The divisional round in the NFL got off to a blistering start on Sunday morning with two big games back to back. The action continues on Monday with another two clashes kicking off from 7am (AEDT). We have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for both of the games below.
NFL Divisional Round Monday Betting Tips
Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills
Bills Stadium, Monday 7am (AEDT)
The Bills will still be riding the wave of emotion as defensive starter Damar Hamlin continues to recover from the shocking injury that he suffered in the Week 17 game against the Bengals. While they got the job done, they didn’t exactly look convincing in Week 1 of the playoffs, edging out the Miami Dolphins at home by just three points.
Star Josh Allen and the offense put up 34 points in the win, but the quarterback looked shaky at times, throwing two interceptions to go along with his three touchdowns on 352 yards. The Buffalo defence is the most concerning part of their game at the moment though. They have allowed 24.0 points per game over their last four, a high number considering two of those games came against the Patriots and Bears, two teams with well below average offences.
This game will have increased unknown surrounding it, given the Week 17 clash between these two teams was called off in the first quarter after the incident with Hamlin. The Bengals looked on top in the early parts of that game, and their offence looked like it had no trouble moving the ball against this Bills D.
The Bills have won their last nine games in a row dating all the way back to a loss to the Browns on the first of November and their offence in that period has been arguably the best in the league. Over that 9 game span, they have put up 28.4 points per game, which would have ranked 2nd in the league over the course of the season.
Tough to pick a winner here, I think these two teams are pretty evenly matched. I absolutely love the overs though. The Bills put up 30+ on a weekly basis and this Bengals offence has the tools to match it with them. While it’ll certainly be cold in Buffalo, I think conditions will still be good for scoring.
Dallas Cowboys at San francisco 49ers
Levi’s Stadium, Monday 10.30am (AEDT)
Arguably the game of the week in the divisional rounds sees two big market teams doing battle in the final matchup. The 49ers are probably the hottest team in all of football at the moment, having won their last 10 games of the regular season before rolling past the Seahawks in the wildcard round with an 18 point win.
The fact that they have managed to do achieve the majority of that with their backup quarterback in Brock Purdy is a testament to both their defence and the the rest of their skill position players. Throughout the regular season, they were the 6th highest scoring team in the league and No.1 ranked defence, allowing just 16.3 points per game
The Cowboys recorded a comfortable win over the Buccaneers in the wildcard round, a good bounce back from their Week 18 loss to the Commanders. Quarterback Dak Prescott was back to his best in the win, putting gup 305 yards and four touchdowns but most importantly, zero interceptions.
Dak will need to have another standout game if the Cowboys are to move the ball effectively against this 49ers defence. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the greatest track record in pressure moments.
I think the team mentality that this 49ers side brings will stand up better against the intense playoff pressure here, back them to cover a line I think is a few points low at just 3.5.
