National Football League divisional round odds: Packers, Steelers the road underdogs for Sunday’s matchups

“There was a lot of learning, but I’m looking forward to taking everything this year and the experience that I got and really attacking the offseason trying to get better”.

There’s no denying that when Seattle’s 5-time Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas went down in Week 13, the Seahawks defense would be impacted. Of the 161 yards, 72 occurred after contact. First off, in the 44 years of Arrowhead Stadium’s existence, the Chiefs haven’t seen a playoff win since 1994.

Earning a home game in the Divisional Round is an advantage for the Falcons. One such lesson to be taught is the importance of the here and now – every play counts, every game counts – and therefore even though watching Lebron James and the Cavaliers come back after a huge series deficit to win the National Basketball Association championship was fantastic – that mentality shows that it is okay to lose a few games here and there, because eventually you can pull off the big win.

Dan Salem: The only team that truly impressed me in the Wild Card round was Green Bay, so I refuse to pick against the Packers.

Last week, home teams, who were all also favorites, went 4-0 straight up and ATS. The Cowboys have been the best team in the NFC all year.

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Outside of that contest, you’ve got some fascinating matchups across the board.

The Patriots, who have the top seed in the AFC, have been almost unbeatable with Tom Brady leading the charge once again.

Here’s hoping for a good slate of games this weekend.

Oakland played right into the Texans hands by running the football and not allowing Connor Cook a chance to get acclimated to the game. He had an acrobatic interception to set up a touchdown in the 27-14 win.

Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler vs. Tom Brady? In most cases, I would take the underdog and jump on that many points no matter who the favorite might be.

Nate’s prediction: Upsets can happen, but not in this one.

The game was moved from 1:05 to prime time because of a potential ice storm due to hit the Kansas City area this weekend. If you like points, this is the game for you. In 2015, the two teams met in the playoffs after not playing each other in 2014.

Todd Salem: I am going to keep telling myself not to overreact to Wild Card Round results. The Texans defense is legit, but the Patriots can counter: New England held opponents to an NFL-best 15.6 points per game. The elements change so much of what you want to do and especially if you’re working with an injury like Ben Roethlisberger.

These two teams have also faced each other earlier in the season in Week 4.

The Steelers walked all over the Chiefs, 43-14, when these two teams met back in October, but don’t expect this game to be anything like that. Look for the Chiefs to feed off of the crowd in one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums early. The Steelers always seem to find that extra gear in the playoffs. The Seahawks have not impressed me this season, despite the fact that they keep winning when it counts. Kansas City 23, Pittsburgh 20. The Cardinals went on to the NFC Championship where they lost to the Panthers in Carolina. Elliot never kicked in the National Football League again and Bono was gone from the team two years later.

Green Bay was able to take down the New York Giants last week, 38-13. During the regular season, the Packers averaged 27 points per game while the Cowboys averaged 26.3.

Aaron Rodgers has found whatever was missing through the first half of the regular season. The Steelers, meantime, are the hottest team in the league, having won eight in a row. They have the better overall offense and defense. The Cowboys offensive line will rule the day as Ezekiel Elliott makes a big-time playoff debut. The Seahawks are only 2-6 on the road (not neutral sites) during this time, the two wins include an 11-point 4th quarter rally at Washington after RGIII destroyed his knee in 2012, and a 1-point win at Minnesota after the Vikings kicker missed a 27-yard chip shot to win the game a year ago.

Nathan Ham can be reached at 336-489-3062.