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Best NFL Games to Bet on for Divisional Round

The NFL Divisional Round has four great games this weekend. Let's preview two of the most anticipated games below.

Saturday | 8:00 PM ET | San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks (-7, O/U 44.5)

We meet again. The Seattle Seahawks opened and closed the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers, and now they'll hope to avoid opening and closing their playoff run against their NFC West rival. The Seahawks (14-3) earned the No. 1 seed, home-field advantage, and a bye week by defeating the 49ers 13-3 in Week 18 on the road. That game was the fewest points the 49ers have scored under Kyle Shanahan since his first game back in 2017, as the Seahawks dominated despite the scoreboard only showing 13-3. However, both teams can lament a pair of missed field goals, which kept the score down in their split series this year. The 49ers were able to win in Seattle in Week 1, despite George Kittle's injury. Backup Jake Tonges made the game-winning touchdown catch.

The 49ers have been battling injuries all year, and losing Kittle to a torn Achilles tendon last week is the latest hurdle. However, they've been resilient, Tonges has played well, and they still have Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, and Demarcus Robinson stepped up with over 100 yards in Philadelphia against a great secondary. Also, the 49ers didn't have offensive tackle Trent Williams or wide receiver Ricky Pearsall in Week 18. Williams returned last week, which is huge, and we'll see how he performs on Pearsall after missing the last two games. But Brock Purdy is going to have some weapons around him, and the scheme is still great. Let's not forget McCaffrey tipped a ball in the red zone to an interception in that 13-3 loss to Seattle, or else it probably would have been a 13-10 game with plenty of time left. The Seahawks have also had their worst defensive games of the season at home (49ers, Buccaneers, and Rams).

The 49ers are missing their two best defenders in Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. But there is added motivation that if they continue to win, Warner could return next week or for the Super Bowl, which is played in the 49ers' home stadium. They are also the only team to hold the Seahawks under 18 points, having achieved this feat twice already, including in Week 18. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been doing a great job in spite of the injuries for his unit, and he's lining himself up for a second coaching opportunity with this effort. Hosting another masterclass in Seattle would be a great addition to his resume.

There's also the unknown factor of how Sam Darnold will handle the biggest game of his career as a Super Bowl favorite. The Seahawks have won big rematches down the stretch here with Darnold against the Rams (Week 16) and 49ers (Week 18). Darnold was shaky against the Rams before a clutch drive in overtime, and he struggled in the red zone against the 49ers. The San Francisco pass rush is a ghost town without Bosa, so it's unlikely Darnold will take the sacks he had against the Rams last postseason when he was crushed with the Vikings in a 27-9 game. But Darnold does not have the playoff pedigree of Purdy, who has four game-winning drives in the playoffs (tied for the sixth most in NFL history).

Shanahan is 9-4 in the playoffs with multiple road upsets as an underdog of 6 points. In three of his losses, he had a double-digit lead in the second half. His only blowout loss in the playoffs was the 2022 NFC Championship Game against the Eagles when Purdy injured his elbow on the opening drive and couldn't throw. The Seahawks, despite having a 14-3 record, have some real issues, including a minus-3 turnover differential, a subpar conversion rate on third downs and in the red zone, and they haven't been scoring efficiently over the last two months unless they're given short fields. If the 49ers protect the ball better on the road, they have a real shot at the upset here and keeping their streak alive of eight straight NFC Championship Game appearances in their last eight playoff seasons.

Sunday| 6:30 PM ET | Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears (+3.5, O/U 48.5)

The Rams remain one of the top favorites to win Super Bowl LX, while the Bears have the second-lowest odds. But don't sleep on Chicago (12-6) as a real underdog with potential in this game on Sunday evening. It should be a weather-impacted game, with a kickoff temperature of around 10 degrees, windy, and experiencing negative wind chill, and it could even snow. It's on track to be the coldest game in Matthew Stafford's career, and that's not a good formula for a 37-year-old quarterback coming off a finger injury in Carolina. Stafford started and finished the game well, but there was a long stretch in between the finger injury when he struggled.

In this weather, both running games should be featured. They both can run it well, too, with Kyren Williams and D'Andre Swift. However, the Bears have another advantage beyond the weather and home-field advantage, as they excel at taking the ball away on defense. In fact, it's the only facet of their defense that has really been successful, as they had 33 takeaways to lead the NFL. Last week, against Green Bay, was actually the first time all season the Bears didn't force a takeaway and still won the game, thanks to another improbable comeback. The 2025 Bears have set an NFL record with seven wins after trailing in the final 2:00; no other team had more than five such wins in a season. Caleb Williams is living up to his “Iceman” nickname this year.

You also have to consider recent play. The Rams had the No. 1 scoring defense entering Week 13's game at Carolina, but they are allowing an additional 12.0 points per game over the last seven games, ranking 27th in scoring defense during that period. With the formidable running game and clutch passing game of the Bears, along with Ben Johnson's willingness to play four-down football, the Bears could score a healthy amount in this one if it does turn into a shootout despite the weather. Throw in Stafford's increased rate of interceptions over the last seven games, and the way the Bears take the ball away, and that's another reason to think Chicago can pull this off.

Just get the game close in the fourth quarter. That's where the Rams have already allowed five game-winning drives and Chicago has the aforementioned seven comeback wins late. The Rams also have a shaky field goal unit, which would be another issue in a bad weather game. The Bears have been clutch on special teams as well with timely returns, field goals, and even a great onside kick recovery against the Packers. Meanwhile, the Rams have already lost three games as a touchdown favorite or more, and they've blown second-half leads of 19 (Eagles) and 16 (Seahawks) points.

The Rams are a dangerous team, but part of their danger is that they beat themselves. If there was a team able to take advantage of those miscues at home in the freezing cold, it'd be Chicago. Additionally, in 25 NFL playoff games where the temperature was below 15 degrees, the home team lost by more than 3 points only twice. Granted, one of those instances was the 1987 Bears against Washington in the divisional round, but Ben Johnson's Cardiac Bears aren't the Monsters of the Midway. They're the Masters of the Late Game-Winning Drive. Don't be surprised if they pull it off again if the Rams leave the door open late.