The best week of the NFL playoffs is here, as divisional round football will be played this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions will take their home fields for the first time this postseason, while the two NFL MVP favorites face off in Buffalo. Are you wondering how to bet this weekend? We got you covered.
As we do every week, we’ve collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get sports betting 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. Ready? Let’s jump in.
All NFL betting courtesy of SportsLine consensus.
Which picks can you make with confidence this week? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception.
Time: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN and fubo, try for free)
Open: Chiefs -7.5, O/U 43.5
“The Kansas City Chiefs have left us scratching our heads all season. Despite just one loss on their résumé, there’s been plenty of questions if this is a club that truly has the legs to make a deep playoff run. Well, I do. This is a team led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, who have been there and won that. Over his career, Mahomes has flat-out dominated in the divisional round, owning a 6-0 record while totaling 302.2 total yards per game, 16 total touchdowns and zero turnovers. This is when he officially flips the switch and I anticipate the Chiefs looking like a powerhouse, particularly after this extended break of over 20 days. While Houston did rally after a sluggish start against the Chargers, I still have my doubts that they can take down a legitimate Super Bowl contender like they’ll face here in the Chiefs.”
Tyler Sullivan is taking the Chiefs to roll at home. To read his breakdown of each game this weekend, click here.
“This game is about a Patrick Mahomes unit that hasn’t played in almost a month going up against a defense that just became the first since the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV to allow a sub-45% completion percentage while recording four interceptions and four sacks in a playoff game. I know the Chargers aren’t some offensive powerhouse, but for the Texans to hold this rushing offense to 50 yards and make Herbert look that bad was pretty eye-opening … especially with how the game was going early on.
The storyline surrounding the Chiefs is their pursuit of the NFL’s first-ever three-peat. This offense was statistically middle of the pack, but I think they proved last year they can hit a different gear once the postseason rolls around. The Texans are 0-5 all time in the divisional round and 0-5 all time on the road in the postseason. I have the Chiefs winning this game. HOWEVER, the Chiefs are not a good team to bet on when it comes to covering the spread. Kansas City is 0-6-1 ATS this season when favored by six or more points. Give me Houston to cover.”
Jordan Dajani is taking the Texans to cover the spread! To read his picks for the divisional round of the playoffs, click here.
Time: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (Fox and fubo, try for free)
Open: Lions -7.5, O/U 55.5
“Washington only lost one game this season by more than eight points, which was in Week 1 against Tampa Bay. Ten of its last 11 games have been decided by one possession, with the exception of a blowout victory over Tennessee on Dec. 1. As good as Detroit is, I feel this current spread, nearing 10 points, is disrespectful to the Commanders. Of the eight games Detroit played against 2024-25 playoff teams, six were decided by one possession. I would be mildly surprised if this was a Detroit blowout, but at the same time, I would also be borderline shocked if the Lions fell at home to a rookie quarterback. Look for Detroit’s potent rushing attack to salt the game away in the final minutes. For the second straight season, Detroit’s unluckiest franchise will be one step away from making its first Super Bowl.”
SportsLine expert Eric Cohen has revealed his final score predictions for the four games in the NFL this weekend. To check them out, head on over to SportsLine.
Larry Hartstein, who is on a 19-5 roll with Commanders picks, has released his best bets for the divisional round. We can tell you he’s leaning Over when it comes to the high total, but to check out Hartstein’s official pick on the spread, head on over to SportsLine.
Time: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET (NBC and fubo, try for free)
Open: Eagles -6, O/U 45.5
“The Rams got stuck playing in the dreaded Monday night game during the wild-card round, which has been a nightmare for almost everyone who has ever played in it. Over the past two years, three teams have won on Monday in the wild-card round and they’ve combined to go 0-3 in the divisional round, which makes it sound like I should stop thinking about this pick right now and just take the Eagles.
Of course, if there’s any team that can overcome the Monday night curse, it’s the Rams and that’s because they’ve already done it before. The Rams won the Monday night wild-card game in 2021 and that victory ended up propelling them all the way to a win in Super Bowl LVI.
This time around, if it’s going to propel them to the Super Bowl, they’re going to have to get through the Eagles first, and to do that, they’re going to have to figure out how to tackle Saquon Barkley. If you want to know what it’s like to try and tackle Saquon Barkley, go out in your street right now and try to tackle a car. Actually, don’t do that, I don’t need CBS Sports getting sued. DON’T TACKLE A CAR. The only reason I brought that up is because when these two teams met back in Week 12, the Rams looked like they were trying to tackle a car every time Barkley touched the ball. They couldn’t tackle him and that was a big reason why he rushed for a franchise-record 255 yards in a game where the Eagles rushed for 314.
If Barkley gets anywhere near that number again, the Eagles are going to roll. If Barkley gets near 200, the Eagles will probably roll, but he might have trouble putting up a huge number against the Rams defense this time around and that’s because they’ve stepped up their game since Week 12. Apparently, the Rams have been using that game as motivation, because in the seven games since the Eagles’ loss, the Rams have only surrendered 104.1 rushing yards per game.
The Rams defense is playing at a completely different level right now: They Rams have held four of their past five opponents to SINGLE-DIGIT points and the only time a team scored more than 10 came in Week 18 when the Rams were resting their starters.
As good as the Rams have been on defense, the Eagles have been better. They’ve been playing at a completely different level than everyone else all season: They gave up the fewest yards per game during the regular season, fewest passing yards per game and the second fewest points per game. They beat up every one they face. If they can get after Matthew Stafford, it’s going to be a long day for a Rams team that went just 1-5 this year in games where Stafford was sacked at least three times. The Eagles went 6-0 when recording three or more sacks this year, including Week 12, when they sacked Stafford five times.
With both defenses playing so well, this basically comes down to which offense I trust more, and right now, that’s the Rams. The Rams could struggle in the cold weather, but it’s expected to be 40 degrees in Philadelphia on Sunday, which is about as close as it gets to tropical weather in Philly during the month of January.”
John Breech is calling for an upset in Philly this week! To check out his picks for the divisional round, click here.
How about a player prop? Will Brinson encourages you to take Kyren Williams Over 12.5 receiving yards.
“The usage is going to be there for Williams, who has zero competition in the Rams backfield now after Blake Corum broke his forearm. He got 19 touches in a blowout Rams win where Los Angeles’ defense scored a touchdown (both reduce the number of opportunities for starters in theory). Williams played on 87 percent of the Rams’ offensive snaps in their domination of Minnesota, so it’s a good bet he could be even higher in a game where the Rams are big underdogs. Additionally, he hit this number against a good Minnesota run defense last week by being utilized as a passer, getting three targets from Matthew Stafford and securing all three for 16 yards. I think we can get here multiple ways. If the Rams come out passing early against a stout Philly run defense, Williams will be involved to some degree. And if the Rams are trailing, you better believe Williams will see some targets as Philly starts to get home with the pass rush and Stafford needs easier looks. There’s a world where he’s forced to stay in and block, but even then we should get some screens or quick-hitters when he chips and releases. One early catch could clear this number, honestly.”
To check out Brinson’s best bets for the divisional round, click here.
Time: Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
Open: Bills -1.5, O/U 52.5
“Baltimore ran for 271 yards in the first meeting. It won’t be that easy Sunday in Buffalo against a healthier Bills’ defense, but Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry give the Ravens a substantial edge on the ground. Baltimore also gives up the fewest rushing yards per game. Even if No. 1 wideout Zay Flowers (knee) does not return, Jackson still has plenty of weapons led by Henry, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman. Look for the Ravens to win a high-scoring classic.”
SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein, who tied for 52nd out of 1,598 entries in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest after going 53-34-3 against the spread, has three top plays for a Divisional Round NFL parlay. The Ravens are one of his picks. To check out his other best bets, head on over to SportsLine.
“This is a heavyweight battle that should be fascinating to watch unfold. Remarkably, the oddsmakers have made the Bills a home underdog at Highmark Stadium. While jarring at first glance, I think it’s warranted as the Ravens are a force at the moment. The combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry as a rushing duo in the backfield was built for playoff games like this. It’s also a favorable matchup with the Bills allowing 4.5 yards per rush this season, which ranks in the bottom half of the league. While Jackson and Henry rightfully take the lion’s share of attention, do you know who the No. 1 scoring defense, total defense and third-down defense has been in the NFL since Week 11? Baltimore. Their resurgence defensively is what has them as a bona fide Super Bowl contender and live to come out of Buffalo with their ticket stamped for the AFC Championship.”
Tyler Sullivan believes the Ravens are favored for good reason. To read his breakdown of each game this weekend, click here.
Mike Tierney, who is on a 53-27-2 roll with Ravens games, has just released his best bets for the divisional round. We can tell you he’s leaning Under when it comes to the total, but to check out Tierney’s official pick on the spread, head on over to SportsLine.
