NFL Divisional round picks: Expert predictions for all 4 playoff games

Eight NFL teams remain in the playoff chase, but only four will advance this weekend. Who are our experts picking?

Jan 8, 2014, 2:00 PM UTC

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

There will be plenty of familiarity in the Divisional round matchups this week with three of the four games a rematch from earlier in the season. That didn't, however, make picking the games much easier. The Wild Card round last week was just the latest example of how unpredictable the NFL playoffs can be.

Despite the historic comeback and upset wins last week, SB Nation’s NFL experts are once again back to attempt to predict the slate of games. That may prove to be easier said than done, even with heavy betting favorites in three of the four games. There were differing opinions on three games with Seattle the only unanimous pick to win.

Seattle blew New Orleans out, 34-7, earlier this season. All six of SB Nation’s experts predicted history to repeat itself this week. The majority of SB Nation’s experts went against the Saints last week, too, with only Matt Ufford picking New Orleans over Philadelphia. Pulling the upset in Seattle will be a slightly bigger challenge.

The Broncos were nearly a unanimous pick, with only Stephen White picking against Denver. New England is also favored at home with four experts picking the Patriots to knock off the Colts. David Fucillo correctly picked Indianapolis to win last week and he’s one of the two picking the Colts to win this week.

San Francisco opened as a slight betting favorite on the road against the Panthers, and SB Nation’s experts agree. Four of the six picked San Francisco to pull out another road win. If the majority picks prove to be true, the Seahawks would host the 49ers in the NFC Championship with New England traveling to Denver to face the Broncos in the AFC Championship.

Here are all of the SB Nation editorial staff picks for the Divisional round:

Game	Ryan Van Bibber	Joel Thorman	Jason Chilton	Stephen White	David Fucillo	Matt Ufford
Saints at Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks	Seahawks
49ers at Panthers	Panthers	49ers	49ers	49ers	49ers	Panthers
Colts at Patriots	Colts	Patriots	Patriots	Patriots	Colts	Patriots
Chargers at Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Broncos	Chargers	Broncos	Broncos

Our panel consists of: David Fucillo, SB Nation’s fantasy guru; Stephen White, retired NFL defensive end and SB Nation NFL contributor; Jason Chilton, SB Nation NFL contributor; Joel Thorman, manager of SB Nation NFL blogs; Ryan Van Bibber, SB Nation’s NFL editor; and Matt Ufford, editorial producer, SB Nation studios.