The divisional round of the NFL playoffs is arguably the best weekend of the season. All narratives disparaging Super Bowl contenders are thrown out the window as the contenders settle the score on the field.
Watch the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers battle it out. So are the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. All four teams are among the best in the league, but this weekend will prove just how good each of these teams is as they face a team with equal talent in multiple areas on the roster.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are about to prove they deserve the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. On the other hand, the underdogs New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to prove that their trip to the divisional round was no fluke.
While the games will be decided on the field, how will we rank each of the eight remaining playoff teams? Some of these rankings calculate the path to the Super Bowl, but the level of talent on the rosters plays a huge role.
All NFL odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
8. New York Giants
- Odds to win the Super Bowl: +3000
- Odds to win NFC: +1300
The Giants deserve a lot of credit for being here, beating the Minnesota Vikings on the road to get a chance to play Philadelphia in the divisional round. New York doesn’t turn the football over (an NFL-best 7.3% turnover rate) and can run the ball, ranking fourth in the league in rushing (148.2 YPG) and fifth in yards per carry ( 4,8).
The offense has just two games of 30-plus points all season (though those have come in the last three games) and is just 15th in points per game (21.5) and 18th in yards per game (333.9). The defense is 17th in points allowed per game (21.8) and 25th in yards allowed per game (358.2), with a run defense that is 27th in yards allowed per game (144.2) and 31st in yards allowed per carry (5.2).
New York needed Daniel Jones to play his best game of the year against a bottom-three defense to overcome Minnesota. The Giants are 3-6-1 in their last nine games, but have made it to the final eight.
The talent disparity is evident when comparing the Giants to the rest of the field. However, Brian Daboll and the coaching staff seem to know what they are doing and are playing a style of football that lends itself to beating better opposition. Because of these factors, New York has a chance.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Odds to win the Super Bowl: +3500
- AFC Win Odds: +1300
The AFC South champions weren’t supposed to be here six weeks ago, sitting with a 4-8 record and little chance of winning the division. Jacksonville hasn’t lost since, thanks to the play of Trevor Lawrence and a defense allowing just 90.5 yards per game over the past four contests. Then there’s Doug Pederson, whose in-game adjustments and creative fourth-down play calls helped Jacksonville win games, not to mention what he did to the locker room culture.
Jacksonville is in the divisional round for the first time since 2017 as Pederson plays with house money against his former coach Andy Reid. The Jaguars are still riding high after erasing a 27-0 first half deficit to stun the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend.
The Jaguars have a top-10 offense in scoring (23.8) and yards per game (357.4), while Mike Caldwell’s defense is allowing just 13.0 points per game over the last four. His 27 takeaways are also fifth in the NFL.
Don’t sleep on Jacksonville, but the Jaguars have a tough task against Kansas City.
Featured Game | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Cincinnati Bengals
- Odds to win the Super Bowl: +800
- AFC Win Odds: +400
The Bengals are heating up this stretch of the playoffs, winning nine in a row to take over the AFC North — beating the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens (twice) in the process. The defending AFC champions deserve respect with Joe Burrow at quarterback throwing to playmakers like Ja’Mar Chase and Ty Higgins. Cincinnati showed they could go into Kansas City and win a playoff game last year, so the Bengals’ ability to win big games shouldn’t be questioned.
The Bengals don’t have a good running offense, ranking 29th in rushing yards per game (92.9) and 29th in yards per attempt (3.8). Pass defense can also be a weakness, ranking 23rd in passing yards per game (227.9) despite allowing just 17 passing touchdowns (fourth in the NFL). The Bengals are giving up yards but are sixth in scoring defense.
Injuries on the offensive line are why the Bengals are so low. Losing La’El Collins and Jonah Williams are huge blows to a team that needs to protect the Burrow, not forgetting that Alex Cappa is also week-to-week. Those injuries may be too much for Cincinnati to overcome, but teams with Burrow shouldn’t be counted out.
5. Dallas Cowboys
- Odds to win the Super Bowl: +850
- Odds to win NFC: +350
The Cowboys have been one of the best teams in the NFL all season and are as good as any team in the league when Dak Prescott isn’t turning the ball over and the offense isn’t running through gaps where it can’t move the ball. That team was fourth in scoring (27.5 PPG) despite being 11th in yards per play (354.9) and 19th in yards per possession. The running game of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard makes the Cowboys dangerous, even though the Cowboys rank just 18th in yards per carry (4.3). Their 24 rushing touchdowns were second in the NFL, while their red zone scoring percentage of 71.4 was the best in the league.
Dallas had the most homers in the league (33) and has one of the top five defenders in the game in Micah Parsons. They are fifth in the league in points allowed (20.1 PPG) and eighth in assists allowed (200.9). The glaring weakness is the run defense, which ranks 22nd in rushing yards allowed (129.3) and 17th in rushing yards allowed (4.4). Over the past four games, the defensive defense has allowed just 96.8 yards per play — massive for a team that has struggled to pass at times.
Dallas has the most experienced quarterback of any NFC club in Prescott, but can this team beat San Francisco? Can it beat Philadelphia with a healthy Jalen Hurts? It’s a Super Bowl contender, but there are questions.
…
Add Comment