NFL Divisional Playoffs Odds

Oddsmakers didn’t have an easy task setting the NFL odds for the Divisional Round of the playoffs. I mean, how can you crunch the numbers so that you draw even action on the Seattle Seahawks when they head to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Sunday?

Seattle is staring down another double-figure spread, set as a 10-point underdog facing the 11-5 (9-6-1 ATS) Bears. The Seahawks look ripe for a letdown after shocking the defending Super Bowl champion Saints as 10-point pups at home this past weekend. But Chicago doesn’t possess the offensive firepower to tackle that pile of chalk; it struggled with six and 6.5-point spreads this season.

In other Divisional Round matchups, the New York Jets meet the New England Patriots for the third time this year. After being tagged as three and 4-point underdogs in their regular-season games against the Patriots, the Jets are getting nine points in Foxboro. The last time it visited New England, New York was smacked around in a 45-3 loss in Week 13. The Jets stole an emotional win in Indianapolis in the Wild Card round and will carry Rex Ryan’s infamous cockiness into this AFC East grudge match.

Two other divisional foes collide in the second round of the postseason. The Baltimore Ravens booked their plane tickets to Pittsburgh with a convincing win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead on Sunday. The Ravens and Steelers split their regular season meetings, with both road teams winning SU and ATS. That makes the 3.5 points going to Baltimore very tempting, as does the fact that the road team is 3-0-1 ATS in the past four games between these rivals.

Perhaps the best game on the board is the NFC Divisional Round showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons. Books opened the Falcons as 1-point home faves but that number has come up to as high as 2.5 in some markets. Atlanta is nearly unbeatable inside the Georgia Dome, going 7-1 SU with a 5-3 ATS mark. However, the Packers just stole a win in Philadelphia as 3-point underdogs and possibly have the best defense among playoff teams. A solid look at the UNDER on the 45 points appears to be the sharp play; early action on the UNDER has already dropped the total from its original post.