It’s down to eight. After the Texans beat the Steelers in a rock-throwing contest on Monday night, the Divisional Round field is locked in. It’s time for a temperature check on the Super Bowl odds and to pick the best value from the remainder of the field. Here’s how the odds stand as of Sunday night on the DraftKings Sportsbook:
The NFC West dominates the picture, with the Seahawks and Rams owning the top two spots. It’s clear that our oddsmakers don’t believe in the top-end powers of the AFC; the No. 1 seed Broncos can’t even crack the top half of the odds. But I believe in one of these AFC teams.
This season has given us good reason to forget, but I haven’t forgotten: this game is about the quarterback. And who has the best quarterback left in the field? Who has the reigning MVP? The Buffalo Bills do.
Sure, they had to fight to beat the Jaguars this weekend, but that was a tough test. They had a defense tailor-made to attack Buffalo’s weaknesses, holding James Cook to arguably his worst performance of the year. But it was Allen who gutted out the win in the end, showing why the game is never truly over as long as he’s under center. Especially when it comes down to playoff time.
The Bills are the favorites against the Broncos, and for good reason. They trounced them in last year’s playoffs, showing that even an elite defense is no match for a locked-in quarterback. And if they win on Saturday, I fear there’s no stopping them. New England should take care of the Texans, who did not look inspiring on Monday night, but I know who I’m picking if the Bills roll into New England.
Only one of the Rams and Seahawks can survive the NFC, assuming they avoid divisional round upsets. The Rams have looked awfully unimpressive down the stretch, and I simply do not trust Sam Darnold to quarterback his team to a Super Bowl victory, even with a receiver like Jaxon Smith-Njigba to throw to. The NFC field is deep, but no team truly stands out.
This is finally the year for Bills fans. Countless folding tables will die as a result, but that’s worth the price for these Buffalo diehards. Josh Allen is lifting that Lombardi trophy this year. Book it.
