This weekend will decide who makes up our NFL “Final Four.” The divisional round of the playoffs has the potential to be the most entertaining round of the postseason and it certainly got off to a rousing start on Saturday.
The Cincinnati Bengals punched their ticket with a walk-off win on the road over the top-seeded Titans, while the 49ers sent Aaron Rodgers and the top-seeded Packers home early with a walk-off win as well. On Sunday, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford face off for the second time this year, while the Chiefs and Bills tangle in a rematch of last season’s AFC title game. If you’re looking for advice on what lines to play this weekend, you’ve come to the right spot.
Every week, we collect all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff and more.
All NFL odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
Which picks can you make with confidence in the divisional round? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as their incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up over $7,500 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago.
Time: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (try for free)
Open: Buccaneers -3, O/U 48.5
Current: Buccaneers -2.5, O/U 48
“Tristan Wirfs being injured and his backup being shaken up really gives me concern. At some point, the injuries are going to catch up to the Buccaneers. Plus I had the Rams in the Super Bowl this year.” — CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones is eyeing an upset in this matchup. To read his insider notebook and the rest of his divisional round picks, click here.
“Both of these teams turned in strong performances in the wild card round, each winning by multiple scores. While the Rams defeated the Bucs in their regular-season matchup, I do think the calculus changes with this game being played at Raymond James Stadium. At home, the Buccaneers averaged an NFL-best 409.8 yards per game and an average margin of victory of 16.1 points, which also topped the league.
“The Rams were also a statistically strong team on the road this year but were under .500 away from SoFi Stadium against the spread. Against teams with a winning record, L.A. was also 2-5 ATS over their last seven games. I see Tom Brady being able to negate the Rams pass rush with quick throws from the pocket and pick his way down the field to build up enough of a winning margin that goes above this field goal spread.” — CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan is taking the Buccaneers to win and cover the spread this week. To read his column, click here.
Before you make any Rams vs. Buccaneers picks or any other NFL predictions, you need to see which side R.J. White is on. A CBS Sports fantasy and gambling editor, White ended the 2020 season on an 80-59 run on all NFL picks, returning more than $1,400 during that span. It’s no surprise, as White has cashed huge twice in the world’s most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest. In addition, White has gone an astounding 33-18-4 on his last 55 picks involving Tampa Bay, returning nearly $1,300. You can see who R.J. is taking in the Rams-Bucs matchup over at SportsLine, and you can also get his top player prop pick for the game, along with more picks from SportsLine’s top NFL experts, in this featured article.
Time: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)
Open: Chiefs -2.5, O/U 54.5
Current: Chiefs -2, O/U 54
“This is a rematch from a game earlier this season that the Bills won on the Chiefs’ home field. The Bills and Chiefs are both coming off impressive victories. Both Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen lit up their opponents last week, but this is a big step up for both in terms of defenses. The Bills have the top-ranked defense in the league and built their pass rush in the offseason to beat Mahomes. The Chiefs defense isn’t as good, but it played much better over the course of the second half of the season. The Chiefs love to blitz, which will leave Allen free to run and make throws on the run. I think that will be the difference here. The Bills behind Allen will win a fun shootout for the ages.” — CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco has the Bills pulling off the upset! To read his breakdown of every game, click here.
“What an absolute banger of a game. My CBS bosses are running pure right now, catching 49ers/Cowboys and now this Josh Allen/Patrick Mahomes matchup. If you claim to KNOW how this game will go, you’re a liar. Or Biff Tannen. This is a heavyweight title fight on divisional round weekend. Mahomes gets the edge at QB, even if Allen has played better of late. Andy Reid is a fairly big edge over Sean McDermott, but let’s not forget Reid FIRED McD from the Eagles. These teams have met plenty of times previously, but running through Bill Belichick/New England, Reid/K.C./Mahomes and then maybe even Tom Brady is a gauntlet. The Bills could snuff out some curses with a win here. I don’t think anyone can guarantee a winner here, so I’ll take the points and the scrappy underdog with the better roster in a shootout.” — CBS Sports’ Will Brinson likes the Bills to advance to the AFC Championship game. To read his picks column, click here.
Before you make Bills vs. Chiefs picks or any other NFL predictions, you need to see which side SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein is on. This season he has been on fire. Hartstein is 70-46-1 in his last 117 NFL sides, for a profit of more than $1800. In addition, Hartstein has gone an astounding 23-8 in his last 31 picks involving Kansas City, returning $1,400 to $100 bettors! Anyone who has followed him is way up. You can see who Larry is taking in the Bills-Chiefs matchup over at SportsLine, and you can also get his top player prop pick for the game, along with more picks from SportsLine’s top NFL experts, in this featured article.
