The Best Bets For Each NFL Divisional Round Matchup

Presented in partnership with OddscheckerUS

Wild Card weekend delivered and then some in the entertainment department this past weekend. From Tom Brady possibly playing, and losing, his last game as a Patriot, Deshaun Watson and the Texans completing the comeback, Kirk Cousins delivering in the big moment and D.K. Metcalf and the Seahawks escaping Philadelphia, we got it all.

Fingers crossed the Divisional Round games live up to the hype like last week, but regardless, we’re going to look at each Divisional Round matchup and layout the best bets and odds surrounding each game.

Last week’s record: 2-2

Oddschecker, your go-to betting destination for odds comparisons and tips, highlights all of this weekend’s action around the NFL. 

Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers | Sat., Jan. 11th, 4:35 PM EST on NBC

Best Bet: Vikings +6.5

Kirk Cousins and the Vikings pulled off quite the upset in New Orleans last week and it’s clear to see that this team is seriously clicking at the moment. This is one of those classic situations where the team that actually had to play last week may be better off than the team that sat at home on a bye and I’m falling for that trick this week with the Vikings catching 6.5 points.

Minnesota hung 26 points on a talented Saints defense – in the Superdome too – but it was the Vikings’ defense that stepped up big time surrendering under 330 total yards including just 97 rushing yards to Alvin Kamara and the Saints rushing attack.

This San Francisco team is a totally different animal as it finished fourth in the league in yards per game with 381.1 yards per contest, but after what this Vikings team showed a week ago they’re the pick here.

Minnesota is 5-4-0 against the spread away from this year.

Most spots have the +6.5 Vikings at -110, but if you check out Oddschecker’s free odds grid you can see that Points Bet has the line at -105.

Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens | Sat., Jan. 11th, 8:15 PM EST on CBS

Best Bet: Titans +9

Tennessee pulled it off, the Titans actually went up to Foxborough and spoiled what could have been Tom Brady’s final playoff run behind a monster game from Derrick Henry and a strong effort from their defense.

This week’s test is going to be much, much tougher with Lamar Jackson welcoming the Titans to Baltimore.

With that being said, however, nine points is a big number to be giving up to a team like Tennessee who can really control the clock if Henry continues to run the way he’s been running this season. Some may say that this Ravens’ run defense that finished fifth in the league in yards allowed per game may slow him down, but if New England’s sixth-ranked run defense gave up 162 yards to Henry, who’s to say Baltimore is going to slow him down?

Jackson and the Ravens have looked like a team of destiny this season and while they should go on to win this game, the way Ryan Tannehill and Henry have been clicking, this isn’t going to be a walk in the park for Baltimore. It’s worth noting that this Tennessee defense gave up just over 20 points per contest during the regular season and is no slouch at forcing turnovers after forcing 23 this season.

Tennessee is 6-3-0 against the spread in road games this season after beating New England last weekend.

Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs | Sun., Jan. 12, 3:05 PM EST on CBS

Best Bet: Chiefs -9.5

Houston’s comeback win over the Bills could easily go down as the best game we see all postseason, but if you’re a Texans fan I wouldn’t get your hopes up for another thrilling contest in Kansas City this week.

Sure, the Texans went on the road and beat the Chiefs 31-24 back in Week 6, but as a revenge game at Arrowhead I think the Chiefs will be looking to make a statement.

This Houston defense may have looked alright against Josh Allen and the Bills last week, but let’s not forget that the Texans allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game during the regular season and I think that defense will peak its head against Patrick Mahomes and the high-flying Kansas City offense.

Deshaun Watson and Deandre Hopkins are a powerful two-head monster for the Texans, but I think the Chiefs will do a better job at containing Watson in the pocket, not miss sure sacks like Buffalo did last weekend, and Mahomes will light up this poor secondary.

Kansas City is 4-3-1 against the spread at home this season.

Be sure to check out Oddschecker’s free odds grid for the best odds. Right now, Points bet is offering the best odds for the Chiefs -9.5 at -105.

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers | Sun., Jan. 12, 6:40 PM EST on FOX

Best Bet: Over 46.5 total points

With it being a night game in the middle of January at Lambeau Field most would imagine a slow, low-scoring game but with the weather to sneak up to 28 degrees with no snow in the forecast for Sunday these two teams could put up some serious points.

This Seahawks offense finished eighth in the league in yards per game and ninth in scoring averaging just over 25 points per contest. On the flip side, Green Bay averaged 23.5 points per game. When it comes to these two defenses, neither is elite when it comes to keeping the opposition off the scoreboard, but with Seattle allowing 24.9 points per game, it’s simple to see Aaron Rodgers finding some success in this one.

Russell Wilson, on the other hand, threw for a cool 325 yards and rushed for another 45 yards last week in Philadelphia as his big-time season continued. Seattle only managed 17 points, but I think this team is good enough for plenty more points in Green Bay this weekend.