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NFL Betting, Playoffs Week 2: Baby it's cold outside

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NFL betting guru Andy Richmond looks at why we can look forward to a 'Superbowl beginning with P' as the Patriots and Packers look to progress

Baby it's cold outside - well it will be in Foxboro and Green Bay as Championship Sunday rolls into town. A high of 11 at Lambeau and a balmy 16 in Gillette Stadium and I'm not talking Celsius here, so if you can't play in the cold it's time to get your coat.

Well we didn't get the contests that everyone was expecting last weekend but we still have two match ups that are repeats of regular season games, if they go the same way we are in for a Superbowl beginning with P - Packers and Patriots.

Chargers @ Patriots

Foxboro will take centre stage first as the Chargers who haven't lost since Week Eleven waltz into town with upset and revenge on the agenda. There's bad blood between these two following ugly scenes at the end of the Patriots 24-21 victory over the Chargers in the divisional round last year and the Chargers did little to alleviate their frustration when they were hammered 38-14 in their week two visit to Foxboro.

To win this game the Chargers must overcome some considerable handicaps: first of all west to east travel, although they overcame that last week against the Colts this factor will weigh heavily against them. Injuries, and this is even more important - it looks as though premier RB LaDainian Tomlinson will play but QB Rivers and TE Gates will be game time decisions and while both have adequate bench replacements you need everything in your favour against a Tom Brady led Patriots who is 8-0 in home playoff games.

Apart from that Colts victory the Chargers have struggled all year on the road against good teams, being defeated at Green Bay, Jacksonville, Minnesota, as well as here in New England. You can argue they have improved since then but they face a Patriots team here not only on a date with destiny but one which averages 34 points a game at home and can cope with all conditions - Brady will use his aggressive passing attack (in week two against the Chargers he hit seven different receivers in the first half) if conditions are not too windy, otherwise he can use RB Laurence Maroney on the ground and he's one of the hottest tickets in town at that particular position at the moment - over the past month he's averaged 117 yards per game.

Expect the Chargers to be aggressive on defence but Brady sees their 3-4 scheme every day at practice and will be adept at picking them off underneath with short range passes - expect TE Ben Watson to be very well used if the Chargers set up this way. The Chargers cannot afford the slow starts which have made life difficult in the post season so far, they have failed to score a point in the first quarter of either game and only have seven points in the first half of the two games combined - a slow start against the Patriots will see them have to take to the air and that can only spell trouble.

Unoriginal but the Patriots hold too many weapons for the Chargers and if those injured Chargers don't make it and the weather holds up I can see the Patriots covering the 13 ½ handicap at around 2.0 with TE Watson and slot receiver Wes Welker having big games for the home side - take a look at those two in the touchdowns markets.

Giants @ Packers

Lambeau Field is a magical place to watch football and on Sunday it will host for only the second time an NFC title game. Once again these two have history, a resounding Packers win back in Week Two providing what many have seen as the catalyst for the 0-2 Giants to stage the comeback of the regular season which has spilled over into the post season - last weeks effort at Dallas being particularly gutsy and abrasive.

In many ways these two teams mirror the first game although they are more closely matched - the Packers using their West Coast offence and multiple receiver sets are always dangerous never more so when a more controlled Brett Favre is pulling the strings as was the case last week against the Seahawks plus they have added a solid running game in Ryan Grant who turned round a desperate start last week into a day to remember. Add in Favre's record when the temperature dips below 34 degrees at Lambeau, (a 1.01 chance on Sunday), he's 43-5 in those conditions and his 8-2 post season record just adds the icing on the cake.

The Giants have momentum though and should not be discounted easily - their running game, pass rush defence and the improved form of much maligned QB Eli Manning mean that they come here with every chance, especially with their road form this year, they've now won 9 straight.

The Packers can beat you in many ways and are a very healthy team right now, despite the Giants strengths they do have a weakness in a couple of areas especially in their defensive secondary and Favre with home advantage and experience of the conditions just sways me towards the Pack.

For me the Packers are going to dare Manning to throw and I'll be having a play that he doesn't reach the 200 yards passing mark and also looking to play Favre's go-to touchdown guys Greg Jennings and Donald Lee in the to score a touchdown market.

This will be closer than the first meeting but the Giants are going to reach the end of their road trip in Green Bay and set up that Superbowl beginning with P. Just remember to wear something warm on Sunday.

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