NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round odds, schedule and predictions

NFL Divisional Round Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread 

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, Saturday 9.30pm GMT 

Point spread: Broncos -1.5 

These clubs didn’t play this season but did in the Wild-Card Round last season and the Bills rolled , 31-7, at home behind two passing TDs from Josh Allen and 120 yards and a score on the ground from James Cook. Denver had only 224 yards of offence. The Broncos won a team-record-tying 14 games this season to earn the AFC West title and conference’s top seed. It’s the ninth No. 1 seed in team history, and the Broncos reached the Super Bowl in six of the previous eight.  

The team was an astonishing 11-2 in one-score games during the regular season. Buffalo was a 27-24 winner in Jacksonville on Sunday to snap an eight-game road playoff losing skid. There were four lead changes in the fourth quarter, tied for most in a playoff game all-time. Allen totaled three touchdowns. He now has 16 total touchdowns and zero turnovers in his past six playoff games.  

Pick against the spread: Denver 

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks, Sunday 1am GMT 

Point spread: Seahawks -7.5

It’s an all-NFC West affair for a spot in the conference title game. Seattle was the division champion and got the top seed and first-round bye thanks to a 13-3 win in San Francisco in Week 18, a game that wasn’t as close as the score. The Seahawks’ top-rated defence dominated. Seattle’s 14 wins were a franchise record and the team is the top seed for the fourth time, having reached the Super Bowl in each of the previous three. But there is one glaring problem for the club as it had the second-most turnovers in the league during the season with 28.  

The Niners were +5.5 on Sunday in Philadelphia but upset the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, the only repeat division winner in the league this season, 23-19. Brock Purdy led his fourth career playoff game-winning drive to pass Joe Montana for the most in team history. Tailback Christian McCaffrey had two fourth-quarter TD catches. The Niners won in Seattle in Week 1 this season and have won four straight games in Seattle overall.  Purdy and Seahawks starting QB Sam Darnold were teammates on the 2023 49ers.   

Pick ATS: San Francisco 

Houston Texans at New England Patriots, Sunday 8pm GMT

Point spread: Patriots -3

Houston is the hottest team in the NFL on a 10-game winning streak but on a short week after a 30-6 win at Pittsburgh on Monday night to likely send Aaron Rodgers into retirement and end Mike Tomlin’s tenure as Steelers coach. That score was a bit misleading as Houston outscored the Steelers 23-0 in the fourth. That stellar Texans defence scored twice, making Houston the second team in NFL playoff history with at least two defensive TDs and zero TDs allowed. It was the first road playoff win in franchise history despite five fumbles from C.J. Stroud (three recovered). But top wideout Nico Collins left with a concussion.  

New England took care of the L.A. Chargers on Sunday, 16-3, for the team’s first playoff win since the 2018 Super Bowl vs. the Rams. It was only the second win this season vs. a team with a winning record for the Patriots, who played by far the league’s easiest slate. In his first post-season start, QB Drake Maye was a bit shaky early on but finished with 268 yards rushing with a TD and pick and led the club with 66 yards rushing. These teams last met in the 2024 regular season with Houston winning 41-21 on the road. New England leads all-time 2-0 in playoff meetings.   

Pick ATS: New England (alt -2.5) 

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears, Sunday 11.30pm GMT

Point spread: Rams -3.5

Chicago beat visiting Green Bay in a miracle in Week 16 and then did it again on Saturday, rallying from down 21-3 in the third quarter and 21-6 in the fourth for a stunning 31-27 victory.  The 18-point comeback was the largest in Bears playoff history and largest blown lead in Packers playoff history. Caleb Williams threw for 361 yards, a franchise playoff record, and two touchdowns – 184 of those yards and both TDs came in the fourth quarter. Chicago’s 25 points in the fourth were the third-most by any team in playoff history. 

The Rams also played Saturday on Wild Card Weekend and rallied for a 34-31 win at Carolina. Matthew Stafford, the likely regular-season MVP, threw three TD passes, including the winner to Colby Parkinson from 19 yards out with 38 seconds remaining. Stafford had X-rays on the index finger of his throwing hand. Those were negative, but he has been diagnosed with a sprain. He’ll certainly play. It’s the third playoff meeting between the franchises and the home team won the first two. Their last overall meeting was a 24-18 Chicago home win in the 2024 regular season.  

Pick ATS: Chicago 

The Seattle Seahawks are the current favourites to win Super Bowl LX, ahead of the LA Rams and Buffalo Bills.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.