Just eight teams remain in the NFL playoffs, and Saturday will knock two teams out of contention for this season’s Super Bowl as the Divisional Round kicks off with a massive two-game slate featuring the top teams in each conference.
After getting a week off last week thanks to securing the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks begin their postseason runs on Saturday. The Broncos welcome Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills to town after Allen’s three-touchdown performance led his squad past a dangerous Jacksonville Jaguars team last weekend. Denver used the rest to its advantage as the team is incredibly healthy entering Saturday, while Buffalo has a few notable contributors on each side of the ball banged up or out entirely for this matchup, especially at wide receiver.
As for the Seahawks, they face a familiar foe in the 49ers, who knocked off the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles. This is the third meeting between these NFC West rivals this year, with San Francisco winning in Week 1 and Seattle dominating in Week 18 to secure both the NFC West and No. 1 seed in the conference. The 49ers have overcome countless injuries this year and lost yet another star player in tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles last weekend in Philadelphia. Seattle also has a notable injury worth monitoring as quarterback Sam Darnold is questionable after popping up on the injury report on Thursday with an oblique injury.
These two games kick off the Divisional Round, but they’re hardly the only action on Saturday, as there are numerous major NBA, NHL and college basketball games on the schedule as well.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet on at the top sportsbooks on Saturday, Jan. 17. All times Eastern.
NFL best bets today, where to watch
Bills at Broncos
Time: 4:30 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
SportsLine picks — Model: Broncos ML | Expert: Buffalo +1.5 (Brady Kannon)
It’s strange to see a No. 6 seed with as much buzz or pressure as the Bills have right now, but given the AFC playoff field doesn’t have Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens or Joe Burrow and the Bengals, this is as clear of a path to the Super Bowl as Allen may ever have in his career. The reigning MVP carried his team to victory last week with more than 300 yards of offense and three total touchdowns against an excellent Jaguars defense, but he now faces a Denver defense ranked second in yards allowed and third in points allowed. The Broncos’ defense is elite, so the big question now is whether the offense can do its part and lead Denver to an AFC Championship Game. Bo Nix had an up-and-down Year 2, and Buffalo allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL this season. The Bills are susceptible to the run game, however, so rookie back RJ Harvey may be in for a large workload.
The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, likes the Broncos in this one, as Denver wins outright 53% of the time on the money line in what’s nearly a pick ’em. SportsLine expert Brady Kannon is a believer in the Bills, however, picking them to at least cover as +1.5-point underdogs due to his concerns with Nix and the Denver offense as well as the Broncos’ struggles against mobile quarterbacks.
49ers at Seahawks
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Seattle | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: 49ers ML | Expert: Under 45.5 (Matt Severance)
Round 3 between the 49ers and Seahawks takes place this Saturday in Seattle, with the winner of this rubber match heading to the NFC Championship Game. Seattle took a big step forward in Mike Macdonald’s second year as head coach, winning a franchise-record 14 games while possessing the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL and a top-10 scoring offense with Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the way. The 49ers have overcome countless injuries to star players all season long, but the offense is now effectively Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey with Kittle out with an Achilles tear. Strangely, the visiting team has dominated this rivalry of late, with the 49ers winning each of their last four games in Seattle and the Seahawks winning the last two games in Santa Clara. That includes Week 18, when Seattle allowed only three points and less than 200 yards to the 49ers in a dominant 13-3 win. These rivals have met twice in the postseason, and the home team has won both times — Seattle in 2013 and San Francisco in 2022.
The SportsLine model sees value in backing the 49ers on the money line as the big underdogs win in 35% of simulations to return value at these long odds. SportsLine’s Matt Severance thinks the total of 45.5. is too high, especially considering these teams combined for 30 and 16 points in their two matchups in the regular season. “Seattle has the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense and is rested. The Niners are sans George Kittle, hurt in the upset in Philly last weekend,” Severance said. “Brock Purdy is 2-3 vs. Mike Macdonald-coached teams (even when he was a DC in Baltimore) and averaging only 18.4 PPG in those. In his past five against the NFL’s top-three scoring defenses including playoffs, Purdy’s teams are averaging only 15.6 PPG.”
NBA best bets today, where to watch
Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers
Time: 10 p.m. ET | Location: Portland | TV: NBA TV | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Portland -3.5
Portland has quietly been one of the hotter teams in the NBA of late, winning seven of its last 10 to move up the standings. The Trail Blazers are 20-22 on the year and are firmly in the playoff chase thanks to their recent play. Their next test is a tough one as they welcome the Lakers to town. Los Angeles is one of the top teams in the West at 24-15, but the Lakers have been inconsistent of late, going .500 over their last 10 games while other top teams in the conference move up the standings. These teams have met twice so far this season, with each side winning once. The model is backing Portland tonight, as the Blazers win in the majority of simulations and also cover 61% of the time.
Looking ahead: Rams at Bears
Time: 6 p.m. | Location: Chicago | TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Bears ML | Expert: Chicago +3.5 (Emory Hunt)
These teams both survived close games last week to advance to the Divisional Round, as the Rams used a late touchdown to escape Carolina with a win over the Panthers, while the Bears scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to stun their arch-rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Sean McVay’s squad is looking for its second Super Bowl in five seasons, and despite being the No. 5 seed in the NFC, they actually have the second-shortest odds to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings. The Bears are in the midst of an incredible first season under Ben Johnson, showing a penchant for pulling out incredible late wins. The Bears’ defense faces a very tough task against Los Angeles’ offense, and Chicago has one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. What the Bears do well, though, is force turnovers, ranking first in turnovers forced and turnover differential. A clean game from L.A.’s offense is probably the team’s clearest path to victory.
The Bears are 3.5-point underdogs despite being at home, and the SportsLine model sees value in backing the home dogs here as they win outright 45% of the time. SportsLine’s Emory Hunt thinks cold weather could play a part in a Bears cover. “With the frigid temperatures expected in Chicago this weekend, expect the Rams passing game to not be as effective as it has been all season,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that they won’t be productive, but it won’t be as sharp. That’ll allow the Bears to steal a few possessions away and make this one tougher for the Rams to come back on the road.”
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