NFL playoffs odds: Bettors backing Giants, Bengals in Divisional Round

It’s been less than 24 hours since all four of this week’s Divisional Round games hit the NFL playoffs odds board, yet the wagering community already has formed some strong opinions.

On the heels of NFL Wild Card Weekend when underdogs went 2-4 SU but 4-2 ATS, bettors at one sportsbook have gravitated to two pups — one in the NFC, one in the AFC.

And after five of six wild card contests hurdled the total, it’s hardly shocking to discover that bettors are hammering the Over in the quartet of Divisional Round battles.

With four days before the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs kick off the second round of the 2022-23 postseason, here’s a look at early NFL playoffs odds and action for all four contests.

Odds updated as of 4:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 17.

While the top-seeded Chiefs enjoyed their bye week, the Jacksonville Jaguars were busy mounting the third-biggest comeback in NFL playoff history.

Trailing the Los Angeles Chargers 27-0 late in the second quarter, second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence shook off four first-half interceptions and tossed four touchdown passes to lead the Jags to a stunning 31-30, last-second victory.

No. 4-seed Jacksonville will now take a six-game winning streak (5-1 ATS) to Arrowhead Stadium for Saturday evening’s showdown with the Chiefs.

It will be the Jags’ second trip to Arrowhead in a little more than two months. Back on Nov. 13, Kansas City scored the game’s first 20 points, had a 27-10 lead deep into the fourth quarter and won 27-17, barely covering as a 9.5-point home favorite.

That victory was part of the Chiefs’ 10-1 season-ending run. However, it was one of just six times all season that coach Andy Reid’s squad put money in bettors’ pockets.

It was also one of just two spread-covers for the Chiefs in eight home games — the other being a 24-10 win over Seattle as a 10-point favorite on Christmas Day.

At BetMGM, early point spread action favors Kansas City in the rematch. The sportsbook reported Tuesday that 55% of all bets and 63% of all dollars were on the Chiefs.

Contrary to that action, K.C. has dipped a point from -9.5 to -8.5, which is the current consensus line.

The first meeting stayed Under the closing total of 51.5. Prior to going to Kansas City, though, the Jags had gone Over the total in their first four road games. For the season, Jacksonville is 6-3 to the Over as a visitor.

However, the Under is 6-2 at Arrowhead Stadium this season, with only one game — the Chiefs’ 30-29 victory over the Raiders in Week 5 — featuring more than 51 combined points.

Still, the consensus total for the rematch opened the same as the first contest: 51.5. However, heavy action on the Over pushed the total to its current consensus of 53.

At BetMGM, 72% of the early tickets and 85% of the early cash are on the Over.

» READ MORE: Eagles open up as a sizable favorite for playoff opener vs. Giants

Like the Chiefs, Philadelphia spent the wild card round resting and recuperating after clinching the NFC East and No. 1 seed with a 22-16 home victory over the Giants.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts returned for the Eagles after missing two games with a sprained throwing shoulder, while New York didn’t play any of its key starters. Still, the Giants managed to cover a whopping 16.5-point closing line.

With that result, Philly ended the regular season in an 0-4 ATS funk — its longest stretch of non-covers all season.

After giving the Eagles a fight in the Week 18 finale, New York hit the road again Sunday as the NFC’s No. 6 seed and outlasted the third-seeded Vikings 31-24 as a 2.5-point wild card underdog.

The Giants have now alternated SU wins and losses in their last six games, a stretch that began Dec. 11 with an ugly 48-22 home loss to Philadelphia as a 7.5-point favorite. That’s the last time the Giants failed to cover a number, as they will return to Lincoln Financial Field on a 5-0 ATS roll.

New York finished the regular season with the NFL’s best point spread mark; after Sunday’s upset in Minnesota, the squad is 14-4 ATS. That includes 11-2 ATS as an underdog and 8-1 ATS in road/neutral-site contests.

In their four non-covers, the Giants suffered losses of 26 points (vs. Eagles); 13 points (vs. Lions); 14 points (at Seattle); and seven points (vs. Cowboys).

Meanwhile, the Eagles started out 6-1 ATS at The Linc but failed to cash in its last two (including a Week 17 upset loss to New Orleans).

The Giants’ ATS dominance is one reason why the majority of bettors at BetMGM are grabbing the points in this third meeting of NFC East rivals. New York was fetching 71% of the tickets and 90% of the money at BetMGM as of Tuesday morning.

That lopsided action aside, the book has not moved off its opening number of 7.5, which remains the consensus line. However, the total has jumped from an opener of 46.5 to 48, with 87% of all wagers and a whopping 97% of all dollars on the Over.

The total split in the first two Giants-Eagles meetings. The Week 18 clash in Philly stayed low. That was one of just two Unders for the Eagles in the eight home games in which Hurts played.

The total has alternated in New York’s last six road games, with Sunday’s victory in Minnesota flying Over.

» READ MORE: Super Bowl MVP odds: Mahomes opens as favorite; Hurts sitting third

When the postseason bracket was set, most everyone presumed No. 2-seed Buffalo and No. 3-seed Cincinnati would meet up in the Divisional round. That’s indeed what has happened — but it almost didn’t.

The Bills took the field Sunday as a 14-point home favorite against the beat-up Dolphins, who were down to their third-string quarterback. But after falling behind 17-0 early in the second quarter, Miami put up a fight and actually led 24-20 midway through the third quarter.

Buffalo woke up in time, though, and escaped with a 34-31 victory.

Some six hours later in Cincinnati, the Bengals did some surviving of their own against AFC North rival Baltimore.

Like the Bills, Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead (10-0) but had to come from behind for a 24-17 victory. The winning points came on a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Both teams enter this contest red hot when it comes to the scoreboard — Buffalo has won eight in a row, while the Bengals are on a nine-game heater.

However, only Cincinnati has been coming through for bettors with regularity. Although they fell just short of covering point spreads of 8 and 11.5 points in back-to-back home victories against the Ravens — including a 27-16 Week 18 win — the Bengals are 12-3 ATS since suffering upset losses in its first two games.

As part of that 12-3 ATS run, Cincinnati has cashed in seven of eight road games (5-2 SU) and all three times it has been an underdog (2-1 SU).

The Bills started out 4-2 ATS but have covered the number just three times in their last 11 contests (3-7-1). That includes a 1-5 ATS mark in Buffalo.

This game was supposed to be a rematch of a Week 17 clash in Cincinnati. However, that game was canceled after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field in the first quarter.

For this contest, BetMGM initially posted Buffalo as a 3.5-point chalk on its NFL Divisional Round odds board. The Bills have since jumped to -4.5 (and at some sportsbooks, they’re up to -5.

Despite the line movement, 71% of the tickets and 62% of the handle are backing Cincinnati in the early going at BetMGM.

The total initially jumped a point from 49.5 to 50.5 at BetMGM. However, with Sunday’s forecast in Buffalo calling for near-freezing temperatures and extremely heavy winds, the book on Tuesday afternoon adjusted the total to 48.

Still, as of Tuesday morning, early betting action again favored the Over to the tune of 83% bets/65% money.

The Bengals played five straight Unders to start the season (three on the road) but are 7-4-1 to the Over since (3-2-1 on the road). Buffalo has cleared the total in four consecutive games and is 5-3 Over at home.

» READ MORE: Super Bowl odds: Eagles enter playoffs among top four title favorites

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers went to Dallas in the wild card round and upset the Cowboys. Some 53 weeks later, these longtime NFC rivals will duke it out again in a win-or-go-home game — only this time in the NFL Divisional Round in San Francisco and with the 49ers as the favorite.

San Francisco kicked off the wild card action Saturday with a 41-23 pasting of NFC West foe Seattle. Although the 49ers trailed 17-16 at halftime, they easily covered as a 9.5-point home chalk.

San Francisco has now won 11 straight games overall (9-2 ATS) and seven straight at home (cashing in the last six in a row).

Dallas capped Wild Card Weekend with its own lopsided victory, a 31-14 rout of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys prevailed as a 3-point road favorite — this a week after flatlining in a season-ending 26-6 loss at Washington as a 7.5-point chalk.

Dallas is 7-2 in its last nine overall, but just 5-5 ATS in its last 10 (3-3 ATS on the road).

Going back to 1970, the Cowboys 5-3 against San Francisco in the playoffs, with six of the meetings being for the NFC Championship. However, the 49ers have won the last two: 38-28 in the 1994 NFC title game and 23-17 as a 3.5-point road underdog last January.

Going back to the 2011 season, the road team is on a 4-1-1 ATS roll in the rivalry.

Shortly after finishing off the Bucs late Monday night, Dallas hit BetMGM’s NFL playoffs odds board as a 4.5-point underdog for Sunday night’s contest. However, early action on the Cowboys dropped that number to 49ers -4 and it’s since dipped again to 49ers -3.5.

Although 75% of the early point-spread tickets at BetMGM are on San Francisco, 58% of the early spread cash is on Dallas.

Once again, bettors expect a high-scoring shootout, with 83% of the wagers and 92% of the money on the Over. The total initially dipped a half-point from the opener of 46.5 to 46 but is now back up to 46.5.

The Cowboys have followed a five-game Over stretch with three straight Unders (all on the road).

The Niners opened the season with four straight Unders but are 10-4 to the Over since. Most recently, San Francisco has cleared the total in four straight overall and five straight at home.

» READ MORE: Full sports betting coverage from The Philadelphia Inquirer

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