And then there were eight. The Wild Card Round in the NFL postseason has come and gone, with some amazing showdowns recorded. The field has grown even smaller for Super Bowl hopes, and people can’t wait for the weekend to arrive. This piece has our NFL picks for the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Which teams will move on to the conference title games?
• New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round
• Saturday, January 21 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In a matchup of two NFC East sides, the Eagles are strong favorites over the Giants. This will be a fun meeting, as this is the third time these two teams will face off this year. Entering the action, Philly is 2-0 against the Giants. We all know that beating a team three times in the same year seems like a tall task, but the Eagles have been so strong this year.
All eyes are going to be on quarterback Jalen Hurts. The young signal-caller missed Week 16 and Week 17 with an injured shoulder, but he returned for the regular-season finale and helped Philly capture the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Last weekend, the Eagles were on a bye while the rest of the conference was trying to find a way to move on.
| Divisional Round odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles to win | -350 | -350 | -350 |
| Giants to win | +275 | +275 | +275 |
| Bills to win | -230 | -230 | -230 |
| Bengals to win | +190 | +190 | +190 |
With the Giants, this team can’t stop surprising people. They were underdogs going up against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round, but Daniel Jones powered the team to a 31-24 upset win. Jones finished with more than 300 yards passing and two touchdowns. He was also strong on the ground, rushing the ball 17 times for 78 rushing yards.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, including the reliable Bovada review, the Eagles hold a head-turning -350 NFL betting odds to win and move on to the NFC Championship Game. As for the Giants, they indeed are big-time underdogs, as they’ve been set with +275 betting odds. This game could be close, but we’re going with the Eagles as our pick to move on. Agree? Check out our best NFL betting sites to get a wager in.
In another massive showdown, Buffalo will hope to take down Cincinnati at home when these two teams meet. The Bills played against the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round, posting a close win. As for the Bengals, they hosted the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card, and a late defensive play for a touchdown helped them record the close win to advance.
With the Bills, fans are ready to see what quarterback Josh Allen will be able to do against the Cincinnati secondary. Allen was a force in the first postseason game of the winter, lighting up the Miami defense. However, he also had some turnovers that people were quite nervous about. He’ll need to take care of the football when the Bills take on the Bengals.
As for Cincinnati, Joe Burrow is still one of the best quarterbacks in the AFC, as is Allen. Burrow will need to have the offense moving with consistency. This could turn out to be a shootout with the Bills. It’ll be on Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to lead the aerial attack while running back Joe Mixon will also need to have a strong game to try and help Cincinnati post an upset.
Per the oddsmakers, the Bills have been set at -230, while the Bengals are at +190. These AFC teams are loaded with talent, making this game so much more interesting. Both teams hope to make it to the AFC Championship Game, where the Kansas City Chiefs will likely be waiting. We think this one will be close, but we’re going with the Bills as our pick.
In another huge NFC battle, the 49ers must be careful going up against the Cowboys this weekend. Dallas is riding high right now after they traveled to Tampa Bay and took down the Buccaneers on Monday night. Dak Prescott had a game to remember, and he will try and do more of the same against the incredibly ferocious San Francisco defense.
For the 49ers, there will be a lot of pressure on rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. The late-round pick stepped in as the starter after Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo suffered season-ending injuries, but Purdy has been fantastic, and he played great against the Seahawks last week.
Dallas will have to find a way to slow down Purdy while also containing George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and others. As things stand, the 49ers hold -188 betting odds to win, while the Cowboys are at +158. Dallas is quite the team, but we think SF will end their season. The 49ers are our pick.
