NFL Playoffs Best Bets: Odds, Picks and Predictions for NFL Divisional Round

NFL Playoffs Best Bets: Odds, Picks and Predictions for NFL Divisional Round

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

NFL Best Bets for NFL Divisional Round Weekend

We're onto the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, which is the best weekend of the football season. We've got four games to sink our teeth into this weekend, all of which have the potential to be great games. Saturday's slate features a pair of rematches from the regular season and both games have spreads higher than a touchdown. Don't let that fool you, though, as the Jaguars and Giants could be live dogs. Sunday has a pair of games that could be instant classics. I can't wait for Bills-Bengals and the 49ers-Cowboys matchup has all the ingredients to be a great one. Let's dive in and see if we can find the best ways to bet this weekend's action.

Divisional Round Betting Picks For Each Game

DateGame MatchupWeek 18 Picks
Saturday, January 21Chiefs vs. JaguarsChiefs -8.5; Under 53.0
Saturday, January 21Eagles vs. GiantsEagles -7.5; Over 48.0
Sunday, January 22Bills vs. BengalsBengals +5.5; Under 48.5
Sunday, January 2249ers vs. CowboysCowboys +4; Over 46.0

Predictions for Divisional Round Weekend

In this article, we'll dig into the Divisional Round Weekend odds along with our predictions for each game -- both against the spread and on the totals.

Wild Card Round Weekend ATS Record: 4-2

Wild Card Round Record on Totals:  1-5

Season Record ATS: 117-116-6

Season Record on Totals: 114-124-1

Chiefs vs. Jaguars

GameSpreadMoneylineTotal
Chiefs vs. JaguarsChiefs -8.5KC -435; JAX +38052.5

The Jaguars showed a lot -- both good and bad -- in their comeback win over the Chargers. If they get off to another slow (read: disastrous) start in Arrowhead, the Chiefs aren't going to leave the barn door open the way the Bolts did. 

Per the Action Network, Patrick Mahomes is 6-3 ATS at home in the postseason and is 5-0 straight up in the Divisional Round and Divisional rounds. I expect that record to improve to 7-3 ATS and 6-0 SU in this spot. The Jaguars could play something close to their 'A' Game and still lose by 10 or more if the Chiefs are equally sharp. 

Spread Pick: Chiefs -8.5 (BetMGM)

Total Pick: Under 53.0 (DraftKings)

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Jaguars 17

Eagles vs. Giants

GameSpreadMoneylineTotal
Eagles vs. GiantsEagles -7.5PHI -350; NYG +30048.5

Philly begins its postseason after earning the No.1 seed in the NFC and its reward is seeing the Giants for the third time in seven weeks. The Eagles went 2-0 against the G-Men this season but one of those games was the regular-season finale where the Giants were already locked into their seed and the first game was a rout, but the Giants were extremely shorthanded. 

The Giants have been established as the public side in this one with 61% of the money coming in on the G-Men at DraftKings. It makes sense. 7.5 is a big number and it crosses the key number of 7.0, which is particularly notable when the Giants played 13 one-score games in the regular season. Jalen Hurts may be at less than 100 percent as well despite not being on the injury report. All of that being said, the Eagles were still arguably the best team in the NFC this season and are loaded at nearly every position on the field. They have too much firepower on offense and the defense can be suffocating. It's a lot of points and I've gone back and forth on this one all week, but give me the Birds.

Spread Pick: Eagles -7.5 (DraftKings)

Total Pick:  Over 48.0  (DraftKings)

Prediction: Eagles 34, Giants 20

Bills vs. Bengals

GameSpreadMoneylineTotal
Bills vs. BengalsBills -5.5BUF -240; CIN +21548.5

This might end up as the best game of these playoffs. Allen vs. Burrow. Star receivers all over the field. Football weather. Sign me up.

Much has been made of the Bengals' offensive line injuries, and that's a legitimate concern. Buffalo sans Von Miller makes me slightly less worried about that if I'm on Cincinnati, though, and it's not like Burrow is used to playing behind great offensive lines to begin with. He's mobile enough to evade the rush and Cincinnati will likely opt to have shorter dropbacks and quicker throws to mitigate the pass rush, along with getting Joe Mixon going on the ground.

On the other side, we all know that the Bills are essentially unstoppable when they're clicking on all cylinders. When is the last time we saw those Bills, though? Against the Bears in Week 16? 

Last week's game against Miami isn't even the focal point of my concerns with Buffalo, necessarily. However, it was another instance of Buffalo not being sharp and having turnover issues. The Bills' 27 turnovers in the regular season were the third most in the NFL behind only Indianapolis and Houston. Of course, Buffalo wreaks havoc on defense with 27 total takeaways, too, but you can't afford turnovers in the postseason. 

I expect this to be much closer than the 5.5-point spread and I give the Bengals a legitimate shot at winning outright in what may be a lower-scoring affair than the total implies.

Spread Pick: Bengals +5.5 (DraftKings)

Total Pick: Under 48.5 (FanDuel)

Prediction: Bengals 24, Bills 20

49ers vs. Cowboys

GameSpreadMoneylineTotal
49ers vs. Cowboys49ers -4.0SF -195; DAL +16646.5

Almost everything you look at in this matchup would steer you towards the 49ers winning fairly comfortably. That's why I was taken aback when I saw the line open at 4 and sink to 3.5 at some points during the week. What does Vegas know that we don't? Is this the moment that Brock Purdy looks like a seventh-round rookie? Is Dallas really playing that well right now to hang with SF for four quarters?

There are factors working against the Cowboys, too. They have a significant rest disadvantage having played Monday night while San Francisco kicked off the Divisional Round round last Saturday. Dallas also has a long trip out to the Bay Area. I could see this going either way (that's the point of the spread, I suppose) but I'll go against my gut and my brain and say the Cowboys keep this to a field goal game.

Spread Pick: Cowboys +4 (BetMGM)

Total Pick: Over 46.0 (DraftKings)

Prediction: San Francisco 27, Dallas 24

NFL Divisional Round Weekend Best Bets

Check out our favorite Divisional Round Weekend picks against the spread and on totals available at multiple NFL betting sites.

BetMGM Best Bets for NFL Divisional Round Weekend

The BetMGM bonus code gets new users $1,000 in first bet insurance maximize your NFL Playoff experience. Ohio launched sports betting at the start of the year and the BetMGM Ohio Bonus Code gets Bengals fans in the Buckeye State a great welcome offer.

  • Chiefs -8.5
  • Cowboys +4.0

Caesars Sportsbook Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

Check out our top NFL picks at Caesars Sportsbook as the NFL playoffs get underway.  Those in the Old Line State can get in on the action at Caesars with the Caesars Sportsbook Maryland Promo Code now that sports betting is live in MD. If you're outside of Maryland, try the Caesars Sportsbook promo code ROTOFULL to get your first bet on Caesars when you sign up. 

  • Eagles -7.5
  • Bengals +5.5

WynnBET Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

WynnBet has competitive odds for Divisional Round Weekend as the NFL playoffs heat up. The good folks at WynnBet also offer a great welcome bonus when new customers use the WynnBET promo code, XROTO. 

  • Chiefs-Jaguars UNDER 53.0
  • Eagles-Giants OVER 48.0

DraftKings Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

DraftKings is an industry leader in sports betting and has everything you need for the NFL postseason. The DraftKings Sportsbook promo code gets new users a great bonus at sign-up. Here are our top bets for Divisional Round Weekend using DraftKings' odds.

  • Eagles -7.5
  • 49ers-Cowboys OVER 46.0

FanDuel Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

FanDuel Sportsbook is all set for the NFL Playoffs and you can get in on the action at FanDuel for Divisional Round Weekend and beyond. Here are our best bets at FanDuel Sportsbook for this weekend.

  • Bengals-Bills UNDER 48.5
  • Bengals +5.5

BetRivers Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

Register at BetRivers using the BetRivers bonus code for second-chance bet offers at registration as the NFL Playoffs heat up. BetRivers customers can utilize those second-chance bonuses on Divisional Round Weekend picks such as:

  • Giants-Eagles OVER 48.0
  • Cowboys-49ers OVER 46.0

PointsBet Best Bets for Divisional Round Weekend

Register at PointsBet using the PointsBet promo code for $500 in second-chance bets to maximize your NFL Playoffs betting experience for the Divisional Round

  • Chiefs -8.5
  • Eagles -7.5

RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NFL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NFL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John McKechnie
John is the 2016 and 2021 FSWA College Writer of the Year winner. He is a Maryland native and graduate of the University of Georgia. He's been writing for RotoWire since 2014.
Locker Week 11 Picks
Locker Week 11 Picks
Exploiting the Matchups: Week 11 Start/Sit and Fantasy Streamers
Exploiting the Matchups: Week 11 Start/Sit and Fantasy Streamers
Jeff on VSiN:  Week 11 NFL Bets
Jeff on VSiN: Week 11 NFL Bets
Beating the Book: Full ATS Picks + Predictions for Every NFL Week 11 Game
Beating the Book: Full ATS Picks + Predictions for Every NFL Week 11 Game
Thursday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Commanders vs. Eagles
Thursday Night Football DFS Breakdown: Commanders vs. Eagles
NFL Game Previews: Commanders-Eagles Matchup
NFL Game Previews: Commanders-Eagles Matchup