The Wild Card Round is in the books, and you have to say it did not go as most of us expected. MyBookie Sportsbook 2024 NFL Divisional Round Dark Horse Wagering Picks
Upsets were the order of the weekend, with Houston, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay all knocking out teams that were expected to move on and perhaps even compete for a Super Bowl. While those wins were great for the teams that moved on, there is no time for any of them to rest on their laurels, as the Divisional Round is now almost upon us. There are 4 games this weekend, with 2 coming on Saturday and the other 2 on Sunday, but are we going to see some more upsets? What we are going to do here is look at the underdogs in all 4 games to try and figure out the best way to wager on them, so let’s get to it.
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens
It seems that the Houston Texans are on an AFC North tour as they look to make an improbable run to the Super Bowl. They totally destroyed the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Game, but that one did come on home soil. This weekend, they need to hit the road to face the Baltimore Ravens, a team that a lot of pundits now have as the favorite to win it all. The Texans head to Baltimore as a 9-point underdog, which seems a little on the high side to me. The Texans have covered the spread in 8 of their last 11 road games, so that is the way I would go if I were to bet on them this weekend.
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
When: Saturday, January 20, 4:30 PM
TV/Stream: ESPN, ABC, ESPN+
Bet on the Texans at Ravens to Win Today
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers
If the Packers are to go all the way to the Super Bowl, they are going to need to take the long road, as they will be away from home the entire way. That did not seem like an issue for them in the Wild Card, though, as they went into Dallas and laid an absolute beating on the Cowboys. This, though, feels like a tougher assignment, as witnessed by the Packers heading to the bay area as a 9 ½ point underdog. They have covered in 6 of their last 9 overall, but I am looking at the OVER here, as that is how things have gone in each of their last 6 road games.
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
When: Saturday, January 20, 8:15 PM
TV/Stream: FOX
Bet on the Packers at 49ers to Win Today
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
The Buccaneers are another team that delivered a stunning upset in the Wild Card, getting past the Philadelphia Eagles in rather convincing fashion. Next up is a trip to Detroit to face a Lions team that barely got past the LA Rams. The Bucs hit the road as a 6 ½ point underdog, and while they are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games, they are just 4-11 ATS in their last 15 meetings with the Lions. The UNDER is the more convincing option, as that is how 4 of their last 5 games have gone, as well as 9 of their last 13 as an underdog.
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
When: Sunday, January 21, 3:00 PM
TV/Stream: NBC
Bet on the Buccaneers at Lions to Win Today
Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills
This matchup seemed somehow inevitable, as these two teams have been on a collision course over the past 2 or 3 seasons. Both made light work of the Wild Card Round, and this one is expected to be close, just as it was when they met in the regular season, The Chiefs are in as a 2 ½ point underdog, which to me essentially makes this a pick ‘em type of game. I would not be surprised to see the Chiefs go into Buffalo and get the win.
Where: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
When: Sunday, January 21, 6:30 PM
TV/Stream: CBS
Bet on the Chiefs at Bills to Win Today
Odds to Win the Super Bowl 58 Before the NFL Divisional Round Games
| Team Odds | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers +175 | Baltimore Ravens +280 |
| Buffalo Bills +475 | Kansas City Chiefs +800 |
| Detroit Lions +950 | Green Bay Packers +2500 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3300 | Houston Texans +3300 |
| Bet Super Bowl 58 Lines | |
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Check Out 1-2 Punch of Divisional Round Dark Horse Wagering Picks!
Previous Betting News
Check Out 1-2 Punch of Divisional Round Dark Horse Wagering Picks!
If you love a simple parlay or teaser wager that features some bankroll-boosting dark horse underdogs with legitimate NFL betting value, then you’re going to love this good old-fashioned 1-2 combination!
Thanks to this look at my top two dark horse picks to pull off the ATS upset in their respective divisional round pairings, you’re going to have a great chance to increase your annual NFL earnings…double-barrel style.
Okay, with that said, let’s rock and roll with the NFL betting lines.
Dark Horse Wagering Pick #1: Kansas City +5 vs. New England
When: 4:35 PM ET, Saturday, January 16, 2016
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Analysis: The Kansas City Chiefs are my top dark horse pick to win their divisional matchup, even on the road against the incomparable Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, Kansas City ranked ninth in scoring (25.3 ppg) and third in points allowed (17.9 ppg) while also finishing in the top 10 across the board defensively.
I love the fact that Kansas City has a trio of Pro Bowl defenders that all could give Brady big trouble in linebackers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali and rookie cornerback Marcus Peters.
The Chiefs are a perfect 5-0 ATS in their last five road games, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall and a consistent 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against their AFC counterparts.
Conversely, the Patriots are also just 5-11 ATS in their last 16 playoff games and a surprising 4-9 ATS in their last 13 playoff home games.
How do you spell upset?
I spell it K-A-N-S-A-S C-I-T-Y!
Dark Horse Wagering Pick #2: Seattle +2.5 vs. Carolina
When: 1:05 PM ET, Sunday, January 17, 2016
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Analysis: The Seattle Seahawks didn’t look very good at all in their narrow 10-9 win over Minnesota last weekend and the fact of the matter is they should have lost.
Still, Seattle has new life and they could make it pay off against a Carolina Panthers team that lost just one game during the regular season.
The Seahawks finished the regular season on fire, winning six of their final seven games, including an emphatic blowout win of Arizona in their finale. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate into a good performance against the Vikings last weekend, although the game’s seriously inclement weather played a major factor.
Seattle ranked fourth in total offense and fifth in scoring during the regular season (26.4 ppg) while finishing no worse than second across the board defensively, including first in points allowed (17.3 ppg).
Still, the Seahawks face a tall task in trying to take out a Panthers team that ranked first in scoring (31.2 ppg) and sixth in points allowed (19.2 pg) during the regular season.
Carolina quarterback cam Newton is a virtual lock to win the league’s MVP award this season and he can hurt teams by both, passing the ball or running it.
Seattle has gone are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 road games vs. a team with a winning home record and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall.
The Panthers however, are 4-0 ATS in their last four home games and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games against their NFC counterparts.
While 59 percent of the betting public likes Carolina to get the job done, I’m thinking the ‘real’ Seattle Seahawks could show up this weekend, making them my No. 2 dark horse pick to pull off the upset!
Divisional Round Dark Horse Wagering Picks
Previous Betting News
Divisional Round Dark Horse Wagering Picks
By the time Sunday night comes to an end, we will have gone from 8 teams in the NFL playoffs to just 4. It is the home teams that have been put on the board as favorites for the Divisional Round games, but the Wild Card weekend proved that the road teams cannot be discounted, as all 4 away teams came away with the win last weekend. If that trend hold, we could be in for some major upsets this weekend, so let’s look at the dark horses in the NFL Divisional Round. For our NFL betting lines.
Betting on the Kansas City Chiefs (+195)
The Chiefs will head to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Saturday, January 16 at 4:35 PM EST on CBS. It’s never an easy task to knock off the defending champion, but when you are coming in on an 11-game winning streak, your confidence level must be sky high. That is exactly how the Chiefs are coming into this one, and while the Patriots will be back at full strength, they will have a number of guys looking to shake the rust off after injuries. You can bet that the Chiefs will be trying to get out to a fast start to see if they can expose that rust.
Betting on the Seattle Seahawks (+107)
It’s hard to really think of the Seahawks as a dark horse, but they are a Wild Card team that will have to win on the road in order to get to their 3rd straight Super Bowl. They already beat the Vikings on the road, and the next stop will be at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, where they will face the #1 ranked Carolina Panthers on Sunday, January 17 at 1:05 PM EST on FOX. The Seahawks lost to the Panthers earlier in the season, but anyone who saw that games knows that Seattle dominated that one before falling to a late Panthers rally. There is every opportunity that they can close things out this time around.
Seattle is an unlikely candidate for dark horse status, yet they need to score one more on-the-road victory.
Betting on the Green Bay Packers (+250)
The Packers will make the trip to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on Saturday, January 16 at 8:15 PM EST on NBC. Green Bay took a pretty heavy beating at the hands of the Cardinals in Week 16, but that is not necessarily an indication of how things might go this weekend. The Packers offense came to life in the Wild Card game in Washington, and a similar type of performance this weekend could see the game turn into a shootout. Would you bet against Aaron Rodgers in that type of game?
Betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers
The team with the toughest task this weekend has to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. They will travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, January 17 at 4:40 PM EST on CBS. Antonio Brown is out with a concussion, and Ben Roethlisberger is going to be severely limited in what he can do with torn ligaments in his throwing shoulder. The defense proved last week against the Bengals that they can shoulder the load, and you can bet they will be going after Peyton Manning in a big way. If they can create turnovers, they could steal a win on the road at very good odds.
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