The Silcoff Selections: NFL Divisional Round Picks Straight Up & ATS

The Silcoff Selections are here for the divisional round of the 2024 NFL Season! Below are my records for my straight up and against the spread picks for the season thus far.

Records Last Week:

Straight Up: 4-2

Against The Spread: 2-4

Season Records:

Reg Season-Straight Up: 182-90

Reg Season-Against The Spread: 133-132-7

Playoffs-Straight Up: 4-2

Reg Season-Against The Spread: 2-4

(4) Houston Texans (10-7) @ (1) Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) I Line: Chiefs -8.5

The Chiefs' quest for a three-peat kicks off Saturday afternoon against the Texans, and I expect them to handle business fairly convincingly. The Chiefs' starters have been resting since Christmas Day, and with no key players on the injury report, Kansas City should be ready to roll. The Texans' defense could give the Chiefs' so-so offensive line some trouble, as we saw them dominate the Chargers a week ago. However, I believe Kansas City will make C.J. Stroud far more uncomfortable than Los Angeles did in the Wild Card round. Typically, in his first game of the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes and this offense come out firing, and I think they dominate Houston en route to a seventh straight conference championship game appearance

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Texans 13

(6) Washington Commanders (12-5) @ (1) Detroit Lions I Line: Lions -9.5

This game should be a shootout, with the Lions facing immense pressure as they take on a Commanders team playing with house money. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will look to continue his improbable rookie season. In a high-scoring affair, I believe the Commanders will give the Lions a bit of a scare, but Detroit will ultimately secure the win at home to advance to the NFC title game.

Prediction: Lions 38, Commanders 30

(4) Los Angeles Rams (10-7) @ (2) Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) I Line: Eagles -6

Last week showed why I should stop betting against Rams coach Sean McVay as he continues to show himself to be one of the best minds in the game. But with Saquon Barkley playing at such a high level and the Eagles having skill everywhere, I think Jalen Hurts will be much better this weekend than he was in round one, I'll go with the Eagles by more than a touchdown. Since joining LA in 2021, Matt Stafford doesn't have the best numbers playing outdoors and with weather expected to be a big factor, I think this top tier Eagles defense gets to the veteran for a majority of the day.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Rams 14

(3) Baltimore Ravens (12-5) @ (2) Buffalo Bills (13-4) I Line: Ravens -1.5

It’s anyone’s guess who will win this game, and if you had asked me a week ago, I would have leaned toward Baltimore, as the matchup does favor the Ravens. But then I saw this line. It’s just disrespectful to the Bills. Although Buffalo was dominated by Baltimore in Week 4, they were without the majority of their starters. I also feel that the fact this game is being played in Buffalo hasn’t received enough attention. It seems like many people are treating this as if it’s being played on a neutral site.

At the end of the day, I have a hard time believing Josh Allen will lose at home in the divisional round for the third straight year. In what could be a game for the ages, I’m picking Josh Allen and the Bills to come out victorious and return to the AFC title game for the first time since the 2020 season.

Prediction: Bills 27, Ravens 24

ATS Picks Recap:

• Chiefs -8.5

• Commanders +9.5

• Eagles -6

• Bills +1.5