NFL Divisional Round Preview

The first weekend of the NFL playoffs provided some tremendous drama and with six more teams eliminated just eight remain in with a chance of winning the Super Bowl. This week, American football fans have two games each day on Saturday and Sunday to enjoy, as number one seeds the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks join the six wild-card winners in the divisional round. The playoff action will all be televised on Sky Sports and Channel 5 in the UK. 

We were a perfect three from three with our picks for the wild-card playoffs last week, advising the Buffalo Bills to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, under 46 points in LA Chargers at New England Patriots and Houston Texans -3.5 on the handicap against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Setting The Scene

The wild-card action in the NFL last week could be split into two distinct categories, with the first four games producing plenty of drama and all being decided by four or fewer points, before two dominant defensive displays to round off the weekend.

Four of the six games were won by the lower-seeded away teams, leaving the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers to advance and join the Seahawks in the final four in the NFC, while in the AFC the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots and Houston Texans went through to join the Broncos. The action begins with the Bills visiting the Broncos on Saturday before the 49ers take on their NFC West rivals the Seahawks, while on Sunday the Texans take on the Patriots and the Rams go to the Bears to round off the action.

NFL Divisional Playoffs schedule (all times GMT):

Saturday

• Bills @ Broncos, 9.30pm
• 49ers @ Seahawks, 1am

Sunday

• Texans @ Patriots, 8pm
• Rams @ Bears, 11.30pm

NFL Divisional Round Tip 1: Over 46.5 points in Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos @ 10/11 with bet365

The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is notoriously hard to assess as teams who have come through some fierce wild-card battles pick themselves up to go on the road and face more rested opponents. That is the worry for the Buffalo Bills, who beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 in an epic clash that saw the lead change hands four times in the fourth quarter, but it may have come at a price.

The Bills’ wide receiver group is extremely thin due to injuries while talismanic quarterback Josh Allen suffered knocks to his hand and ankle. Buffalo should still have enough about them to make a fight of it against a strong Denver Broncos outfit who went 14-3 with 13 wins in their last 14 games, though, and they could get involved in another lively affair producing 47 or more points.

NFL Divisional Round Tip 2: Under 45.5 points in San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks @ 10/11 with bet365

The San Francisco 49ers made light of being made underdogs for their trip to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, turning in an impressive performance to end the reign of last year’s Super Bowl winners with a 23-19 success. Now they face their divisional rivals the Seattle Seahawks, who beat them 13-3 in a crucial Week 18 contest at Levi’s Stadium to clinch the NFC West and earn last week’s bye. 

With tight end George Kittle’s season ended by a torn Achilles’ against the Eagles, the 49ers are missing a key offensive weapon. The best bet on the game may be to go under on total points as there is a significant difference between the line of 45.5 points for the Lumen Field contest and the totals of 30 and 16 points that their first two meetings this season produced.

NFL Divisional Round Tip 3: Houston Texans +3 at New England Patriots @ 20/23 with bet365

The Houston Texans were the last team to book their place in the final eight, crushing the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday night, and DeMeco Ryans’ team are capable of covering the handicap on the road when they visit the New England Patriots. The Texans won comfortably despite an error-filled performance from quarterback CJ Stroud, who connected with wide receiver Christian Kirk for 144 yards but threw an interception and lost two fumbles.

Houston wide receiver Nico Collins is in danger of missing the game due to concussion, but the impressive Texans defence, who scored two return touchdowns against the Steelers, can give them every chance of success. The Patriots were efficient in their 16-3 win over the Chargers but the LA team’s dreadful offensive line gave their quarterback Justin Herbert little chance.

NFL Divisional Round Tip 4: Los Angeles Rams -3.5 at Chicago Bears @ 20/23 with bet365

The Los Angeles Rams did things the hard way against the Carolina Panthers, winning 34-31 after a late Colby Parkinson touchdown, but special teams blunders remain their Achilles’ heel as they had a punt blocked, handing the Panthers the opportunity to score their last touchdown. They came through, though, and look the right favourites for their trip to the Chicago Bears, who mounted an incredible fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Green Bay Packers 31-27 after trailing 21-3 at half-time.

Quarterback Caleb Williams conjured up some great throws to pull off that win, but that may not be so easy against the Rams defence and Sean McVay’s side can keep alive their hopes of a second Super Bowl win in five seasons.