Tom Brady and Tampa Bay Buccaneers advanced in the 2021 NFL Playoffs with a Wild Card win. The team ... [+]
The Divisional Round of the 2021 NFL Playoffs is set following an action-packed Wild Card weekend. The NFL Playoff bracket looks a bit different than many predicted thanks to a few upsets in the opening round, including the Cleveland Browns knocking out the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams topping the Seattle Seahawks. Take a look at the updated bracket and complete schedule of Divisional Round games, as well as the latest conference champion and Super Bowl 55 odds following the results from the Wild Card:
NFL Playoffs 2021 Bracket, Schedule And Odds
AFC Divisional Round
No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. No. 6 Cleveland Browns
- Schedule: Sunday, Jan. 17, 3:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Odds: KC -10, O/U 56
No. 2 Buffalo Bills vs. No. 5 Baltimore Ravens
- Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 16, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)
- Odds: BUF -2.5, O/U 50
NFC Divisional Round
No. 1 Green Bay Packers vs. No. 6 Los Angeles Rams
- Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 16, 4:35 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Odds: GB -7, O/U 46
No. 2 New Orleans Saints vs. No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Schedule: Sunday, Jan. 17, 6:40 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Odds: NO -3, O/U 51.5
Wild Card Round Scores
Saturday, January 9
(7) Indianapolis Colts 24 - (2) Buffalo Bills 27
(6) Los Angeles Rams 30 - (3) Seattle Seahawks 20
(5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 - (4) Washington Football Team 23
Sunday, January 10
(5) Baltimore Ravens 20 - (4) Tennessee Titans 13
(7) Chicago Bears 9 - (2) New Orleans Saints 21
(6) Cleveland Browns 48 - (3) Pittsburgh Steelers 37
Super Bowl 55 – Odds to Win
- Kansas City Chiefs +200
- Green Bay Packers +380
- New Orleans Saints +550
- Buffalo Bills +600
- Baltimore Ravens +800
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +850
- Los Angeles Rams +1600
- Cleveland Browns +2500
AFC Championship – Odds to Win
- Kansas City Chiefs -125
- Buffalo Bills +280
- Baltimore Ravens +400
- Cleveland Browns +1200
NFC Championship – Odds to Win
- Green Bay Packers +135
- New Orleans Saints +200
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +360
- Los Angeles Rams +800
There are four thrilling 2021 NFL Playoff matchups on tap that will determine the participants in the conference championships, starting on Saturday afternoon with the Rams taking on the Green Bay Packers. Fans will get their first glimpse of Green Bay in the postseason after the club earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round bye thanks to an impressive 13-3 regular season. The Packers are a seven-point favorite in this contest, hardly a surprise given LA’s quarterback issues in recent weeks. Still, the top-ranked Rams defense was able to hold Russell Wilson to just 174 yards on 11-of-27 passing to secure a 30-20 victory in the Wild Card. The sixth-seeded Rams project to make things difficult for MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers in this Divisional Round showdown, but it remains to be seen if they can manufacture enough points to continue their postseason journey.
Saturday’s second NFL Playoff game will feature a pair of AFC Wild Card winners in the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens going head-to-head. Both teams escaped the opening round with a one-score victory, as No. 2 seed Buffalo fended off a valiant comeback effort from the No. 7 Indianapolis Colts, swatting away a last-second Hail Mary attempt to lock up a 27-24 win, their first in the playoffs since 1995. The Bills will not be satisfied with just one “W”, however, especially after entering the postseason as one of the league’s hottest teams at 13-3. The Ravens do present a tough challenge for Buffalo, as the No. 5 seed is clicking at the perfect time. Baltimore just won its sixth straight game while simultaneously avenging last year’s postseason heartbreak, knocking out the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card by a 20-13 margin. Sportsbooks believe this will be the most evenly matched game in the Divisional Round, giving Buffalo just a slight edge as 2.5-point home favorites.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will start their Super Bowl championship defense and make ... [+]
Viewers will finally get to see the reigning champions on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Browns in the Divisional Round. Although they won an NFL-best 14 games during the regular season, the Chiefs had one of the most interesting paths to a No. 1 seed in recent memory. On paper, their record is an impressive one, but a closer look reveals that the club won eight of those games by one score or less. In fact, the Chiefs have not beaten an opponent by more than a touchdown since Week 8 when they beat up on the lowly New York Jets. Kansas City went 7-1 in the back half of the campaign—only losing in Week 17 while resting their starters with the top seed in hand—but their average margin of victory in that span was just under four points, becoming the first team in league history to win seven consecutive matchups by six points or fewer. Still, the Chiefs have opened as 10-point chalk for their impending battle with Cleveland, an opponent coming off a 48-37 victory over the rival Steelers. The sixth-seeded Browns finally managed to win at Heinz Field—their first in 18 tries—and are now seeking to continue their Cinderella run through the 2021 NFL Playoff bracket by knocking out last year’s Super Bowl champs.
The Divisional Round will conclude with the New Orleans Saints hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is shaping up to be perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the 2021 NFL Playoffs so far and the latest chapter in a bitter NFC South rivalry. The Bucs lost both prior contests, including an embarrassing 38-3 loss in primetime the last time they squared off, and history has shown it can be difficult to avoid a sweep in the playoffs after losing two regular season games. There have been 17 prior instances since the merger of foes clashing for a third time in one league year, with a sweep occurring on 12 of those occasions. The Saints happened to be involved in the most recent occurrence, beating the Carolina Panthers in the 2017 postseason after back-to-back regular season wins that year. Oddsmakers think a sweep will not come easy for New Orleans this time, installing the program as only a narrow, three-point favorite against a Tampa squad that is loaded with talent but struggled for stretches against Washington in the Wild Card. Still, the Bucs cannot be counted out thanks to a strong defense and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady orchestrating the offense. Brady was brought in to elevate the Bucs in the NFL Playoffs and has already helped delivered the team its first postseason victory since 2002, but the 43-year-old will not be satisfied with anything less than his seventh Super Bowl ring.
All eight of these teams can make a legitimate case to capture a title this year, but only four will move on to the conference championships after the Divisional Round wraps up. Those wishing to wager on the action should check back later in the week for individual game previews and in-depth betting predictions courtesy of Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com. The pro handicapper will be sending along not only his against the spread picks for all four contests, but also his futures leans and prop betting advice for the 2021 NFL Playoffs.
