NFL best bets: QBs are the key to this WC SGP+

We were supposed to have only one playoff game on Monday to close out Super Wild Card Weekend, but Mother Nature decided to intervene and push Buffalo Bills-Pittsburgh Steelers back a day. Hey, you won't hear us complaining. Let's take advantage of the bonus football and put together a Same Game Parlay+ for Monday's playoff doubleheader. 

A super SGP+ to close out the wild-card round

Looking at both of these wild-card matchups, we think they set up well for Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts to have big games on the ground. 

In Buffalo, the blizzard-like conditions may be gone, but it's still going to be a cold and windy day at Highmark Stadium. It won't be easy to move the ball through the air, so the Bills will adjust their game plan to feature Allen's legs more.

Allen averaged 9.7 carries and 43.8 rushing yards over the last six games of the regular season, and he scored eight rushing touchdowns in that span. We're taking Allen over 38.5 rushing yards and Allen anytime touchdown to kick off our SGP+.

As for the nightcap, Hurts will be playing without his favorite weapon in A.J. Brown. DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are capable of stepping up in Brown's absence, but Hurts is going to be on the run all night against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that loves to blitz. The Bucs rank third in the NFL in blitz rate this year, and they're going to turn up the heat after watching Hurts struggle against pressure down the stretch of the regular season.

In four career playoff games, Hurts has rushed for 182 yards and five touchdowns. We're adding Hurts over 40.5 rushing yards and Hurts anytime touchdown to close out our SGP+.
 
SGP+: Josh Allen over 38.5 rushing yards, Josh Allen anytime TD, Jalen Hurts over 40.5 rushing yards, Jalen Hurts anytime TD (+693 FanDuel)

In the news ...

Texans, Chiefs, Packers and Lions advance to NFL divisional round — It's been a crazy Super Wild Card Weekend thus far. On Saturday, rookie phenom C.J. Stroud led the Houston Texans to a dominant, 45-14 win against the Cleveland Browns, and the Miami Dolphins couldn't handle the cold in a 26-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys choked once again in a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions edged out the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, for their first playoff win in 32 years. Of the four winning teams in the wild-card round, the Chiefs (+600) have the best odds to win the Super Bowl.

Huge longshot Grayson Murray wins Sony Open in a playoff — The PGA Tour's Sony Open came down to a three-man playoff between Murray, Keegan Bradley and Byeong Hun An. After all three players reached the green in regulation, Murray went first and drilled a 39-foot birdie putt to put the pressure on. Bradley and An then missed their shorter birdie attempts, and Murray walked away with his second career PGA Tour victory. The 30-year-old was a whopping 350/1 to win the tournament.

Jim Harbaugh to meet with the Chargers on Monday — The Harbaugh sweepstakes have officially begun. A week after leading Michigan to a national championship, the veteran head coach will visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday and interview for their open job. Los Angeles isn't the only team that's expected to have interest in Harbaugh, but it will get the first crack at one of the hottest names of this head coaching cycle. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty