The first predictions, early lines, and quick analysis of all the 2021 NFL playoff games.
[jwplayer 6t677LoC]
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
– Baltimore at Buffalo
– Cleveland at Kansas City
– Tampa Bay at New Orleans
Well that was a whole big big of fantastic.
The massive expanded NFL Wild Card weekend was outstanding from beginning to end. Even when there was a bit of a dud – (cough) Chicago New Orleans (cough) – it was still relatively entertaining in the glut of all those games that matter.
And now we get even more fun.
Two games Saturday, two games Sunday, and they’re going to be loaded.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen headline Saturday night when Baltimore goes to Buffalo, and we get Round 3 of Brady vs. Brees when Tampa Bay goes to New Orleans to end Sunday night.
Oh yeah, and the Rams going to Green Bay on Saturday and Cleveland taking its show to Kansas City on Sunday isn’t bad either.
So what’s going to happen?
As we do this for the college side, we go with the first-guess picks and then work from there. Like they tell you in third grade, always go with your first answer. I don’t look at the lines, guess at what they are, and then add them at the end.
By the way … went 6-0 straight up and 5-1 against the spread when doing this for the Wild Card round.
However, when our game previews come out – after the news of the week happens and there’s even more of a deep dive happening – these can and might change, but …
2021 NFL Playoffs Divisional Round: Saturday
6 Los Angeles Rams at 1 Green Bay Packers
Saturday, January 16
FOX, 4:35 ET
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: The Rams were able to pull it off against a Seattle team that – for some bizarre reason – thought the answer to not being able to hit third down plays was to keep chucking it deep. Green Bay will be sharper all the way around.
That LA D – No. 1 in the NFL – is obviously amazing, but Aaron Donald is banged up, and as good as that performance against the Seahawks was, that’s not going to be enough to overcome a still-injured Jared Goff.
Green Bay doesn’t turn the ball over enough to matter here, but there’s a bigger problem … Green Bay.
It’s still almost a week away, but it’s expected to be around 20ish degrees at game time.
Knee-Jerk No Research Prediction: Green Bay 26, Los Angeles 16
Early Line No-Look Guess: Green Bay -7.5
Actual BetMGM Line: Green Bay -7, o/u: 46
NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
– Baltimore at Buffalo
– Cleveland at Kansas City
– Tampa Bay at New Orleans