A historical trend that you will hear about the NFL Divisional round is that at least one team who played in the Wild Card round has moved on to the conference championship since 2005.  A lot of people say the NFL has parity, and any team that makes the playoffs could win the Super Bowl. This has been true in cases with the New York Giants twice under Eli Manning and the Packers in 2011. However, you have to ponder if there is still parity in the NFL. The Patriots, Broncos, Seahawks and Packers were all expected to win double-digit games before the season, and they accomplished that feat. Those four teams are clearly the best teams in the league and it’s reflected in the point spreads this weekend. So the historical trend that a home team is likely to lose this weekend can be thrown out the window. It would be surprising if the final four doesn’t involve New England, Denver, Seattle and Green Bay (unless Rodgers is ineffective because of injury.)

Here is a look at each game and my thoughts on the point spread and totals:

Continue reading →