32 teams kicked off the NFL season back in September and now just 8 remain as the Divisional Round of the playoffs is set to take place this weekend.
Underdogs and road teams had success in the Wild Card Round as they both went 4-2 ATS. The Rams and Browns also won outright as underdogs with Cleveland capping off the weekend on Sunday night beating the Steelers as 6-point ‘dogs. The OVER also finished 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs.
Fans and bettors now turn their attention to the Divisional Round where the Chiefs and Packers, who enjoyed a first round bye, are set as sizable favorites against their respective opponents.
Let’s take a look at the opening lines at FanDuel for each Divisional Round matchup.
Los Angeles Rams @ Green Bay Packers -6.5, O/U 45.5
The first game of the weekend, set to take place on Saturday at 4:35 pm ET, will see the Packers host the Rams in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers, who’s the betting favorite to be named the NFL’s MVP, will have his hands full going up against the number one ranked Rams defense. The Rams allow just 187.8 passing yards per game while also averaging 3.4 sacks per game, both of which are the best marks in the NFL.
Los Angeles will try to establish the run on a defense that sits 21st in opponent yards per carry heading into the weekend. Both teams have covered the spread ten times this season as Green Bay enters the game with a 10-7 ATS record while the Rams sit at 10-6 ATS.
Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills -1.5, O/U 50
The most efficient rushing offense in the NFL will be taking on one of the most efficient passing offenses in the NFL when Lamar Jackson and the Ravens travel to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night at 8:15 pm ET.
Baltimore, who leads the league in yards per carry at 5.6, will be taking on a Buffalo defense that ranks just 25th in opponent yards per carry. Meanwhile the Ravens will have to try to slow down a Bills offense that ranks 3rd in both yards per pass attempt and passing yards per game.
The Ravens enter the game with a league-best ATS record of 11-5-1. That honor was previously held by the Bills but after failing to cover against the Colts on Wild Card Weekend, Buffalo falls to an ATS record of 11-6 ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs -10, O/U 56
The biggest underdog winner of Wild Card Weekend is once again undertaking that role when the Browns travel to Kansas City to take on the number one seed Chiefs on Sunday at 4:05 pm ET. After beating the Steelers as 6-point underdogs last weekend, they now find themselves set as even bigger underdogs against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Despite being the betting favorite to win Super Bowl 55, it may surprise you that the Chiefs have the worst ATS record of all remaining teams. Kansas City heads into this game with an ATS record of just 6-9-1 in the 2020 season. While everyone expects them to blow out every team they play, the Chiefs are just 6th in NFL in average scoring margin winning by an average of 6.9 points. Meanwhile the Browns are 3-3 SU and ATS as underdogs this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints -3, O/U 51.5
Is the third time the charm for the Bucs? Two of their five losses this season came at the hands of the Saints, losing by an average of 23 points. They’ll get a chance to avenge those losses in the final game of the Divisional Round at 7:40 pm ET on Sunday.
The Saints, who enter the weekend 10-6-1 ATS, will try to slow down Tom Brady and the Bucs offense who have been on fire recently. The New Orleans defense may be up for the task as they rank 5th in opponent passing yards per game and they’ve held Tom Brady to under 250 yards in both previous meetings.
The game is set to take place in New Orleans but that may not mean much for a Bucs team that holds the highest average scoring margin on the road, beating teams by an average of 12 points this season.