One weekend of NFL playoff action is in the books, and while six teams made their postseason exit following Super Wild Card Weekend, eight legitimate contenders remain.
Each of the eight teams has a different level of legitimacy behind their names, as seen in their title odds at BetMGM. But before they (and us bettors) start to think about Super Bowls, there’s business that needs to be handled over this weekend in the divisional round.
As the four games inch closer, let’s dial in on each of them and find the perfect bets that’ll put some extra money in our pockets.
All odds via BetMGM
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (Saturday at 4:30 pm ET on NBC)
Patrick Mahomes – Over 2.5 Passing Touchdowns
Patrick Mahomes, this season’s likely NFL MVP, is one of the most electrifying players in the league. His talent and game-changing ability usually transfer from the regular season to the postseason where he’s thrown three or more touchdowns in seven of the 11 playoff games he’s appeared in, including at least one three-TD outing each postseason. Coming off the bye week, he’ll be dialed in and ready to give the Jacksonville defense problems. Take the over.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants (Saturday at 8:15 pm ET on FOX)
New York Giants (+7.5)
Look, the Giants are a tough football team that takes on the personality of its head coach Brian Daboll. They came up short both times they faced the Eagles this season (although, New York rested its starters in the Week 18 loss), but as the Bengals-Ravens and Bills-Dolphins matchups from last weekend showed us, division battles are tricky.
I trust that Daboll will have the right game plan crafted for this Saturday’s showdown and I don’t expect the Eagles to have answers for Saquon Barkley. However, I do believe Philadelphia is the better team, and for that reason, I don’t see the Giants winning. They’ll cover, though.
Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday at 12:00 pm ET on CBS)
Evan McPherson – Over 1.5 Field Goals Made
We’ve seen this story before. The Bengals are going into a hostile playoff environment as the road underdog with a less-than-ideal offensive line situation (this time, due to injury). In these situations, the offense hasn’t been as explosive as it should be. Oftentimes, Evan McPherson was called upon to do the scoring, which probably isn’t what the Bengals want to rely on this weekend. Whether the Bengals are lighting up the scoreboard or grinding through a tough game, McPherson should get two field goal opportunities, and he’s good enough to make both.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday 3:30 pm ET on FOX)
Total Points – Over 46.0 Points
I respect both of these defenses and their abilities to force turnovers. But between Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk on the 49ers’ side, and Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb on the Cowboys’ side, there’s just too much talent on both offenses for this game to be low scoring. Points will fly and the over bettors will win money because of it.
