NFL: Jones to help Falcons leap into the playoffs

Julio Jones can be the difference that sees Atlanta into the post-season.

It’s the final day of the regular season and whilst plenty has been decided, there are still some vital games that are win or bust for the teams involved. The biggest is between NFC South rivals the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Hawks, with the winner nabbing the division and the fourth seed in the playoffs.

It’s been a bad year for the entire division, a team with a losing record will make the post-season but both teams will give their all in this one. With Cam Newton hurting and a defence that’s really declined from last season, the Atlanta Hawks will have too much and Julio Jones in particular will be the catalyst for a huge win.

He’s one of the best receivers in the game and he’ll be too much to handle for the Panthers’ secondary. Home advantage will also help so go for the Falcons to progress, they are at 47/100 to win this one and whilst the score might be close, the result will be definitively in their favour.

Another game with win-and-in implications happen in the earlier in the evening as the San Diego Chargers just need to beat the Kansas City Chiefs to extend their season by at least a week. The Chargers pulled off a dramatic overtime come-from-behind win last Saturday over the San Francisco 49ers to give them a chance and with that kind of fight, they should prevail.

The Chiefs still have an outside chance of making it but they’ll need to win and get a lot of help to make it but they’ll also be more than happy to spoil the party for their AFC West rivals. It’s been tough to split the two in the past few seasons but look for a repeat of last season at 67/100 with San Diego sneaking in.

The final game of the regular season sees the Cincinnati Bengals head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers with the AFC North crown at stake. The Bengals have won their division for the past two seasons and pulled off an unexpected win against the Denver Broncos to book their place in the post-season.

The Steelers are back in the playoffs after a two-year absence and whilst they’ve been erratic this season, they have seasoned pros in their team and will be very dangerous once the post-season begins. However, they might relax now they are in so back the Bengals to win this one at 8/5 and even possibly steal a first-round bye in the process.