The first predictions, early rules, and quick analysis of all 2021 NFL playoff games.
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NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
Baltimore at Buffalo
Cleveland in Kansas City
– Tampa Bay in New Orleans
Well, that was a very big fantastic one.
The hugely expanded NFL Wild Card weekend was excellent from start to finish. Even when there was a bit of a dud – (cough) Chicago New Orleans (cough) – it was still relatively entertaining in the plethora of all those games that matter.
And now we get even more fun.
Two games on Saturday, two games on Sunday, and they’re loading.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen headlined Saturday night as Baltimore heads to Buffalo, and we get round 3 of Brady vs. Brees as Tampa Bay heads to New Orleans to end Sunday night.
Oh yeah, and the Rams going to Green Bay on Saturday and Cleveland going to Kansas City on Sunday isn’t bad either.
So what’s going to happen?
Since we’re doing this for the university side, we’ll go with the initial guessing choices and work from there. As they tell you in the third grade, always go with your first answer. I don’t look at the lines, guess what they are, then add them to the end.
By the way… went straight up 6-0 and 5-1 against the spread when I did this for the Wild Card round.
However, when our game previews come out – after the news of the week comes and there’s even more of a deep dive going on – these can and can 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
Direct analysis of the knee: 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 throwing it deep. Green Bay will be sharper everywhere.
That LA D – No. 1 in the NFL – is great, of course, but Aaron Donald is confused, and as good as that performance was against the Seahawks, that won’t be enough to overcome a still-injured Jared Goff .
Green Bay doesn’t turn the ball around enough, but there’s a bigger problem … Green Bay.
It’s still nearly a week away, but it’s expected to be around 20 degrees during the match.
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 / h: 46
NFL Playoff Divisional Round First Thought Predictions
Baltimore at Buffalo
Cleveland in Kansas City
– Tampa Bay in New Orleans