Winners Club: Ravens, 49ers Enter Divisional Round as Heavy Favorites

Plus, previewing Patrick Mahomes’s first road playoff game in Buffalo.

The pressure is building as the NFL playoffs continue, especially for the top tier of Super Bowl contenders after an onslaught of upsets in the wild-card round. Those surprising outcomes didn’t scare the books off from installing some of the higher-seeded teams as heavy favorites in the divisional round, though.

The 49ers, Ravens and Lions are all favored by at least 6.5 points — the Bills are the only team favored by less than a field goal. Weather doesn’t figure to play as big a factor in this weekend’s games, but keep an eye on the forecasts for Baltimore on Saturday and Buffalo on Sunday as sub-freezing temperatures are expected in both cities.

In today’s Winners Club:

• Divisional round best bets
• Updated Super Bowl odds
• Playoff fantasy football picks

Betting Breakdowns for Divisional Matchups

All four divisional round matchups feature teams that are familiar with one another. The Ravens and Texans, Buccaneers and Lions and Chiefs and Bills all faced off earlier this season, and though it’s been a few years since the Packers last played the 49ers, they’ve met plenty of times in the postseason.

Over the next few days, we’ll find out if that familiarity offers any advantage. Check out the schedule for Saturday and Sunday’s doubleheaders below as well as betting breakdowns and prop picks for each game.

Saturday

4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, ABC): Texans vs. Ravens (-9.5) | Total: 43.5

Baltimore beat Houston handily in the season opener, but rookie sensation C.J. Stroud has come a long way since September. After upsetting the Browns in the wild card round, do the Texans have what it takes to knock off the Ravens? Or will Lamar Jackson advance to his first AFC championship?

HOU-BAL Betting Preview | Player Props

8:15 p.m. ET (FOX): Packers vs. 49ers (-9.5) | Total: 50.5

We’ve seen this movie before — nine times before to be exact as Green Bay and San Francisco are set to meet for a record 10th time in the playoffs. The 49ers sent the Packers packing in 2020 and ‘22, but that was before Brock Purdy and Jordan Love took over under center for these storied franchises. Is Kyle Shanahan headed to a third straight NFC championship? Or will Matt LaFleur return for the first time since 2020?

GB-SF Betting Preview | Player Props

Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports

Sunday

3 p.m. ET (NBC): Buccaneers vs. Lions (-6.5) | Total: 48.5

Detroit beat Matthew Stafford and the Rams last week for its first playoff win in 32 years while Tampa Bay pummeled the Eagles to set up a regular-season rematch in the Motor City. Though the Jared Goff-led Lions beat the Buccaneers the last time these teams played, Baker Mayfield is on a mission. Which former No. 1 pick will prevail?

TB-DET Betting Preview | Player Props coming soon on si.com/betting

6:30 p.m. ET (CBS): Chiefs vs. Bills (-2.5) | Total: 45.5

Kansas City has seen plenty of Buffalo over the last few seasons, but these teams have only played in Western New York once since 2020. Fresh off a dominant win over the Dolphins, Patrick Mahomes is hitting the road for the first time in his illustrious playoff career, as an underdog no less. Josh Allen led his team past the Steelers in the wild card to get another crack at the Chiefs, who the Bills beat in December at Arrowhead. Overtime, anyone?

KC-BUF Betting Preview | Player Props

Updated NFL Futures Odds

Some of the top contenders in both conferences saw their playoff runs come to short, embarrassing ends last week. The Cowboys, Eagles and Browns all lost as first-round favorites and the playoff field narrowed to eight teams vying for the Lombardi Trophy.

The Ravens and 49ers saw their odds to win their respective conferences and the Super Bowl marginally improve as chaos unfolded, leading to divisional round matchups with the Texans and Packers rather than the Browns and Eagles.

Mitch Goldich ranked the best possible Super Bowl outcomes from 16 (Texans-Buccaneers) to 1 (Baltimore-San Francisco). Personally, I like the idea of a Chiefs-Buccaneers rematch or a Bills-Lions bout in Las Vegas come February.

AFC Championship Odds

Ravens +110
Bills +225
Chiefs +333
Texans +1200

Mitch Stringer/USA TODAY Sports

NFC Championship Odds

49ers -200
Lions +333
Buccaneers +900
Packers +900

Super Bowl Odds

49ers +175
Ravens +275
Bills +500
Chiefs +700
Lions +800
Packers +2500
Buccaneers +2500
Texans +2500

Fantasy Football Postseason Picks

Filling in a playoff fantasy roster just got even harder as six teams were sent home last weekend. That leaves eight to draw from as the 49ers and Ravens, both rich with fantasy intrigue, rejoin the fray after their first-round byes.

Michael Fabiano shared his picks for the top players to start and sit at every position as well as his comprehensive rankings for the divisional round. Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is a smash play at home against the Buccaneers.

Start ’Em, Sit ’Em: QB | RB | WR | TE | K & D/ST

Player Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | FLEX | K | D/ST

And don’t worry DFS players, Jen Piacenti has you covered with picks for every price point. Spend up to start Josh Allen and spend down on Khalil Shakir to build a Bills QB-WR stack against the Chiefs.

In Other News

Latest NFL Mock Draft Predictions: The order for the first 24 picks is officially set heading into the divisional round. Find out what the Bears will do with their pair of top-10 picks and just how many quarterbacks can expect to hear their name called in the first round.

Mike Vrabel Drawing Interest for Multiple Jobs: The former Titans coach met with the Chargers on Thursday and the Seahawks and Falcons have also expressed interest in Vrabel filling their current coaching vacancies.

Ohio State to Hire Bill O’Brien as OC: The Buckeyes added the former Patriots offensive coordinator to their staff to call plays, a duty previously handled by coach Ryan Day. Before returning to the NFL, O’Brien was offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club! Enjoy what’s sure to be another excellent weekend of playoff action and remember to follow @SI_Betting and @SI_Fantasy to keep up with all of our coverage of the NFL and beyond.