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3 things to know before betting on NFL games during the divisional round of the playoffs

The NFL Playoffs are in full swing, and they move on to the Divisional Round this week. Only eight teams remain, and we have some juicy matchups this weekend. The games are split up with two on Saturday and two on Sunday.

Here are some fun facts you should know before wagering on any of these contests this weekend.

The Rams have played to the under more than any remaining playoff team.

The Rams have a top-tier defense and ran a more run-heavy offense. That was a recipe for games staying to the under. Despite many of the totals being in the low- to mid-40s for Rams games, they still managed to go under in 12 of the 17 games they played. In a year scoring was up, the Rams games were the exception to the rule. With a solid defense that has held down opponents all season and a banged-up offense with two questionable quarterback options, the trend looks likely to continue.

The Chiefs have the worst against-the-spread record of the remaining teams.

Kansas City finished 14-2 but were just 6-9-1 ATS. They last covered Nov. 1 with a -19 spread against the lowly New York Jets. They are 0-7-1 ATS since that point, meaning they have not covered for bettors in over two months. On the moneyline, the Chiefs are basically automatic, as they only had one real loss during the year (the other was in Week 17 when the starters played sparsely or not at all). They have another big number to try to cover here, as the spread against Cleveland has hovered around -10 all week. Would I play the Browns on the moneyline? Absolutely not. But taking the +10 on them does make sense given the way many of the Chiefs games have played out in November and December.

Tampa Bay is 2-5 against playoff teams this season.

The Buccaneers had a solid season with 11 regular-season wins. They added a 12fth win last week against the Washington Football Team, although they did fail to cover. On the season, the Bucs beat up on bad teams. They were 10-0 against teams already eliminated from playoff contention. They went 1-5 in the regular season against teams that made the playoffs. They had a win against the top team in the NFC in the Green Bay Packers, so that is the positive side. They had losses to the Chiefs, Bears, Rams and two losses to their Divisional Round opponent, the New Orleans Saints. In fact, the Bucs played close games with everyone they lost to except the Saints. Every loss they had was by one possession except for the two games they dropped to New Orleans, including a 30-point home loss Nov. 8.



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