2018 NFL Playoffs: Early Odds and Predictions for Divisional-Round Bracket and Live stream online
The challenge that lies ahead for the NFL Divisional Round playoffs is for the matchups to show us something we didn't expect.
The beauty of the playoffs is that they are a reset button for the season. Though there are favorites and underdogs, anything can happen, as the No. 5 Tennessee Titans showed in the AFC Wild Card Round when they knocked off the No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the slate for the second weekend of the NFL playoffs looks somewhat predictable. Though the numbers alone suggest it's shocking that the No. 6 Atlanta Falcons are favored over the No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, even a casual NFL viewer would take Atlanta's Matt Ryan over Philadelphia's backup quarterback Nick Foles.
In the other three matchups, it's all business as usual. All three of the higher seeds are favored over the lower seeds, the New England Patriots by nearly two touchdowns over the Titans.
But anything is possible in the NFL; that's why we continue to tune in. Let's take a look at the television schedule for the four divisional-round matchups and then dive deeper into what we can expect from the eight teams still vying for Super Bowl glory.
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Saturday, January 13
NFC: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:35 p.m. ET (NBC, NBC Sports Live)
AFC: Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
Sunday, January 14
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
NFC: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox, Fox Sports Go)
Odds and Predictions
No. 6 Falcons (-2.5) at No. 1 Eagles
What home-field advantage?
Of the four matchups set for the divisional round of the playoffs, only one away team is favored over the home team.
That's because Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are coming off a surprise 26-13 dismantling of the NFL's top scoring offense in the Los Angeles Rams, while the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping Nick Foles can keep the magic going as Carson Wentz watches from the sideline.
In fact, according to ESPN Stats & Information, this is the first time that a No. 6 seed has been favored over a No. 1 seed in the divisional round.
Will being the first-ever divisional round underdogs give the Eagles the chip on their shoulder they need to advance?
Or will the Falcons live up to their billing and live to take on either the New Orleans Saints or Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game?
Prediction: Falcons 28, Eagles 27
No. 5 Titans at No. 1 Patriots (-13.5)
Can the Tennesse Titans, 13.5-point underdogs, march into Gillette Stadium on Saturday night and defeat the mighty New England Patriots to advance to the AFC Championship Game?
Don't laugh, but maybe.
Exhibit A: Tom Brady's questionable performance in December. The 40-year-old quarterback insists that he's got years left in his career, but anyone who watched him play in the final quarter of the 2017 season saw him take a slight step back.
Brady threw 6 touchdowns to five interceptions in December for an 81.6 QB rating.
Of course, the Patriots won each of their five games in December, so they certainly aren't limping into the playoffs, but Brady's performance is something to keep an eye on heading into the game.
Exhibit B hinges on how much stock you put in the news. On January 5, ESPN writer Seth Wickersham published an explosive report detailing the internal rifts within the Patriots organization that are allegedly tearing the team apart ahead of its playoff run.
Could the reports of New England's demise be overstated? Definitely. But could the organization be reeling enough for the Titans to sneak in and wreak some serious havoc in Saturday's divisional game? Absolutely.
Two of the games the Patriots dropped in 2017 were due to being unable to stop the mobile attacks of opposing quarterbacks Cam Newton and Alex Smith. To that end, New England is not looking forward to seeing Marcus Mariota on Saturday.
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Prediction: Patriots 30, Titans 21
No. 3 Jaguars at No. 2 Steelers (-6.5)
The Pittsburgh Steelers likely won't sleep soundly the night before the Jacksonville Jaguars come to town.
Instead, visions of their 30-9 loss to the Jags in Week 5, a game in which Jacksonville's ferocious defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger five times, will likely dance in their heads ahead of the rematch.
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"I’m sure they’re thinking that game was a fluke,” Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey said, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco.
The schedule suggests a different story. Of the three games the Steelers lost in 2017, two could be considered flukes. Certainly, Pittsburgh's 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3 is the definition of the word, and they also dropped a close game to the Patriots in Week 15.
But there was nothing fluky about Jacksonville's decisive Week 5 win, which was a complete dismantling of Pittsburgh's offense. In addition to picking off Roethlisberger five times, the Jags held Le'Veon Bell to less than 100 yards.
Oh, and, by the way, this all happened at Heinz Field.
Now, the Jaguars just have to see if they can do it again.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Jaguars 20
No. 4 Saints at No. 2 Vikings (-4.5)
The only team in the NFL that averaged more yards per game than the New Orleans Saints' 391.2 in 2017 was the New England Patriots.
The Saints were also scoring 28 points per game by the end of the regular season, good for No. 4 in the league overall.
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Can New Orleans keep that kind of production going against the league's top defense?
Not only did the Vikings allow opponents a stingy 15.8 points per game during the regular season, the least in the league, but they also earned the No. 1 mark in yards per game, with just 275.9 on average.
It's hard to imagine that any team in the league could stop the Saints' two-pronged rushing attack led by Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, which has been their not-so-secret weapon en route to earning the No. 4 seed and the NFC South title.
But if anyone is up for the challenge, it's Minnesota.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Saints 17
The beauty of the playoffs is that they are a reset button for the season. Though there are favorites and underdogs, anything can happen, as the No. 5 Tennessee Titans showed in the AFC Wild Card Round when they knocked off the No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs.
However, the slate for the second weekend of the NFL playoffs looks somewhat predictable. Though the numbers alone suggest it's shocking that the No. 6 Atlanta Falcons are favored over the No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, even a casual NFL viewer would take Atlanta's Matt Ryan over Philadelphia's backup quarterback Nick Foles.
In the other three matchups, it's all business as usual. All three of the higher seeds are favored over the lower seeds, the New England Patriots by nearly two touchdowns over the Titans.
But anything is possible in the NFL; that's why we continue to tune in. Let's take a look at the television schedule for the four divisional-round matchups and then dive deeper into what we can expect from the eight teams still vying for Super Bowl glory.
Divisional Round TV Schedule
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Saturday, January 13
NFC: Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:35 p.m. ET (NBC, NBC Sports Live)
AFC: Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
Sunday, January 14
AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS, CBS Sports Network)
NFC: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox, Fox Sports Go)
Odds and Predictions
No. 6 Falcons (-2.5) at No. 1 Eagles
What home-field advantage?
Of the four matchups set for the divisional round of the playoffs, only one away team is favored over the home team.
That's because Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are coming off a surprise 26-13 dismantling of the NFL's top scoring offense in the Los Angeles Rams, while the Philadelphia Eagles are hoping Nick Foles can keep the magic going as Carson Wentz watches from the sideline.
In fact, according to ESPN Stats & Information, this is the first time that a No. 6 seed has been favored over a No. 1 seed in the divisional round.
Will being the first-ever divisional round underdogs give the Eagles the chip on their shoulder they need to advance?
Or will the Falcons live up to their billing and live to take on either the New Orleans Saints or Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game?
Prediction: Falcons 28, Eagles 27
No. 5 Titans at No. 1 Patriots (-13.5)
Can the Tennesse Titans, 13.5-point underdogs, march into Gillette Stadium on Saturday night and defeat the mighty New England Patriots to advance to the AFC Championship Game?
Don't laugh, but maybe.
Exhibit A: Tom Brady's questionable performance in December. The 40-year-old quarterback insists that he's got years left in his career, but anyone who watched him play in the final quarter of the 2017 season saw him take a slight step back.
Brady threw 6 touchdowns to five interceptions in December for an 81.6 QB rating.
Of course, the Patriots won each of their five games in December, so they certainly aren't limping into the playoffs, but Brady's performance is something to keep an eye on heading into the game.
Exhibit B hinges on how much stock you put in the news. On January 5, ESPN writer Seth Wickersham published an explosive report detailing the internal rifts within the Patriots organization that are allegedly tearing the team apart ahead of its playoff run.
Could the reports of New England's demise be overstated? Definitely. But could the organization be reeling enough for the Titans to sneak in and wreak some serious havoc in Saturday's divisional game? Absolutely.
Two of the games the Patriots dropped in 2017 were due to being unable to stop the mobile attacks of opposing quarterbacks Cam Newton and Alex Smith. To that end, New England is not looking forward to seeing Marcus Mariota on Saturday.
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Prediction: Patriots 30, Titans 21
No. 3 Jaguars at No. 2 Steelers (-6.5)
The Pittsburgh Steelers likely won't sleep soundly the night before the Jacksonville Jaguars come to town.
Instead, visions of their 30-9 loss to the Jags in Week 5, a game in which Jacksonville's ferocious defense intercepted Ben Roethlisberger five times, will likely dance in their heads ahead of the rematch.
steelers vs jaguars
steelers vs jaguars live
jaguars vs steelers
"I’m sure they’re thinking that game was a fluke,” Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey said, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco.
The schedule suggests a different story. Of the three games the Steelers lost in 2017, two could be considered flukes. Certainly, Pittsburgh's 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3 is the definition of the word, and they also dropped a close game to the Patriots in Week 15.
But there was nothing fluky about Jacksonville's decisive Week 5 win, which was a complete dismantling of Pittsburgh's offense. In addition to picking off Roethlisberger five times, the Jags held Le'Veon Bell to less than 100 yards.
Oh, and, by the way, this all happened at Heinz Field.
Now, the Jaguars just have to see if they can do it again.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Jaguars 20
No. 4 Saints at No. 2 Vikings (-4.5)
The only team in the NFL that averaged more yards per game than the New Orleans Saints' 391.2 in 2017 was the New England Patriots.
The Saints were also scoring 28 points per game by the end of the regular season, good for No. 4 in the league overall.
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Can New Orleans keep that kind of production going against the league's top defense?
Not only did the Vikings allow opponents a stingy 15.8 points per game during the regular season, the least in the league, but they also earned the No. 1 mark in yards per game, with just 275.9 on average.
It's hard to imagine that any team in the league could stop the Saints' two-pronged rushing attack led by Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, which has been their not-so-secret weapon en route to earning the No. 4 seed and the NFC South title.
But if anyone is up for the challenge, it's Minnesota.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Saints 17
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