NFL 2022 Weekly Preview: Divisional Round
Welcome to our Divisional Round weekend preview!
Last week, we went 4-2 against the spread and are very confident in our selections for the weekend.
We expect four hard fought games so definitely make sure to spend your weekend on the couch watching these amazing games.
With that said, let’s get into our predictions for the week.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Kansas City Chiefs
Welcome to the first game on slate for the Divisional Round Playoffs. The red hot Jacksonville Jaguars head into Kansas City to take on the well-rested Chiefs in what should be a good match up.
Last week, the Jaguars overcame a 5 to 0 turnover deficit and rallied from 27-0 to beat the Los Angeles Chargers.
Unfortunately for them, they take on Patrick Mahomes and a Chiefs team that still has memories of their 21-3 collapse in the Playoffs last year.
The Jaguars season turned around after their 10-point loss in mid-November to these Chiefs in Arrowhead.
Although the Chiefs turned over the ball three times, they still managed to win by 10 and cover the 9-point spread.
Since that game, the Jaguars have gone 7-1 and have won their last six games.
While it is very hard to bet against a Jaguars team that has proven time after time that no lead is safe, we believe the magic runs out here for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars.
The Chiefs are focused on one thing. Making it back to the Super Bowl.
They lucked out with the number one seed due to the Bengals/Bills postponement and will definitely not lay an egg in Kansas City like they did in the second half against the Bengals last year.
Expect them to come out very aggressive and jump out to an early lead.
Knowing all about the Jaguars past comebacks, the Chiefs will stay aggressive in the second half and pile up the points.
We expect the Chiefs to comfortably win on Saturday and cover this 9-point spread.
Betting against Patrick Mahomes in the Playoffs is a very unwise decision. Lay the points and expect the Chiefs to dominate this game from start to finish!
Selection: Kansas City Chiefs -9 @ 1.89
NFL - New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
The New York Giants took care of business last week against the Minnesota Vikings winning on the road.
Their reward? A match up against the well-rested and healthy Philadelphia Eagles who have beaten them twice already in the regular season.
Though we are still not sold on this Eagles team to win the NFC, we believe that they have enough weapons on offense to blow out the Giants.
The Eagles defense will dominate this game which will lead to short fields for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles explosive offense.
The Giants season has been a huge success and they should not be disappointed losing in the second round of the Playoffs.
We expect Daniel Jones to have a terrible game offensively after he looked amazing against the Vikings defence.
As this will be the late game on Saturday Night, these Philly fans will be tailgating all day before the game.
Expect them to be extremely loud and rowdy which will give the Giants offense problems with communication.
While we expect the Eagles to lose next round, we think they will easily win and cover the 7.5 point spread against the Giants.
Don’t overthink this one. The Eagles are definitely a better team on both sides of the ball and it would be shocking to see them lose at home after working so hard the entire year to get home field advantage.
Lay the 7.5 points and expect a double digit win!
Selection: Philadelphia Eagles -7.5 @ 1.89
NFL - Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday brings us by far the two most intriguing games for the weekend.
The early game takes us to Buffalo where the defending AFC Champions Cincinnati Bengals take on the Buffalo Bills.
While both of these teams have Super Bowl aspirations, both of them looked downright terrible last week.
The Bengals were lucky to escape with a win against the Ravens while the Bills were in a dogfight with a Miami team who was starting their third string quarterback.
Josh Allen made some crucial mistakes but we believe that he will play a solid game this week against the Bengals defence.
Both of these teams have redemption on their mind after what transpired last year.
The Bengals lost in the Super Bowl while the Bills completely crumbled against the Chiefs.
After what happened with Damar Hamlin a few weeks ago in Cincinnati, we believe that the Bills will come out and fight for him.
With the Bengals offensive line down 3 starters, we believe the Bills will put a ton of pressure on Joe Burrow.
While this game will be close in the first half, ultimately the Bills will take care of business and not only win but cover the 5.5 spread.
We still believe that Buffalo is the team to beat in the AFC and we think they will come out and play great at home in what should be a very wild atmosphere.
Lay the 5.5 points and expect Buffalo to play a great game on both sides of the ball.
Selection: Buffalo Bills -5.5 @ 1.87
NFL – Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers
Dak Prescott has had a year to think about his quarterback sneak that unfortunately led to the Cowboys running out of time.
Down 23-7, the Cowboys rallied back but unfortunately came up short against the 49ers in the Playoffs last year in Dallas.
Now with redemption on their mind, the Cowboys head across the country after blowing out Tom Brady and take on the red hot 49ers who have won 11 in a row.
While the 49ers final score makes the Seahawks game look like a blowout, the 49ers were lucky to survive that game.
Their corners looked very mediocre and Geno Smith was able to carve up their secondary.
We believe Dak Prescott will be able to do the same and as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over we believe that the Cowboys will pull off the upset.
Brock Purdy has been a fairy tale story but we believe he will eventually come crashing down to reality.
Purdy is 7-0 as a starter but looked visibly shaken in the first half against the Seahawks last week.
We believe the Dallas defence will force him into making some key rookie mistakes that will lead to a couple interceptions.
While we think Dallas will outright win this game, we believe taking the 4 points is extremely safe.
If Dallas does lose this game, it will be by less than four in our opinion.
Therefore, take the 4 points and expect Dallas to jump out early which will force the 49ers to pass more than they would like.
As long as the Dallas defence can make the 49ers offense one dimensional, the Cowboys should come out of the Bay Area with a win.
Take the 4 points as a security blanket, but don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game next week!
Selection: Dallas Cowboys +4 @ 1.89
So there you have it.
Three favourites and one underdog for the weekend.
Our multi pays 12 to 1 this week and we are very confident that we will hit it.
Best of luck and enjoy these wonderful games!
