The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is considered one of the best weekends in sports every year.
Let's hope that's the case again after a lackluster Wild Card weekend where most were blowouts and only one game was decided by one score.
That being said, over the course of six games last week we witnessed three upsets, including Green Bay's shock win at Dallas, which makes it the biggest upset of the playoffs. There's a good chance.
Will there be another big upset this weekend? Here we take a look at all the potential upsets ranked from least likely to most likely to occur. The odds are: draftkings sportsbook.
4th: green bay packers that's all san francisco 49ers (-9.5)
How packers After barely making the playoffs as the NFC's last wild-card team, their performance in Dallas last week was incredible. They dismantled a 12-win Cowboys team and got their starters early in the fourth quarter.
Now, were the Packers' level up primarily due to Jordan Love playing like an elite QB, or did Dallas do the same thing Dallas did in the playoffs?
It's probably going to have a little bit of both, especially since many of this roster were members of the 49ers' two appearances in the NFC Championship Game over the past two seasons, and how the home team performs this week. We don't expect it to level off.
San Francisco narrowly clinched the top seed in the NFC with 12 wins, but would have been the clear best in the conference if fully healthy. That's about their situation for now, as defensive end Clelin Ferrell is the only player likely to be out this week. The 49ers are actually as healthy as they've been all season, as Ferrell had already lost playing time to Chase Young after being traded from Washington.
Looking at both lists, 49ers He excels at almost every position: quarterback, offensive line, offensive skill players, front seven, head coach. It's also worth pointing out that San Francisco has won four straight games against Green Bay in the playoffs, the last two under coach Kyle Shanahan.
This is expected to be easy cover for the 49ers at home.
3rd place: houston texans that's all baltimore ravens (-9.5)
There is no question that the Ravens were the best team in the NFL during the regular season, highlighted by their win over the Lions. seahawksand Dolphin It was a huge difference of 131 to 28. They also rode on to San Francisco and manhandled the 49ers along the way, earning a 33-19 victory.
Yes, Baltimore should be considered the team to beat in the playoffs. Does this upstart team, Houston, have a chance?
One factor working against the Ravens is that they have only won one playoff game under coach Lamar Jackson, who is 1-3 in the postseason. He tends to dominate in the regular season, but opposing defenses get the better of him in the playoffs.of texans They also have one of the best defensive masterminds in the league in head coach DeMeco Ryans. So if anyone can come up with an effective game plan to slow down this year's NFL MVP candidate, it's Ryans.
Another key to this game is rookie QB CJ Stroud's ability to move the pocket and escape pressure. The Ravens have 6th best pass defense in the NFLand a big reason for that is that they had the league's best pass rush this season with 60 total sacks.
But when the pressure isn't on, opposing QBs can gash this secondary for big plays. Stroud is great at extending plays and finding open receivers under pressure, so don't be surprised if he rebuilds the Ravens defense in overtime in this game, especially in the next game. Starting cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) is out..
That's exactly what Stroud won as a wild card. browns A team that ranked first in pass defense and sixth in sacks. Stroud was never sacked in the game and completed 16-of-21 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns in his playoff debut. 158.1 Successful applicant evaluationIt was the best mark for a QB against Cleveland this season.
The Texans certainly have enough firepower to keep this game interesting, but these Ravens have too much firepower on both sides of the ball to overwhelm Houston on their way to a double-digit win. It should be.
2nd place: tampa bay buccaneers that's all detroit lions (-6.5)
The Lions were one of the best teams in the NFL all year, but the Bucks barely made it out of the poor NFC South. Their only regular season win over a playoff team came in packersMeanwhile, Detroit rode on to Tampa and won 20-6 in Week 6.
Now, some would argue that the Lions were more impressive in the wild card round after holding off the Eagles, but the Lions barely held on to beat the Rams at home in part. Sean McVay's questionable fourth-down decision Late in the fourth quarter.
But the Eagles were an absolute disaster to end the season, so I can't give Tampa too much credit considering bad teams like the Giants and Cardinals also beat Philadelphia in the late innings.
As long as the Lions are ready to play, they should keep their serve at home and clinch their first NFC Championship appearance since 1991.
First place: kansas city chiefs that's all buffalo bills (-2.5)
To be honest, it wouldn't be a huge upset if the Chiefs beat just about anyone in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, who has appeared in the AFC Championship Game five years in a row, won two of the last four Super Bowls, and is arguably the NFL's best QB, will actually play in his first playoff game on the road this week. That's different.
There are still plenty of reasons to favor the Bills this week. They finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak, peaking at the right time and struggling for much of the season, as highlighted by wins at Miami, Kansas City, and home destruction in Dallas. Its defense has been significantly strengthened. Since Week 14, including the wild-card win over Pittsburgh, Buffalo's defense has allowed just 16.8 points per game.
Oh, and Josh Allen is also being discussed as the best QB in the NFL. This game will be played in Buffalo, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Bills were favored by 2.5 points, even though it was highly controversial, especially after their Week 14 win over Kansas City.
The problem is that the Bills currently have a ton of injuries, including starting defensemen Christian Benford, Terrell Bernard, Taron Johnson, and Taylor Rapp, as well as starting wideout Gabe Davis and punter Sam Martin. That's what I'm holding on to. If a significant portion of those players finish this week, that line could trend closer to selecting them by kickoff.
Mahomes has beaten Allen twice in the playoffs since 2020, but both times were largely due to the Bills defense's inability to make stops when it mattered most.
Will this be the year Allen finally breaks the two-time MVP when it matters most? We'll find out on Sunday.
