{"id":36246,"date":"2022-01-19T16:12:19","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T06:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/?p=36246"},"modified":"2022-01-24T14:00:17","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T04:00:17","slug":"2022-nfl-divisional-round-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/2022\/01\/2022-nfl-divisional-round-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2021 NFL Divisional Round Tips & Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL Playoffs continue this weekend with a trip to the Conference Championships on the line. <\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Divisional Round is headlined by four huge games, and it all begins on Sunday with the Bengals looking to continue their fairytale season against the Titans in Tennessee. <\/span><\/p>\n

The 49ers caused an early upset last week over the Cowboys, and they\u2019ll look to keep momentum rolling when they head to the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for the second time this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we could see plenty of points in both games on Monday when the Bucs take on the Rams, followed by what is arguably the game of the weekend between the Chiefs and Bills from Arrowhead. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s make-or-break time for all eight teams, and our best bets for the Divisional Round are available here!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans <\/div>\n
Tip: Back the Titans to Cover the Line (-3.5 Points) @ $1.90<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n
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The Bengals won their first playoff game in over 30 years last week with a victory over the Raiders, but there\u2019s little time to celebrate with the AFC\u2019s No. 1 seed up next. <\/span><\/p>\n

Well rested and playing at home, Tennessee has opened -3.5 favourites to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second time in four years. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Titans wrapped up the regular season with three wins on the trot, and they might be about to receive a timely boost in the form of starting running back, Derrick Henry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s leading rusher has returned to the practice field, and while his snaps might be limited on Sunday, there\u2019s no question Henry\u2019s inclusion poses big problems for a Bengals team that just gave up over 100 yards to Vegas. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bengals might be the last team you want to play coming off a bye, but I still think the Titans win this one. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sine 2015, Tennessee has gone 6-1 following a week off, and I think the extra week will have given Coach of the Year favourite Mike Vrabel plenty of time to scheme up a game plan to combat Joe Burrow and Ja\u2019Marr Chase.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bengals have done extremely well to get to this point, and there\u2019s certainly a bright future ahead with one of the best young quarterback\u2019s leading the charge. <\/span><\/p>\n

That said, this is still a very immature team, and that should be evident this week on the road against a well-coached, and very experienced team like Tennessee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n Bet Now: Bengals @ Titans<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n<\/section>\n
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San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers <\/div>\n
Tip: Back the Packers 1-13 @ $2.30<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n
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There\u2019s no shortage of storylines heading into this one. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only did these two teams play out a classic back in Week 3, but this is also another chapter in the \u201cAaron Rodgers vs the team that passed on him in the 2005 Draft\u201d saga. <\/span><\/p>\n

As far as records go, it\u2019s worth noting that Rodgers is 0-3 lifetime in playoff games against San Francisco, but one could argue that this is a much better Green Bay side than those of years past. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Packers are the rightful Super Bowl favourites after locking up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and it just so happens that they are also set to welcome a few familiar faces back from injury. <\/span><\/p>\n

The league\u2019s highest-paid offensive lineman, David Bakhtiari, returned to the field in Week 18 against Detroit, while the Packers will also welcome star corner Jaire Alexander back to the field for the first time since Week 4. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes players returning from injury this late in the season can be a hinderance – just ask the 2011 Packers – but there\u2019s no question this team is much better off with its stars on the field, particularly on defence. <\/span><\/p>\n

Green Bay has struggled to defend the run down the stretch, so if the 49ers are going to cause another upset on the road, it\u2019s likely going to come at the hands of Elijah Mitchell. <\/span><\/p>\n

For Packer fans, the thought of that alone is enough to open up old wounds. Green Bay was sliced by San Francisco on the ground when they met in the NFC Championship Game two years ago, and we saw a similar story unfold last week against the Cowboys. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, as long as the Packers have Rodgers, they\u2019re in safe hands, while the fact this game is being played at Lambeau should also help their cause tremendously. <\/span><\/p>\n

Temperatures of -6 and snow are forecast for kickoff, which is a potential problem for a warm-weather team like San Francisco. <\/span><\/p>\n

With Lambeau also sold out, unlike last year, I like the Packers in a close one. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n Bet Now: 49ers @ Packers<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n<\/section>\n
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Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers <\/div>\n
Tip: Back the Rams to Cover the Line (+3 Points) $1.87<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n
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A couple of all-too-familiar foes will square off this weekend in Tampa with a trip to the NFC Championship Game on the line. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Rams prevailed 34-24 when they met the Bucs back in Week 3, but it\u2019s fair to say both teams have taken completely different paths to arrive at this point. <\/span><\/p>\n

After finishing the regular season 14-4, Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champs made short work of the Eagles last week in a game that was basically over before it began. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bucs ran the ball 31 times for over 100 yards, while the defence also did its part forcing three turnovers. <\/span><\/p>\n

In similar fashion, the Rams made short work of the rival Cardinals on Monday Night Football only a week removed from a very unconvincing overtime loss to San Francisco. <\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew Stafford bounced back with a turnover-free performance, and the defence also managed two interceptions against Kyler Murray. <\/span><\/p>\n

These two teams were both fancied to be among the top Super Bowl contenders to start the season, and while tipping this game is tough, I really think it\u2019s LA\u2019s to lose. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been well documented that the Bucs are battered and bruised, and that unfortunate trend continue last week with key offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs and Ryan Jensen both suffering injuries. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the scoreline, Brady was sacked four times in the win over the Eagles, and things aren\u2019t about to get easier with one-man wrecking ball Aaron Donald, and Von Miller on the opposite side this week. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you rewind back to Week 3, Stafford was also instrumental throwing for nearly 350 yards and four touchdowns. <\/span><\/p>\n

If he plays another clean game and the pass rush gets to Brady, the defending champs might be headed for an early exit. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n Bet Now: Rams @ Bucs<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n<\/section>\n
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Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs <\/div>\n
Tip: SGM – Bills to Cover the Line (+2 Points) & Over 55 Total Points @ $3.20<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n
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It\u2019ll be a hot ticket in Kansas City this week with the Buffalo Bills in town. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Chiefs continued their march to a third straight Super Bowl appearance with a comfortable win over the Steelers, but this shapes as a much tougher test against a team they\u2019ve grown very familiar with. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bills lost to the Chiefs at Arrowhead in the AFC Championship Game last year, but they got some revenge when they met in Week 5 on the road winning 38-20 in one of the upsets of the season. <\/span><\/p>\n

A guy like Andy Reid will use all of that as motivation for his players during the week, while you can bet Bills coach Sean McDermott will be looking to implement a similar strategy to the one that saw his side score with ease. <\/span><\/p>\n

Josh Allen threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns that day, but perhaps more importantly, the defence also made Patrick Mahomes work by completely shutting down the running game. <\/span><\/p>\n

It goes without saying that a lot has changed since then, but the Bills can definitely make it two in a row over the Chiefs if they stay out of their own way. <\/span><\/p>\n

That might sound relatively simple, but Buffalo actually led Kansas City 9-0 in last year\u2019s Championship Game before mental mistakes (and Mahomes) took over in the second quarter. <\/span><\/p>\n

Mental lapses and some questionable decision-making has cost the Bills more than once over the last few years, but if they can execute the same game plan that saw them score a touchdown on each of their opening seven possessions last week against New England, they\u2019re going to be tough to beat. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, Mahomes and company are seasoned playoff professionals, so you can\u2019t discount this one turning into a quick, high-scoring shootout. <\/span><\/p>\n

That said, I just feel like the Chiefs have looked very vulnerable at times this season, particularly in losses to the Bills, Titans, and more recently, the Bengals. <\/span><\/p>\n

The defence is still a big question mark, and you do have to wonder if those same turnover issues that plagued Mahomes earlier in the year will eventually creep back in. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Bills\u2019 track record in big games always makes me nervous, but with the defence having already shown it can slow the Chiefs down, I like them to cover. <\/span><\/p>\n

\n Bet Now: Bills @ Chiefs<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div> \n <\/div> \n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NFL Playoffs continue this weekend with a trip to the Conference Championships on the line. This year\u2019s Divisional Round is headlined by four huge games, and it all begins on Sunday with the Bengals looking to continue their fairytale season against the Titans in Tennessee. The 49ers caused an early upset last week over…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":24715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,344],"tags":[7256,7259,7258,7260,7257,7193,85,242,2079,2208,237,239,47,48,4100,7254,7253,4101,7255,234,2077,168,2209,2117,238],"hub_post_cat":[],"class_list":["post-36246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-football","category-sports","tag-2022-nfl-divisional-round","tag-2022-nfl-divisional-round-betting","tag-2022-nfl-divisional-round-odds","tag-2022-nfl-divisional-round-preview","tag-2022-nfl-divisional-round-tips","tag-2022-nfl-playoffs","tag-betting","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-betting","tag-nfl-divisional-round","tag-nfl-divisional-round-betting","tag-nfl-divisional-round-odds","tag-nfl-divisional-round-preview","tag-nfl-divisional-round-tips","tag-nfl-odds","tag-nfl-tips","tag-odds","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tennessee-titans"],"acf":{"md_tip_date":null,"md_tip_date_end":null,"md_market_url":"","tip_date":"19\/01\/2022","event_country":"Australia"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36246"},{"taxonomy":"hub_post_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.neds.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub_post_cat?post=36246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}