The NFL Divisional Round is upon us, and while that means there should be four great games on the docket, it also means we are down to just seven games left in the NFL season. While the thought of no pro football until September is a sad one, we still have a few more weeks to enjoy (and wager on) the best sport in the world. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into the ClutchPoints NFL Divisional Round picks, predictions, and odds column.

This year the NFL dropped the “Super” from its Wild Card Weekend branding, and that was apropos, as the first round of this season’s playoffs pretty much stunk. Only one of the games — Washington Commanders 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 — ended within one score. All the other matchups were over by halftime.

This week, the final eight are strong, and the NFL Divisional Round offers some great matchups, including the most anticipated matchup of the season, with the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Buffalo Bills in the weekend capper at 6:30 pm ET on CBS and Paramount+.

Leading into the main course, we get the Houston Texans against the Kansas City Chiefs at 4:30 pm ET on Saturday (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+), the Commanders head northwest to play the Detroit Lions at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday (FOX), and the Los Angeles Rams fly across the country to take on the Philadelphia Eagles at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday (NBC/Peacock).

We all know that the NFL playoffs are tougher than the regular season, and not just for the players on the field. The stakes and the pressure amp up for bettors as well, and last week was a tough one with two favorites going down and the rest of the games becoming blowouts. In last week’s column, we went 4-2 straight up, but just 2-4 against the spread. That brings us to a still-respectable 174-104 picking winners and 139-135-4 ATS.

With that, let’s get right into the NFL Divisional Round picks, predictions, and odds.

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Courtesy of DraftKings, here are the NFL odds.

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5)

In the last ClutchPoints NFL Divisional Round picks, predictions, and odds column, we called one of the teams in the Texans vs. Los Angeles Chargers game fraudulent. While we were wrong about the team, we were right about one of those teams being massively overrated and unworthy of the league’s biggest stage.

The Chargers found a way to Charger things up again, and now they head into the offseason with massive questions. On the other side, the Texans can come away, having survived injuries and a sophomore slump from C.J. Stroud, feeling pretty good about reaching the NFL Divisional Round.

And as their prize, they get the Chiefs, who are the shakiest back-to-back defending champion 15-2 team in league history. Patrick Mahomes and company had a week to rest up and lick their wounds, but that doesn’t help their questionable secondary or suspect wide receiver group.

Ultimately, the Chiefs won a staggering 15 games this season, yet didn’t cover a spread over 7.5 all year. They didn’t need to.

So, there are two schools of thought here in the NFL Divisional Round picks, predictions, and odds column, and neither have the Texans winning.

One is that the playoff lights have come on, and so the Chiefs show up and show out, trouncing the Texans. The other is that they continue to do what they’ve done all year and they do just enough to survive and advance.

While we fear it might be the former, the data leads us to the latter, so we’ll take the Chiefs to win but not cover the spread.

Pick: Chiefs 23-20

Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions (-8.5)

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell watches a play against Minnesota Vikings during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The biggest spread of the weekend comes between the No. 1-seed Lions and the No. 6-seed Commanders who upset the third-ranked Buccaneers in their pirate ship.

Before we get to the game, we need to give flowers to Jayden Daniels who has come on strong this season and looks like the future of not just the Commanders but the NFL at the quarterback position. He is dynamic and has a knack for coming through in late-game situations.

As long as he stays healthy (see: Robert Griffin III), the Commanders finally have a real one on their hands.

All that said, the Lions are legit, and with a week to heal up themselves, they should be more dangerous than ever. Sure, a bye week isn’t going to heal Aidan Hutchinson’s broken leg, but both running back David Montgomery and cornerback Terrion Arnold should be back.

That means it is midnight for the Cinderella Commanders and the Lions will start their march toward the Super Bowl. There could always be a late cover in a game like this featuring a quarterback like Daniels, but Dan Campbell and company will want to send a message to the league that they are still the beasts of the NFC.

Pick: Lions 35-25

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles (-6)

The Eagles feel a little like the NFC Chiefs (without the resume of success). They usually don’t blow anyone away but they seem to always do just enough to win. That makes them equal parts impressive and nerve-wracking for their fanbase.

Not to mention, when they win this season, they often do so by pounding the rock with Saquon Barkley, which is a winning formula but not necessarily one that lends itself to blowouts.

For the Rams, they stepped up and got things done last week in Arizona despite the tragedy of the wildfires back at home. It was an inspiring performance and one that shows just how good Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford are together.

And it wasn’t just McVay and Stafford with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. The young defense stepped up as well with rookie Jared Verse and young vets like Kobie Turner, Quentin Lake, and Cobie Durant all balling out as well.

While that was impressive, it wasn’t against a powerhouse offensive line and running back like the Eagles feature.

In last week’s NFL Divisional Round picks, predictions, and odds column, we cited the Rams' lack of experience on defense and age on offense as reasons they would lose (whoops!). This week, we’ll say the same thing, though. The Eagles are just too tough for this group right now, especially in chilly Philly this weekend.

Pick: Eagles 21-13

Baltimore Ravens (-1.5) at Buffalo Bills

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) embrace following the game at New Era Field.
Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Here it is. The Game of the Week and the Year. A rematch of the Ravens’ 35-10 Week 4 beatdown and a matchup between the AFC Pro Bowl starter (Josh Allen), the first-team All-Pro QB (Lamar Jackson), and the two NFL MVP favorites.

The Bills won one more game and scored seven more points than the Ravens this season while Baltimore put up the most yards in the league, nearly 1,000 more than Buffalo.

Allen has the home-field advantage at Highmark Stadium. There will be nearly 72,000 members of Bills Mafia there to back them up, and they have until 6:30 pm local time to get “prepared” for the game (watch out, folding tables). Not to mention, the Bills will have the biggest advantage Western New York offers, which is single-digit temperatures and the possibility of snow.

All that said, what’s the biggest advantage in a freezing-cold snow game?

How about a 250-plus-pound running back that no one in the NFL wants to tackle on a perfect day. Derrick Henry busted an 87-yard touchdown run on his first touch in their early-season meeting on his way to 199 rushing yards in the game. If that happens at any point in this game, the Bills are in serious trouble.

This game is a true coin-flip, which is evidenced by the fact that the Bills started out favor by 1.5 and are now 1.5-point underdogs. This game could go either way and no one would be surprised.

In the end — and take this with a grain of salt coming from a card-carrying member of Bills Mafia — the truth is, Jackson is 3-4 in the playoffs while Allen is 6-5. Plus, after spending the last decade in Wyoming and Buffalo, the Bills QB is built for this. Jackson, a Miami native via Louisville and Baltimore, hasn’t proved he can win in these conditions yet.

Pick: Bills 35-34