The NFL Divisional Round of the 2021 playoffs is this weekend and we are in store for a much better lineup than last week. There were barely any upsets from the Wild Card matchups and most of the games were decided early in the third quarter. But now that the seventh seeds are out and the #1 seeds are in action, there should be much more excitement in the NFL this week.
Several Upsets are on the Horizon for NFL Divisional Round
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The first game of the NFL Divisional Round is Saturday afternoon with the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals facing the top seed, the Tennessee Titans. Joe Burrow had a good game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but it wasn't his most perfect game in the league. The Titans are getting running back Derrick Henry back this week, which should take the game to the wire.
The Bengals seem to be the fan favorite despite having a +3.5 point spread. To be frank, the Titans lucked into the top seed and having them in the AFC Championship game wouldn't be as entertaining as having the Bengals. Bengals cover the spread and win.
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Saturday night's game has the top NFC seed (Green Bay Packers) hosting the San Francisco 49ers, fresh off their "upset" over the Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers are once again viewed as the underdogs, with a +6 point spread (the highest spread of the weekend). Even without a few of their star players, like Nick Bosa, the 49ers were able to outlast the Cowboys' dynamic offense.
Green Bay is a bigger challenge and San Francisco will have to break out every trick in the book. Aaron Rodgers is superior to Jimmy Garoppolo though and the Packers will win a close one. 49ers cover the spread and lose by three points.
Sunday opens with the Los Angeles Rams looking to eliminate reigning NFL champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams seemed to play a nearly perfect game against the Arizona Cardinals, but the win would have had more of a lasting impression if Arizona hadn't spiraled over the last few weeks.
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The Buccaneers took care of the Philadelphia Eagles, but we saw some major flaws on both sides of the ball. Similar to the Bengals, the Rams (+3 point spread) seem to have a large population behind them this year. As long as Matthew Stafford limits his personal errors, Tom Brady will be watching the Super Bowl from the boat. Rams cover the spread and win.
The final NFL playoff game of the week has the smallest point spread with the Buffalo Bills set at +1.5 points. Both the Bills and Chiefs scored 40+ points in the Wild Card round, which means Kansas City could find itself in trouble. The Bills had a literal perfect game against the New England Patriots and their run game is finally coming together.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs had a slow start last week. If it were to happen again, the Bills are a team that could capitalize on the Chiefs' struggles to get going and gain a big lead. It could possibly come down to the final play, but Jerick McKinnon will put the nail in the coffin with a game-winning score. Bills cover the spread and lose by one point.
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