Both No. 1 seeds are in action on Saturday when the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs gets started. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles opened as slightly more than a converted touchdown favorite in their matchups. The Chiefs look to continue their run of postseason success under Patrick Mahomes as an 8-point favorite against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who staged a remarkable comeback to knock off the Chargers in the wild card round.
The late game on Saturday features NFC East foes when top-seeded Philadelphia Eagles take on the New York Giants. Looking to make the most of their first playoff appearance in six years, the Giants stunned Minnesota, 31-24, on Sunday as a 2.5-point underdog. The Giants were the first road team to win a wild card game until Dallas matched the feat on Monday. The Eagles swept the season series and have won three in a row overall and 11 of the past 13 meetings. The teams met in the regular season finale with Philly scoring a 22-16 victory against a Giants club that elected to rest Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley and others. New York covered the 17-point closing line and is 6-3 ATS in the last nine series meetings.
NFL Divisional Playoffs Betting Odds
Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs
Date and Time: Saturday, January 21, 2023, 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Opening NFL Odds: Chiefs -8, O/U 52
Jaguars at Chiefs TV Coverage: NBC
Credit the Jags for getting here. Their comeback win over the Bolts gets them a date with the top-seeded Chiefs. What should scare KC is knowing that the Jags really have nothing to lose in this matchup, and they are playing at a high level, with the exception of the first half of last week’s game. Jacksonville closed the regular season with five straight wins needing all of them and a collapse by Tennessee to claim the AFC South title. In a way they were all playoff games with a loss in any of them dooming the season. They went 4-1 ATS in those games and were one of three underdogs to win outright on Wild Card weekend.
Maybe playoff jitters played a role in Jacksonville’s ugly first half against the Chargers. Trevor Lawrence tossed four interceptions and a muffed punt led to a field goal giving the Bolts a 27-0 lead. Lawrence responded with a scoring pass to close the first half, which didn’t seem like much at the time but was a turning point. Lawrence was stellar in the second half going 18 of 23 for 211 yards and three scores. I’m not sure the Jags have the same luck against KC if they play so bad for a half. And there are a lot of things favoring KC. Mahomes has never lost a divisional round game and Andy Reid-coached teams are a ridiculous 21-3 in games following a bye. The teams met in Week 10 pushing the 10-point spread in KC’s 27-17 win. The outcome was never in doubt with Mahomes tossing three first half scoring passes for a 20-0 lead then holding on. KC’s top ranked offense has scored at least 24 points in nine straight games and has scored 27 or more five times while winning the last six games and going 4-1-1 ATS against the Jags. Six of KC’s last 10 games were decided by four points or less giving me confidence to back the Jags.
NFL Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars +8 / UNDER 52
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Date and Time: Saturday, January 21, 2023, 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Opening NFL Odds: Eagles -7.5, O/U 48
Giants at Eagles TV Coverage: FOX
For the second time in three weeks and third time this season these team hook up. The Eagles had a surprisingly difficult time in the Week 18 matchup struggling against a team resting several key players. Philly got the 22-16 victory though, clinching the division and top-seed in the process. The celebration was delayed when Jalen Hurts went down with an injury. The Eagles lost to Dallas and New Orleans with Gardner Minshew at the helm. Hurts had the chance to get some reps, which will only help in this matchup. Hurts dominated the first meeting throwing a pair of scoring passes and running for 77 yards and another score in Philly’s 48-22 romp. I expect to see the MVP-hopeful Hurts in this one instead of the one we saw last week.
The Giants looked good on offense over the last few games but they also faced some of the worst defenses. Minnesota had a glossy record despite their inability to stop teams and the Colts were a sieve. Who knows what would’ve happened if Jones and everybody else played a few weeks ago. The game was tight with New York’s defense turning up the heat. They held opponents to an average of fewer than 20 points over the last five. The Eagles are better in just about every area meaning the Giants need to play over their heads. If Hurts has no limitations, though, all bets are off.
NFL Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -7.5 / UNDER 48
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