Odds For NFL Divisional Round

The Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs provided plenty of entertainment.

There were remarkable comebacks, amazing game-winning fumble returns, and drama all around the country.

We had some spectacularly entertaining games fifty-two weeks ago. Let’s hope for more of the same in the first playoff round.

My bets were right on only three of the six games.

With odds for the Divisional round finding their range, let’s preview all four games.

And then there were eight…

Jacksonville Jaguars (+360) @ Kansas City Chiefs (-390)

For the first 29 minutes of the game in Florida on Saturday, it was nailed on that we would be having an All-AFC West matchup this coming weekend.

How we have learnt this season that a multiple touchdown lead doesn’t necessarily equate to victory!

In the first quarter, Trevor Lawrence showed why his doubters often sit smugly saying that he is overhyped.

Then he surely turned on his talismanic best, throwing touchdown after touchdown. You could see that he was enjoying himself.

That confidence he showed during the second half was justified as he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Chargers.

Mr. Lawrence has led his team to seven victories in the last eight games. Aside from winning games against the Jets and Texans, the Jags have defeated the Cowboys and Titans (twice) during this run.

They had a blip against the Lions in early December. Their one previous defeat since Halloween was against…

Yup, you guessed it.

Mr. Mahomes and his rather talented teammates! On that occasion, the sportsbooks had the Chiefs as 9.5 to 10-point favorites.

They must have known something in Vegas. Kansas City cruised to a facile 27-17 victory. They accumulated just shy of 500 total yards.

This was nearly 50% more than Jacksonville managed.

The Chiefs have lost just once in the last eleven games. That is a team on a hot streak with quality in essentially every position.

Despite the Jags being on an impressive streak at the moment, there is little surprise that the sportsbooks are setting their lines in the 8.5 to 9.5 range.

I mentioned last week that the Chargers had a rather friendly schedule during the 2022 season.

I stated that their 10-7 record was flattering and not as impressive as it first seemed. To me, Jacksonville’s comeback did not come as a shock.

In a similar situation, can we see the Chiefs buckling like their divisional rivals? I simply don’t see it!

I’m taking the Chiefs to cover the spread and rack up a double-digit victory at home in the first game of this coming Divisional weekend.

For those of you moneyline bettors out there, the sportsbook with the BestOdds is DraftKings with -390.

Caesars currently has the worst odds at -455.

New York Giants (+260) @ Philadelphia Eagles (-300)

Next up is the turn of two titans of the NFL from the NFC East.

Two years ago, not one of the teams in that division could manage a winning season. This time around, not one could manage a losing season!

The cream of the crop was certainly the Eagles. They were imperious right out the blocks.

Jalen Hurts and their brilliant Offensive Line dominated practically every team that had the misfortune of playing them.

After opening as 7.5-point favorites, bettors have chipped away to bring it back to a 7-point game.

Yet in the past hour, we are seeing the books in unison back at 7.5. These giants of the game have faced each other in a remarkable 180 games.

Philly leads with 91 victories to 87 defeats and a couple of ties. New York has only managed three victories in the past 18 clashes.

We need to go back a decade to the 2013 season when the Giants last emerged victorious from Philadelphia. Their latest defeat came all of a fortnight ago!

What was noteworthy in that game was how wrong Vegas was on the spread with the Giants resting Dan Jones.

The Eagles were giving away two touchdowns to a Davis Webb-led New York team.

As it was, he managed to keep the game to within 6 points against a Philly team led by their mercurial first-choice QB.

Will we witness a galloping Dan Jones emulating the elusive Jalen Hurts this Saturday? Could he possibly burst the bubble of the team which went eight games unbeaten at the start of the season?

If Saquon Barkley and Isiah Hodgins can replicate their form which led them to victory in Minneapolis, then I can imagine this game coming down to a final second field goal.

The Giants look assured on Sunday and will have some tricks up their sleeves.

My take on this game is that the Giants will cover the spread.

They should keep this within a touchdown and that extra half-point now being offered by most of the books could prove vital to bettors.

BetMGM is one of the books currently showing +7.5.

Cincinnati Bengals (+176) @ Buffalo Bills (-200)

A salivating game beckons up in the chilly northeast.

Two of the pre-season favorites for the AFC crown face each other for the first time this decade.

During the 2010s no side dominated this fixture. However, during the nineties and noughties, Buffalo sure did have the number on Cincinnati!

The Bengals had to wait 22 years between victories from 1989 to 2011. During this time the Bills won ten on the bounce.

How Joe Burrow would love to pull one back on the head-to-head on Sunday!

Since the shock of what occurred a fortnight ago, Buffalo has reorganized and pulled off successive victories.

The Patriots and Dolphins were seen off. However, I think everyone was surprised that a Tua-less Miami managed to come so close to winning in Buffalo at the weekend.

Skylar Thompson only completed a dismal 40% of his pass attempts and still, the team from Florida finished the game within three points of the Bills.

The consensus was for a comfortable two-touchdown win for Buffalo against a warm-weather team.

Sportsbooks are pricing a spread of between 4 and 4.5 points currently. I think Bengals fans can rightly be optimistic about their chances this weekend.

They are better acclimatized to the expected cold than the Dolphins and they have a far more potent threat under center than Skylar!

I believe that the burden of expectation for Buffalo to do it for Damar will actually prove to be their undoing.

Make no mistake, I shall be cheering on the Bills from an emotional perspective. However, I think the value from a betting perspective lies with the Bengals.

FanDuel currently has the BestOdds at +176.

BetRivers at +160 are currently the worst odds on the road ‘dog achieving that upset.

Dallas Cowboys (+175) @ San Francisco 49ers (-186)

Well, it has surely come to pass. Dak dishes out the defeat to the GOAT in what must be his final game.

He tried valiantly until the end, but the end came too quickly. It would be on the verge of miraculous for him to return one more time.

Listen to Lebron, Tom! Step away gracefully. Accept all the plaudits and adulation that he so richly deserves.

Here goes a remarkable stat. The last time the 49ers won at home to the Cowboys was in which decade?! The answer is actually in the last millennium!

Dallas has dominated San Francisco on their travels to California since Steve Young put one over a certain Troy Aikman in 1997!

The Cowboys are currently on a four-game winning streak against the 49ers. Will they extend this to five on the bounce?

Well, the sportsbooks don’t think so. They expect Mr. Irrelevant to continue his boiling-hot streak and take his team to the NFC Championship game!

The extent to which Vegas operators differ in opinion about the end result is quite stark. The prices range from +156 for FanDuel all the way up to +175 at BetRivers.

You hear me bang on about the need to shop around for the BestOdds. I’ve been doing that for close to 40 years now. It is a lesson that I shall never stop preaching about.

Why leave cash on the table if your selection wins?

Anyways, what I am likely to bet on this game? Dallas has shown consistently this year that they are a team with talent in abundance where it matters.

If you look at San Francisco’s fixture list in the second half of the season, one word jumps to mind. “Not too onerous.” Okay, that was three words.

But you get the point. Seahawks (twice), Saints, Dolphins, Rams, Bucs, Cards (twice), Commanders, and Raiders wound’t fill too many armchair fans with trepidation!

The last quality side they faced frankly was the Chiefs way back in October. Kansas won that day by three touchdowns.

My feeling is the Purdy bubble may be about to burst when he confronts such a quality roster.

Dak, CeeDee, Tony, or Ezekial have had the measure on nearly every opponent this season. Watch our San Francisco!

Dallas with a 4-point headstart feels too generous. I’ll be taking them to cover the spread in California.

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