the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs Arguably the best weekend of the season. Narratives disparaging the Super Bowl contenders are all thrown out the window while the contenders decide the score on the field.
look at me Dallas Cowboys And San Francisco 49ers compatible. Same with Buffalo bills And Cincinnati Bengals. All four of these teams are among the best in the league, but this weekend will prove just how good each of these teams are as they take on a team of similar talent in multiple regions on the roster.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles And Kansas City Chiefs They are out to prove they deserve the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences. On the other hand, the underdog New York Giants And Jacksonville Jaguars They seek to prove that their trip to the Divisional Round was no accident.
While matches will be settled on the pitch, how do we rank each of the eight remaining teams? Part of these ratings counts the way to the Super Bowl, but the level of talent on the rosters plays a huge role.
everybody NFL odds Via Caesars Sportsbook.
8. New York Giants
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +3,000
- Odds of winning NFC: +1300
The Giants deserve a lot of credit for being here, beating the Minnesota Vikings On the road for a chance to play Philadelphia in the Divisional Round. New York doesn’t turn the football (7.3% turnover on offense is the best in the NFL) and can run the ball, ranking fourth in the league in rushing (148.2 YPG) and fifth in yards per carry (4.8).
The offense has only two games in which it has scored more than 30 points all season (though they came in the past three games) and is just 15th in points scored per game (21.5) and 18th in yards per game (333.9). The defense is 17th in points allowed per game (21.8) and 25th in yards allowed per game (358.2), with the running defense being 27th in yards allowed per game (144.2) and 31st in yards allowed per game (5.2) .
New York needed Daniel Jones to play his best game of the year against a last-three defense to get past Minnesota. The Giants have been 3-6-1 in their past nine games, but have reached the last eight.
The contrast in talent becomes apparent when you compare the Giants to the rest of the field. However, Brian Daboll and the coaching staff seem to know what they’re doing, playing a style of football that lends itself to beating better opponents. Because of these factors, New York has a chance.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +3,500
- Odds of winning AFC: +1300
The AFC South champions should not have been here six weeks ago, sitting with a 4-8 record and a small chance of winning the league. Jacksonville hasn’t lost since, thanks to Trevor Lawrence’s play and a run defense that has only allowed 90.5 yards per game over the past four contests. Then there’s Doug Pederson, whose in-game tweaks and creative fourth-string calls helped Jacksonville win games, not to mention what he did to locker room culture.
Jacksonville is going into the divisional round for the first time since 2017, with Pederson playing home money against his former head coach in Andy Reid. The Jaguars are still riding high after erasing a 27-0 halftime deficit to stun the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend.
The Jaguars have a top 10 offense in points (23.8) and yards per game (357.4), while Mike Caldwell’s defense has allowed just 13.0 points per game over the past four. The 27 takeaways are also fifth in the NFL.
Don’t sleep in Jacksonville, but the Jaguars have a tough job against Kansas City.
Featured game | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Cincinnati Bengals
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +800
- Odds of winning the AFC: +400
The Bengals are the red hot heading into this stage of the playoffs, winning nine in a row to capture the AFC North — beating the Chiefs and Baltimore Crows (twice) in the process. The defending AFC champion deserves respect with Joe Burrow throwing quarterbacks ahead of playmakers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Cincinnati showed they could go to Kansas City and win a playoff game last year, so the Bengals’ ability to win big games shouldn’t be questioned.
The Bengals don’t have a good offense, ranking 29th in rushing yards per game (92.9) and 29th in yards per attempt (3.8). Pass defense can also be a weakness, ranking 23rd in passing yards per game (227.9) despite only allowing 17 touchdown passes (fourth in the NFL). The Bengals are giving up yards, but they’re sixth in their scoring defense.
Offensive line injuries are why the Bengals are so low. Losing La’El Collins and Jonah Williams are massive blows to a team that needs Burrow’s protection, not to forget that Alex Cappa is also a week-to-week. These injuries may be too much for Cincinnati to overcome, but the difference with Boro should not be counted.
5. Dallas Cowboys
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +850
- Odds of winning NFC: +350
The Cowboys have been one of the best teams in the NFL all season, and they’re as good as any team in the league when Dak Prescott doesn’t turn the ball over and the offense doesn’t have periods where it can’t be moved. This team finished fourth in scoring (27.5 PPG) despite being 11th in yards per game (354.9) and 19th in yards per possession. The running game of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard makes the Cowboys dangerous, even though the Cowboys are only 18th in yards per carry (4.3). His 24 rushing touchdown games ranked second in the NFL, while his 71.4 red zone scoring percentage was the best in the league.
Dallas had the most points in the league (33) and had one of the five best defensive players of the game in Micah Parsons. They are fifth in the league in points allowed (20.1 ppg) and eighth in passing yards allowed (200.9). An obvious weakness is the run defense, which ranks 22nd in yards allowed per game (129.3) and 17th in yards per carry allowed (4.4). Over the past four games, the run defense has only allowed 96.8 yards per game—huge for a team that struggles with running tackles at times.
Dallas has the most experienced player out of the remaining NFC clubs in Prescott, but can this team beat San Francisco? Can she beat Philadelphia with the health of Galen Hurts? This is a Super Bowl contender, but there are questions.
Featured game | San Francisco 49ers vs Dallas Cowboys
4. San Francisco 49ers
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +380
- Odds of winning NFC: +160
How can a team as talented as the 49ers be in the middle of the pack? All San Francisco has done is win 11 straight games — six of which have been with the third-string quarterback having a 121.4 passer rating in that start. Brock Purdy has been great, but he hasn’t encountered a pass rush that can hit a quarterback like Dallas and Philadelphia yet. Sunday will be Purdy’s biggest test of the season.
Combined with Purdy’s bookings, this 49ers team was loaded. They have Christian McCaffrey, Debo Samuel, and George Keitel – all of whom are considered the top five in their respective positions. Brandon Ayuk is also a very good receiver, and Kyle Shanahan is adept at putting these guys in the best positions to win football games. San Francisco ranks sixth in points per game (26.8) and fifth in yards per game (365.6), while the rushing offense has averaged 175.3 yards per game over their past six games.
The 49ers defense is No. 1 in points (16.3) and yards allowed (300.6) while allowing the fewest points per possession in the league. The run defense is second in yards allowed (77.7) and in yards per carry allowed (3.4), but the pass defense is 20 yards allowed (223.2). However, the unit has the most interceptions in the NFL (20).
San Francisco is the most exciting team in the NFL, but their path to the Super Bowl is very difficult. This is another team that has a legitimate case for being No. 1.
3. Buffalo bills
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +350
- Odds of winning AFC: +165
Buffalo could easily be #1 on this list with the talent on this list. The Bills are built to win the Super Bowl this season with Josh Allen at quarterback, leading the No. 2 offense in points (28.8) and yards (399.1) per game. The Buffaloes—not known as a running team—ranked seventh in rushing yards per game (137.6) and second in yards per carry (5.2). The Bills were also second in terms of points and hours per possession, making this offense one of the most dangerous in the NFL. Their three losses were by nine points combined.
The defense was second in points allowed per game (18.6) and fifth in yards allowed per game (313.9). They have a top five defense in yards per game (100.9) and rank seventh in rushing allowed (10). Buffalo’s pass defense isn’t as strong as it has been in years past (15 yards allowed and 13 in touchdown passes allowed), but this defense creates turnovers (27 tips is fourth in the NFL).
This Bills team is good enough to win the Super Bowl, and they would benefit from playing the Chiefs in a neutral site title game if it pays off. If Josh Allen can sponsor football, Buffalo will be very difficult to beat – even if his path to the Super Bowl includes Cincinnati this week.
Featured game | Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Philadelphia Eagles
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +525
- Odds of winning NFC: +165
Somehow, the Eagles don’t get respect for how good they have been all season. This team cruised to the #1 seed in the NFC and was 14-1 in games with Jalen Hurts starting at quarterback. Perhaps Hurts’ shoulder injury is affecting Philadelphia, but the fact is that the Eagles had to win just one of their last three games to seal a home advantage and they had an extra week off to prepare for their next opponent – which is huge for them. Harm and crime.
Philadelphia ranked third in points per game (28.1) and yards per game (389.1) while also having a top-five rushing offense (147.6 YPG) and leading the league in rushing touchdowns (32). She was also top five in points and yards per possession.
The defense is also a top five unit, ranking eighth in points per game (20.2) and second in yards per game (301.4). Philadelphia had #1 pass defense (179.8 YPG) with James Bradbury and Darius Slay and also had 70 sacks on the season. Four players have had over 10 sacks on the Eagles, the most by any team in NFL history.
The Eagles are one of the most complete teams in the NFL, and the Hurts got a lot of rest to get that right shoulder. That team wins when Hurts is on the court.
Featured game | Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants
1. The Kansas City Chiefs
- Odds of winning the Super Bowl: +310
- Odds of winning the AFC: +145
Not only are the Chiefs the top seed in the conference, but Kansas City has Andy Reid as head coach and Patrick Mahomes as quarterback. Those two factors alone make Kansas City dangerous this time of year (remember, Mahomes has never played a road playoff game, nor has he ever had a season as a quarterback during which he failed to reach the conference championship game).
The Chiefs had the highest scoring offense (29.2 PPG) and the highest offense in yards per game (413.6). They had the most offense in points and yards per possession, and their running game improved significantly over the last nine weeks of the season. The defense is under pressure at the quarterback (second in the league with 55 sacks) and has the highest-ranked defense in points per game (11) since Steve Spagnolo took over as defensive coordinator in 2019.
Kansas City lost to Buffalo and Cincinnati this year, but this team has the ultimate advantage in Reed and Mahomes. This places the Chiefs as the best team left in these playoffs.
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