As far as most NFL fans are concerned, the opening round of the playoffs is kiddie stuff. The teams that are playing in that first weekend aren't the ones who are really supposed to win the Super Bowl, but they're the ones who can take out the teams who might in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Typically, home field advantage means a ton this weekend, but outside of New England, there isn't a home team most would feel comfortable slotting into the conference championship game at this point.
NFL Divisional Round Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seahawks ( 49.5 ) at Falcons ( -3.5 )
Texans ( 44.5 ) at Patriots ( -16 )
Steelers ( 46.5 ) at Chiefs ( +1 )
Packers ( 51.5 ) at Cowboys ( -4 )
Game Previews
Seahawks at Falcons – Saturday 4:35 p.m. ET
Is this the last game ever to be played at the Georgia Dome? If Dallas wins on Sunday, it will be regardless as to whether Atlanta does or doesn't win. But the Falcons want to make sure there's still some hope for getting one last run at it in the old dome before moving next door into the new, futuristic looking Taj Mahal.
If Atlanta is going to beat the Seahawks, it's going to have to bring its A-game on defense. The Seahawks really looked good against the Lions at times when they got their pounding ground game going with Thomas Rawls, and that really makes Russell Wilson all the more dangerous when he can make those read-option plays.
The Falcons though, sport the best offense in the NFL and have the confidence of two really good quarters of football against Seattle in CenturyLink Field to build off of even though that game was ultimately lost.
Texans at Patriots – Saturday 8:15 p.m. ET
Ugh. Of all of the games in the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era in the playoffs, none have looked more lopsided than this. Many will tell you they'll take New England in the first half against Houston for the game in this one, as the Patriots have a history of starting fast and blowing opponents like this one out of the water in January.
The last time these two met in the playoffs, the Pats won 41-28 here at Gillette Stadium, though it should be noted that that game wasn't anywhere near as close as that final score indicated because of two garbage TDs Houston put on the board as the game wound down.
Bill O'Brien is 0-2 against the man who helped get him his start in NFL coaching, and the Texans have just one win all-time in eight tries versus the Pats.
Steelers at Chiefs – Sunday 1:05 p.m. ET
The game of the week. It's a chance for the Chiefs to avenge their worst loss and worst showing of the season from a rainy Sunday night in Pittsburgh when they were taken behind the shed and beaten by 30 in a game that wasn't anywhere near that close. However, it's also a chance for the Steelers to get back to challenge the Patriots once again after getting beaten up pretty badly when the two teams met at Heinz Field earlier in the campaign.
As far as this matchup is concerned, it's really all about Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. Bell and Brown can't do anything without Big Ben, and if Roethlisberger really did hurt his ankle or his foot at the end of the game against Miami, it really might be advantage to the Chiefs even though they're dogs at home.
Packers at Cowboys – Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET
Mighty interesting. In one corner, we have a Dallas team that was the best in the NFC from start to finish, a wire-to-wire 1-seed trying to get to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in two decades. In the other corner, we have a Green Bay team that is battling a slew of injuries but has won seven straight games and knows exactly what it takes to win this time of year.
The deciding factor legitimately could be the Dallas offensive line, a unit that really played its heart out in Green Bay earlier this year. Now with the tide turned and the setting flipped to Dallas, it's up to Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott to show that they have the chops to stick around with the big boys on the biggest stage, even as rookies.
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