NFL 2023 Divisional Round Predictions

~ Scott

It’s finally here. My favorite weekend of the NFL year.

But I recall being very disappointed with last year’s divisional round.

  • Patrick Mahomes had the high-ankle sprain against Jacksonville, which took some shine off that game.
  • The Giants didn’t even show up in Philadelphia.
  • The Bengals jumped all over Buffalo in another game that was over (competitively) very fast.
  • Then the Cowboys and 49ers played a decent game that ended 19-12.

It was a major dud compared to two seasons ago (2021 season) when we had the single best divisional round ever.

  • The Bengals survived 9 sacks in Tennessee to upset the No. 1 seed.
  • The 49ers shocked the Packers in Green Bay thanks to special teams.
  • The Rams looked like they sent Tom Brady into retirement in Tampa.
  • The Bills and Chiefs scored 31 points after the 2-minute warning in a 42-36 overtime classic.

We’ll see what we get this time, and two of the games are rematches from 2 years ago. Oddly enough, we almost had 3 rematches if the Rams would have pulled off the only close finish in the wild card round, but they lost 24-23.

That’s one of the things I’m looking at this week. We’ve had 22 straight quarters without a lead change this postseason. We already have 5 wire-to-wire wins (recent record is 8 in 2020) with 7 games to go this postseason. We have the No. 1 seeds nearly favored by 10 points, and even the Lions are a 6.5-point home favorite. But I think there is potential for more drama this weekend.

In 16 of the last 18 seasons, at least one home team lost in the divisional round (exceptions: 2015 and 2018).

This Week’s Articles

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

Let’s start with my chart of stuff I’m betting on this week, which includes most of the picks from the links above.

Yes, I put both BUF and KC in the ML picks because I will certainly be making bets for each scenario. I think it’s as big of a coin flip game as any this weekend. If you want my official pick you just have to scroll a couple centimeters cause I’m giving the final score picks right here.

Texans at Ravens (-9.5)

I certainly don’t think the Ravens have accomplished enough in the playoffs to trust them to take care of business here. But I have my concerns with Houston being down receivers and having an inconsistent defense. The “rookie quarterback on the road against No. 1 defense” is also obviously a huge hurdle to overcome, even if C.J. Stroud is a special case. I think Houston’s best hope is an early turnover or mistake from the Ravens (tipped pick or failed 4th down) and to get up on the scoreboard and let that pressure mount on the top seed. Houston’s lack of turnovers is a real positive in this matchup, because you can’t feed the Ravens short fields and make this easier for them.

Nothing this weekend would really shock me. None of these upsets would be on the level of the 2010 Jets in New England a month after 45-3 happened. This wouldn’t even be the worst loss by a Baltimore team as a No. 1 seed. In fact, that 2019 upset by the Titans is what makes this less of a surprise if it happens. But I think the Ravens have their best scoring playoff game under Lamar and get the win (but not the cover) over an impressive Stroud who will be the overwhelming favorite to repeat in the AFC South next year and be a top MVP candidate.

Final: Ravens 27, Texans 19

Packers at 49ers (-9.5)

Remember when the Packers were the front-running team that you just had to punch in the face early and take control of the game? The 49ers used to do that to them all the time in big games. In a way, that’s still possible in this matchup as Jordan Love is going to face a tougher challenge than he did a week ago in Dallas. But that game was good prep work for this one as the Cowboys and 49ers were both historical teams this year at winning games by big margins and rarely having to play from behind. That’s why I love the idea of Green Bay taking the ball first if they can like they did last week and getting off to that good start and making Brock Purdy play from behind.

But I think with an extra week to prepare and a better coaching staff, the 49ers are going to have a plan and have too much talent for the Packers to overcome this year. But just like with Baltimore, who also rested starters in Week 18 and had a bye week, watch out if there’s that early sign of rust and a mistake that the Packers can capitalize on. Remember, the Ravens and 49ers barely won any close games this year, so if you can challenge them early and make them uncomfortable, all the pressure is on them to win these games. That’s why I have some hope we could see at least one close finish, if not an upset out of these Saturday games.

Final: 49ers 30, Packers 23

Buccaneers at Lions (-6.5)

I don’t take much away from the 20-6 game these teams played in Week 6. The Detroit defense has gotten worse, the Tampa offense has gotten better. I think both teams score at least 20 and we get a nice little aerial show out of Goff and Mayfield. I like Evans and St. Brown to both score. But I like that Goff has a history of stepping up against Bowles’ blitz and carrying the offense in those games. The spread would probably be a little lower if I set the line for this game, but it should be a nice appetizer before Sunday’s main event. I’m just going to trust the Lions at home to get the job done again. A game similar to last week but with more balanced scoring over the two halves.

Final: Lions 30, Buccaneers 24

Chiefs at Bills (-2.5)

I think the top AFC preview, Upset Alert, and Scott’s Seven Pick linked above did my talking for me in great detail about this game already. My preseason pick was the Chiefs settling for the #3 seed because they lost to the #2 seed Bills in December. Then I had the Bills beating #7 Pittsburgh in the wild card, then I had them beating the #3 Chiefs in the divisional round to set up an AFC title game in Baltimore against the #1 seed next week.

Why change the pick now when we’re so close to that all happening? Having said that, I still think you see an upset this weekend, and this is still the game most likely to produce it. The closer we get to kickoff, the more I like the Chiefs’ chances as I think Buffalo’s injuries are relevant not just on defense, but they don’t have Gabe Davis to take some attention away down the field and free up Stefon Diggs, who had his worst game of the season in Arrowhead.

I also think the road game thing is overblown for Mahomes, who has been fantastic on the road in his career and will likely relish this challenge this week. He’s also 7-3 SU and 8-1-1 as an underdog in his career. Yeah, I’m already repeating things I wrote several times this week, so I would highly recommend reading those links above for my full thoughts on this game.

I just think the defenses play well enough to keep the score down (no 42-36 this time), and it’ll come down to who makes the big mistake or the big stop at the end. Just like it has the last 3 times these teams have met. And in the end, I’ve been saying all year how the Chiefs’ mistakes (the league-leading drops, the annoying penalties on the OL and one huge one on Kadarius Toney, the obligatory fumble, etc.) are going to kill them come playoff time when they’re on the road trying to keep up with another top quarterback and they have this WR room holding them back.

So, I stuck with the gut.

Final: Bills 24, Chiefs 21

Enjoy the last big slate (4 windows) of the 2023 season.

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Published by Scott

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