 16 and no.

Never been done. So they are going after history with a quarterback that, you know, playing at the highest level we can imagine. I know the comp for him is Sam Bradford. he's Sam Bradford with 25 pounds of muscle and much wider shoulders. Like I just, I'm falling in love with Mendoza kid. So it's tough for me to say of the hurricane things. But I figure the same way. We've all seen this movie before, right?

So can they live for a moment against the best E-line they're going to face all season? Yeah, I'm excited for our Thursday show here what the pros are saying. But from the pros I've heard, they're the guys who have hammered this Hoosier's team. They've been on it all playoff run. They've been on this team and they love them. And there's other pros who are just laying in the grass waiting, give us the 10 on the hurricanes. They're all saying they said,

let the public keep bending this up, let all the parleyes and the teasers from Sunday and Saturday, tie in with the Hoosiers' money line, get this up to 10. So every pro I know the likes of hurricanes, they're being super patient. And they're like me, it's like, at what point do you have to go the other side?

But like I said, if the Hoosiers win this game, it feels like they roll and they blow out. They're just not a team that plays with their food. Like we've talked about the other teams, they roll you. They dominate you. and they put their full weight on you.

So great, great number by the books. Every time they have the ball at zero, zero. Every single. That's so true. That's the signet-y way. All right, this has been Sharper Square, a part of the volume podcast network. We will be back on Thursday with more of the sides,

more of the totals that we're finally zeroing in on. We'll do our head-to-head battle, brass ball, so much more. Watch or listen on YouTube at Sharper Square. Like this video. Subscribe to the channel. Also, download us from Spotify, Apple Pods. Wherever you get your pods, rate, review. subscribe. Leave us five stars. Say whatever you want. Feedback is a gift. Until next time,

love you. The road to the Super Bowl filled with unexpected twists and turns, detours, and shattering collisions. But the final prize makes the trip worth one. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest. S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. And we have been joined at the Hipsons High School. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years. later. We're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey.

With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo. Well, then you got it. Listen to soccer moms on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There are times when the mind becomes a difficult place to live. This is David Eagleman with the Inner Cosmos podcast. and for Mental Health Awareness Month, we'll talk with singer-songwriter Jewel about anxiety. I started living in my car, and then my car got stolen. I was having panic attacks. I was agoraphobic.

This is a month of deeply personal and honest conversations about what happens when the brain goes off course. Listen to Inner Cosmos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.