The NFL Playoffs resume Saturday, with the Washington Commanders visiting the Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans traveling to Kansas City to face the Chiefs.  On Sunday, the match-ups are even better.  The Los Angeles Rams will take on the Philadelphia Eagles, while the weekend's best game pits the Baltimore Ravens against the Buffalo Bills.

As a situational and technical handicapper, I review dozens of metrics.  Everything from scoring margin to yards per rush to a series history.  One thing often overlooked by bettors is a team's schedule.  And that will be the focus of our NFL System of the Week.

When the Commanders travel to the Motor City, it will mark their 3rd straight game on the road.  Last week, Washington defeated the Buccaneers, 23-20, in Tampa Bay.  And they played the Cowboys in Dallas to end the regular season.

Over the last 45 years, NFL teams playing their 3rd straight road game have been horrible against the point spread, with a record of 132-168-4 ATS.  And it hasn't mattered whether they've been underdogs (96-124-2 ATS) or favorites (34-42-2 ATS).  Or whether it was a regular season game (105-124-1 ATS) or a playoff game (27-44-3 ATS).

We saw this angle come into play last week in the Wild Card Round game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Houston Texans.  Los Angeles was playing its 3rd straight road game, and lost outright as a 2.5-point road favorite, 32-12.  This week, the Texans are an 8.5-point underdog vs. the Chiefs.  And it's worth noting that underdogs (like Houston) priced from +6.5 to +9.5 in the NFL Playoffs, that were playing their 3rd straight road game, have gone 4-17-1 ATS since 1980.

Good luck, as always...
Al McMordie