Saturday’s Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs will showcase the league’s two best offenses from the regular season in the AFC top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs and NFC No. 2 Los Angeles Rams after both had byes in the first round.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
While the Chiefs are the AFC’s top seed, they aren’t even the hottest team in their own matchup Saturday afternoon against the No. 6 Indianapolis Colts. The Colts started 1-5 and have lost just once since, becoming only the third club ever to reach the postseason after a 1-5 start. The Colts were slight Wild Card dogs at the Houston Texans but largely dominated in a 21-7 victory that showcased the Colts’ vastly improved running game and defense.
Indianapolis also has never lost to Kansas City in four playoff matchups, including rallying from 28 down to win 45-44 in the last postseason meeting following the 2013 season. Oddsmakers don’t care as the Chiefs are 5-point betting favorites. Kansas City is an impossibly bad 1-11 SU and ATS in its past 12 playoff games. The Colts are 3-9 ATS in their past 12 January road games.
The prime-time game Saturday is the Dallas Cowboys at the Rams. The Cowboys were the only team in the NFC playoffs that the Rams didn’t play in the 2018 regular season. Dallas got here with a 24-22 victory over the Seattle Seahawks behind a big game from Ezekiel Elliott (137 yards and a TD on 26 carries). The Cowboys are 7-1 this year when he rushes for at least 100 yards.
The Rams weren’t particularly good against the run this season in allowing 122.3 yards per game and a league-worst 5.1 yards per carry despite a crazy-talented defensive line led by Aaron Donald. Los Angeles expects to have its star running back, Todd Gurley, after he missed the final two games of the regular season with a knee injury. Gurley still led the NFL with 21 touchdowns. Dallas ranked fifth against the run during the season and held Seattle to 73 yards on 24 carries.
Los Angeles is a 7-point favorite and has won 19 of its past 23 games when giving points. The Cowboys, though, are 6-1 ATS in their past seven as a dog and 10-3 SU in their previous 13 night games.
