The Texans, Packers, and Bucs all recorded impressive wins as underdogs in the opening round of the playoffs.
Now, they continue their postseason journey as even bigger dogs against the spread in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.
The Bills and Chiefs meet yet again, only this time at Highmark Stadium. Will the change in venue help Buffalo break through with a win after two recent season-ending losses at Arrowhead Stadium?
Here we examine NFL Divisional Playoff odds for football’s remaining elite eight teams.
Odds for NFL Divisional playoff round
Check out the latest NFL betting odds on top sports betting apps.
The Texans kick things off against the Ravens in Baltimore on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. These teams met back in Week 1 with the Ravens beating the Texans, 25-9, in C.J. Stroud’s NFL debut.
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Texans (11-7 SU, 10-8 ATS) vs. Ravens (13-4 SU, 11-6 ATS)
Stroud became the youngest quarterback (22 years old, 102 days) to win a playoff game after Houston dismantled Cleveland, 45-14. He supplanted Michael Vick. Stroud also tied the rookie record for most passing touchdowns in a playoff game at three.
The task gets even tougher now for the Texans, who’ll face the AFC’s top seed in the Ravens.
Baltimore sacked Stroud five times in the season opener, and Houston failed to find the end zone. In fact, the Texans never reached the red zone.
Fast forward to today and Stroud owns the NFL’s best TD (23) to interception (five) ratio. Wide receiver Nico Collins continued his torrid play with a team-high six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in the win over Cleveland.
The Browns were one of three teams to beat Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium this season along with the Colts and Steelers. As a home favorite, the Ravens were 5-3 ATS on the year.
Early wagering trend: The Ravens opened -8.5 at BetMGM. Baltimore was bet up to -9.5. But the Texans have commanded 71% of the tickets on the spread.
Read more: Texans vs. Ravens opening odds
Packers (10-8 SU, 10-8 ATS) vs. 49ers (12-5 SU, 9-8 ATS)
Speaking of young quarterbacks thriving in their NFL playoff debut, Green Bay’s Jordan Love was nearly perfect in a 48-32 win over Dallas. He threw for 272 yards and three TDs with no picks. Love and Stroud both finished with a 157.2 QB rating, tied for fourth in the history of the NFL Playoffs.
Love helped the Packers become the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game. Green Bay now faces the NFC’s No. 1 seed in San Francisco, which is also the betting favorite to win Super Bowl 58 at .
The 49ers were just 3-5 ATS as a home favorite at Levi’s Stadium during the regular season, and this is a big number here on Saturday.
Green Bay RB Aaron Jones regained his health at the right time of the year. He’s now strung together four straight 100+ yard rushing games. Jones proved unstoppable near the goal line with three rushing TDs against the Cowboys.
San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey scored 23 total TDs this season to share the NFL lead with Miami’s Raheem Mostert. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle are also valuable weapons for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Purdy is in the mix for NFL MVP after throwing for 4,280 passing yards and 31 TDs during the regular season.
Early wagering trend: The 49ers opened -9.5 and jumped to -10 at BetMGM. On the spread, 71% of the tickets were on the Packers.
Read more: Packers vs. 49ers opening odds
Bucs (10-8 SU, 12-6 ATS) vs. Lions (13-5 SU, 12-6 ATS)
How about Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield? Playing through rib and ankle injuries, Mayfield lit the Eagles up for 337 passing yards and three TDs in a 32-9 upset rout.
Now the Bucs take on the Lions, who handed them a 20-6 loss back in Week 6. Despite being without both starting running backs for most of that game, Detroit thrived on the connection between QB Jared Goff and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Goff completed 30 of 44 pass attempts for 353 passing yards and and two touchdowns. St. Brown had 12 catches for 124 yards and one touchdown.
Detroit led all NFL teams with a 12-5 ATS record during the regular season. The Lions failed to cover in a 24-23 win over the Rams in the NFL wild card round, but captured their first playoff win since 1992 to snap the league’s longest postseason drought.
Detroit will have to shore up its pass defense to contain Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Lions gave up 367 yards to former QB Matt Stafford, and Puka Nacua torched them for 181 receiving yards and a TD.
Early wagering trend: At BetMGM, the Lions opened and remain at -6. Detroit has received 67% of tickets and 59% of the handle.
Read more: Bucs vs. Lions opening odds
Chiefs (12-6 SU, 11-7-1 ATS) vs. Bills (12-6 SU, 9-10 ATS)
Kansas City allowed one lightning strike to Tyreek Hill on a 53-yard TD and nothing else in a dominant 26-7 win over Miami. Hill finished with 62 receiving yards on the day.
Heading into the game, we expected Kansas City’s defense to be the difference and that proved to be the case. The Dolphins were held to just 264 yards of total offense in frigid conditions at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs were well balanced on offense with solid games from three of their biggest standouts:
- QB Patrick Mahomes (262 passing yards, one TD)
- RB Isiah Pacheco (89 rushing yards, one TD)
- WR Rashee Rice (130 receiving yards, one TD)
The Bills will provide a sterner test in the NFL Divisional round. Buffalo dominated Pittsburgh, 31-17, as QB Josh Allen threw for three TDs and rushed for another.
The Steelers were without defensive standout TJ Watt (knee). How much did that impact odds after news on Watt broke? Not at all at Tipico Sportsbook, whose moneyline odds on Pittsburgh remained at +410.
The Bills defeated the Chiefs, 20-17, on the road last month after Kansas City ended Buffalo’s season with playoff wins in 2021 and 2022 at Arrowhead.
Keep an eye on the tight ends in this one. Despite not scoring a TD, Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with 83 receiving yards against the Dolphins. Buffalo’s TE tandem of Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox both found the end zone against Pittsburgh.
Early wagering trend: The Bills opened at -2.5 and the line has stayed there. BetMGM patrons are backing the home favorite here with 67% of the handle on Buffalo.
Read more: Chiefs vs. Bills opening odds
