NFL Playoffs 2018: Schedule, Predictions and Odds for Divisional Round
The eight best teams in the NFL will soon take the field to determine which four will advance one step closer to a Super Bowl.
Unfortunately, injuries will be one of the major storylines heading into the divisional round.
Most notably, the Philadelphia Eagles will be without quarterback Carson Wentz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury back in December. With Nick Foles stepping in as his replacement, the No. 1 seed in the NFC will be an underdog on home turf Saturday afternoon.
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In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans found out Wednesday they will be without running back DeMarco Murray, which once again puts the ball in the hands of Derrick Henry, who ran for 156 yards in the wild-card victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite the injuries, it should be an exciting weekend of football.
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
Date and Time: Saturday, January 13, at 4:35 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Odds: Atlanta (-3), O/U 41
Predicted score: Eagles 24, Falcons 21
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Date and Time: Saturday, January 13, at 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Odds: New England (-13.5) O/U 48.5
Predicted score: Patriots 23, Titans 17
Date and Time: Sunday, January 14, at 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Odds: Pittsburgh (-7.5) O/U 41
Predicted score: Steelers 24, Jaguars 13
Date and Time: Sunday, January 14, at 4:40 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Odds: Minnesota (-5.5) O/U 46.5
Predicted score: Vikings 31, Saints 23
Odds information from OddsShark.
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
At first glance, this looks like a lopsided matchup. The Titans sneaked into the playoffs with a 9-7 record and needed a miraculous second-half comeback to upset the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round.
However, the Titans do have a clear path to victory in this game—or at least a clear path to keeping the score close.
Throughout the regular season, the New England Patriots defense was a liability and allowed some surprising teams to hang around. It was as recently as Dec. 11 when Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler carved up the Patriots defense, which proved this squad is far from unbeatable.
New England is allowing 5.73 yards per play this season, worse than every team except the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Tennessee can lean on Henry and engineer long drives to bleed the clock, it should be able to keep this game close well into the second half.
The key for the Titans will be resisting the urge to put the ball in Marcus Mariota's hands too early if they fall behind. Their best defense in this matchup will be the offense's ability to keep Tom Brady on the sidelines.
Even if everything goes as planned, it's difficult to envision Tennessee pulling off the upset. But a well-orchestrated game plan should allow the Titans to keep this one closer than expected.
Prediction: Patriots 23, Titans 17
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings rolled over the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, which should give them some confidence heading into this matchup.
However, that was back when Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook were leading the way for the Vikings offense and before Alvin Kamara had established himself as a focal point on offense in New Orleans. There's consequently not a lot we can draw on from that meeting to help preview this matchup.
The Saints enter this game as the league's most explosive offense, averaging an NFL-best 6.3 yards per play. But the Vikings defense shouldn't be intimidated based on their recent performances against similar squads.
Since November 1, the Vikings are 3-0 against teams that rank in the top 10 in the league in yards per play, and held those teams (the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams) to a combined 39 points.
For the Saints to have a shot at pulling off the upset, the defense will need to figure out its issues on third down.
Despite significant improvements from the unit as a whole this season, the Saints defense still allowed opponents to convert 41 percent of their third-down attempts, which ranked 27th in the NFL.
Unfortunately for New Orleans, Minnesota converted 43.5 percent of its third-down attempts during the regular season, the third-best rate in the league.
Any team led by Drew Brees always has a chance, but there are probably too many things stacked against the Saints in this matchup. Minnesota holds the edge in too many meaningful areas and should cruise to a victory.
Prediction: Vikings 31, Saints 23
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