NFL divisional-round playoff game picks, schedule guide, bold predictions, odds,

The NFL divisional round for the 2021 season is stacked with four great matchups, and we got you covered with what you need to know heading into the second weekend of playoff football. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and, of course, final score picks.

Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a big stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index (FPI) goes inside the numbers with a matchup rating (on a scale of 1 to 100) and a game projection. Matt Bowen picks out a key matchup to watch for every game, and Kevin Seifert tells us what to know about the officiating. Everything you want to know is here in one spot to help you get ready for a loaded weekend of NFL playoff football.

Let’s get into the full divisional-round slate, which features the six wild-card game winners from last week and each conference’s No. 1 seed, fresh off a bye week. The weekend culminates with a Sunday night matchup between the Bills and Chiefs, which has the makings of one of the best games of the season.

Jump to:
CIN-TEN | SF-GB
LAR-TB | BUF-KC

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET | CBS
Matchup rating: 60.3 | Spread: TEN -3.5 (47.5)

What to watch for: The Titans have generated 35 sacks and 153 QB pressures using just a four-man pass rush (both ranked second in the NFL), and they have blitzed on only 18% of their rushes this season. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s QBR was 83.7 against the blitz this season (third), but his 13.6 QBR when pressured was 20th. Impacting Burrow with the front four and dropping seven into coverage will be the key to the Titans winning the game. — Turron Davenport

Bold prediction: Burrow will outgain Titans running back Derrick Henry by 200 yards (obviously including passing yardage). That’s what it will take for Cincinnati to upset top-seeded Tennessee. Burrow has been in great form the past several weeks, so expect Cincinnati to ride the quarterback’s hot hand as it looks to push the tempo in Henry’s expected return. — Ben Baby

Stat to know: Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill posted a 79.4 Total QBR (third best in the NFL over that span), threw seven touchdown passes and didn’t have a single interception. But he also did a lot on the ground this year, as his seven rushing touchdowns were the league’s second most among quarterbacks behind Jalen Hurts‘ 10.

Bowen’s game-plan key: Cincinnati needs to create matchups for receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd out of inside alignments to beat the Titans’ underneath zone defenders. Read more on E+.

Injuries: Bengals | Titans

What to know for officiating: Referee Clete Blakeman, whose regular-season crew ranked No. 7 in the NFL with 14.6 flags per game, will preside over a game that includes the NFL’s least penalized team (Bengals, 84). The Titans, meanwhile, ranked No. 17 with 121 flags. Blakeman tied for the second-most roughing-the-passer flags during the regular season (12), but the Bengals and Titans committed only two such fouls apiece. — Seifert

Betting nugget: Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel is 8-0 both outright and against the…