Comparing NFL Divisional Round Expert Picks From ESPN, CBS, & More

Lamar Jackson Ravens pic
Lamar Jackson Ravens pic

The 2024 divisional round starts this Saturday and eight teams will be cut down to four after Sunday night. Baltimore, Houston, Green Bay, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Kansas City, and Buffalo are all still alive. The Texans vs. Ravens will kick off the weekend on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EST. Following that matchup, the Packers will be on the road to face the San Francisco 49ers. Both games on Saturday will feature the #1 seed in their respective conferences. 

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers will be on the road to face Jared Goff and the Lions on Sunday. Tampa Bay is coming off a statement win in the wildcard round vs. Philadelphia. Detroit narrowly won 24-23 vs. the Rams in their wildcard matchup. As the #2 seed, the Lions get another chance to host a playoff game. Sunday night’s game will be a postseason matchup we’ve seen before. The Chiefs and Bills will be facing off for the third time in the last four postseasons. Expect to see another instant classic between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Below, you can find expert picks from multiple NFL media members. You can go to BetOnline and find the best odds for all four divisional-round matchups this weekend.

The best betting sites for NFL Divisional Round matchups in 2024

Expert Picks for the Divisional Round in 2024

NFL Divisional Round Expert Picks 

Name 

Site 

Texans vs. Ravens 

Packers vs. 49ers 

Bucs vs. Lions

Chiefs vs. Bills 

Mike Clay 

ESPN  Ravens 49ers  Lions  Bills

Pete Prisco

CBS

Texans

Packers

Bucs

Chiefs

Mike Florio

NBC 

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Chiefs

Stephania Bell 

ESPN

Ravens 

49ers

Lions 

Bills

Chad Graff 

The Athletic

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Bills

Chris Simms

NBC

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Bills

Zak Keefer

The Athletic

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Bills

Maurice Moton

Bleacher Report

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Chiefs

Eric Moody

ESPN

Ravens

49ers

Lions

Bills

Analysis of Divisional Round Matchups

Texans vs. Ravens, Saturday @ 4:30 p.m. EST 

C.J. Stroud and the Texans had an impressive win in the wildcard round vs. the Browns. Houston moved onto the divisional round with that win but has to play the #1 seed in the AFC. The Texans will be on the road this Saturday to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. At 13-4, Baltimore finished with the best record in the NFL this season. The Texans and Ravens met in Week 1 earlier this season. A lot has happened throughout the season and both teams are not the same as when they first met. Baltimore are (-9.5) points favorite at home this Saturday vs. the Texans. Can Houston pull off the massive upset or will Baltimore punch their ticket to the AFC Championship?\

Packers vs. 49ers, Saturday @ 8:15 p.m. EST 

Last weekend, the Packers were on the road to face Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. Green Bay jumped on Dallas quickly and the Cowboys were fighting from behind all game. Jordan Love made his playoff debut for the Packers and threw for over 250 yards and three passing touchdowns. It was a dominant win by Green Bay. As the 7th seed, they are set to face the #1-seeded San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. The Packers are playing with house money this game. Nobody expected them to make the postseason or even win a playoff game. San Francisco has had two weeks to rest and recover for their first playoff game of the 2024 postseason. Christain McCaffrey and the 49ers are heavy favorites this weekend at (-9.5) via BetOnline.

Buccaneers vs. Lions, Sunday @ 3:00 p.m. EST 

At 9-8, Tampa Bay won the NFC South in 2023 and got to host a home playoff game. As the 4th seed, the Buccaneers played the Eagles in the wildcard round. Philadelphia struggled to find consistency on offense all game. Tampa Bay did not have that problem in a huge 32-9 win vs. the Eagles. They’ll be on the road this Sunday to face Jared Goff and the Lions. These two teams met earlier this season where the Lions won 20-6 on the road. This time, Detroit will be at home and Lions fans were rocking last weekend in their first home playoff game in nearly 30 years. Jared Goff and the Lions pulled off a huge 24-23 win vs. the Rams. Detriot are (-6.5) point favorites this Sunday.

Chiefs vs. Bills, Sunday @ 6:30 p.m. EST 

The NFL knew exactly what they were doing when they saved the Chiefs vs. Bills game for last. This is expected to be the best playoff match of the entire weekend. Kansas City and Buffalo have a lot of postseason history. It’s their third time meeting in the postseason since the 2021 playoffs. Buffalo lost in the AFC Championship game in 2021 and then the divisional round in 2022. Josh Allen and the Bills are riding a wave of momentum heading into this game vs. the Chiefs. They’ve been playing their best football of the year late in the season. The Bills know what is standing in their way. Sean McDermott’s defense needs to have a plan for the two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes. They know firsthand just how easily Mahomes can make something out of nothing. It’s going to be an elite matchup this Sunday night when the Chiefs are on the road to face Buffalo in the divisional round.

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