Betting Picks

Third time lucky? Not in the NFL, it would appear. When they clash Sunday in their NFC Wild Card game, it will be the third meeting of the season between NFC South rivals New Orleans and Carolina. The Saints took the first two meetings. This will be the 21st time since 1970 that two NFL teams have met three times in one season and one team has taken all three games on 13 occasions.

A lot can happen in 18 years, and certainly much has evolved in the football world since 1999, the last season that the Buffalo Bills earned a place in the NFL postseason. In fact it was so long ago that Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith, heroes of Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, were still part of the club's roster in 1999.

The Atlanta Falcons represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last season. The Los Angeles Rams haven't played a playoff game since 2005, when they lost 47-17 to the Falcons. They were the St. Louis Rams at the point in franchise history. You have to go all the way back to 1989, their first tenure in L.A., to find a playoff game involving the Los Angeles Rams.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the NFL's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. They opened the season 5-0 and looked to be Super Bowl favorites. A 1-6 skid followed, but the Chiefs closed 4-0 to wrap up the AFC West. The Tennessee Titans were also all over the map during the 2017 season en route to their wild card berth, making this match-up an intriguing one.

Will Tom Brady get one for the thumb in Super Bowl LII? Brady, the New England Patriots quarterback, led the NFL in passing yardage this season, one year removed from winning his record fourth Super Bowl MVP award. The Patriots are the top seed in the AFC, giving them the inside track to another trip to the Super Bowl, And if victory awaits them, it's a good bet that another MVP award could be handed off to Brady at game's end.

Held two weeks after the Kentucky Derby at Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Maryland, the 2018 Preakness Stakes is scheduled for Saturday, May 19. The race almost always includes the Derby winner, a handful of other Derby runners, and several "new shooters" all trying to win the second leg of the US Triple Crown of racing.

On the first day of the year, all horses born in the Northern Hemisphere turn one year older, and on New Year's Day at Aqueduct Race Track eight three-year-old colts continue the chase for Kentucky Derby points in the Jerome Stakes. They'll race one mile on the dirt for a purse of $150,000.

The final Premier League fixtures of 2017 take place this weekend with all 20 teams in action. Manchester City could end the year as many as 18 points clear at the top of the table If result go their way and they bank their 19th consecutive victory in the league; wow!

Week 21 of the 2017-18 English Premier League is upon us and the race to win the Golden Boot is heating up. Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane has pulled away at the top of the standings, can anyone catch him?