Wild Card weekend is in the books and for the most part it saw some pretty lopsided games. The most exciting finish was the Raiders driving the field as Derek Carr was intercepted at the Bengals' goal line with the clock running out. This week we get some pivotal rematches from the regular season as both the Bucs and Chiefs look to avenge regular season losses at the hands of the Bills and Rams. Let's dive into the divisional round picks.
**All betting lines are from bet365.com** (Updated Friday)
Cincinnati Bengals (11-7) @ Tennessee Titans (12-5)
Joe Burrow was cool as a cucumber in his playoff debut last week, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns to push the Bengals past the Raiders. This, by far, will be Burrow's biggest test of his NFL career as the Titans were 7-2 at home this year -- including wins over the Bills, Chiefs and 49ers -- and will welcome back Derrick Henry to the lineup, who has been out since Week 8. This is problematic for the Bengals as they have the 12th-worst rushing defense in the NFL and will be without Larry Ogunjobi for the rest of the playoffs. I think Burrow and the passing attack can expose the Titans' secondary, but Mike Vrabel's group will come away with a win in the late stages. Pick: Titans, 24-21.
Line: Titans -4
Spread: Bengals
ML: Titans
San Francisco 49ers (11-7) @ Green Bay Packers (13-4)
Home field advantage for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers throughout the playoffs, what more could you ask for? The cold, rigid conditions at Lambeau Field could very well play a factor in this game against a Niners team from the West Coast. As good as Rodgers is at home, one stat that sticks out here is a career 0-3 record against the Niners in the playoffs. It looks like Marquez Valdes-Scantling will miss this game, so that could mean Matt LaFleur will actually lean more heavily on the combination of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Jimmy Garoppolo didn't have his cleanest game of the season last week, but he came away with a victory anyway and this Niners pass rush could create some problems in the Packers backfield. Pick: Packers, 24-20.
Line: Packers -5.5
Spread: 49ers
ML: Packers
L.A. Rams (13-5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-4)
The Rams got the better of the Bucs in a 34-24 victory in Week 3 and in that game their front seven created a lot of headaches for Tom Brady. With the addition of Von Miller, coupled with Tristan Wirfs' uncertainty for this matchup, I think this Rams pass rush will be too much to overcome for the Bucs. The Bucs have certainly hung tough through a lot of adversity this season and despite losing both Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin, the offense remains explosive. However, this seems like an even more polished Rams team than the one that beat them in Week 3 and I think Matthew Stafford may be finally coming into his own. Pick: Rams, 28-23.
Line: Buccaneers -3
Spread: Rams
ML: Rams
Buffalo Bills (12-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (13-5)
This is a juicy matchup to end the divisional round weekend as the Bills and Chiefs meet for the second time at Arrowhead this season. In Week 5, the Bills laid the boots to the Chiefs, 38-20 as Josh Allen and the offense seemingly had their way with them. Now, the Chiefs look much more complete and primed for a run at their second Super Bowl championship in the last three years. But, something tells me this is the Bills' year to exercise their playoff demons and they will have all the motivation from a heartbreaking loss in the AFC Championship last year at the hands of this same Chiefs core. Allen was made to play in the cold, that's why the Bills drafted him, and I think he gets it done on Sunday. Pick: Bills, 30-27.
Line: Chiefs -2
Spread: Bills
ML: Bills
2021 Results
Wild Card
ATS: 1-5
ML: 5-1
Overall
ATS: 137-138-3
ML: 179-98-1
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