NFL playoffs Divisional Round reaction: Was that the best weekend of football ever?

I don’t think anybody can put into words exactly what just happened. The NFL playoffs are now approaching the home stretch after the Divisional Round, and many people are calling it the best second round ever. All 4 games came down to the wire and were ultimately won on the final play of the game. That’s pretty wild, and the slate saved its best for last with an instant classic overtime thriller between the Bills and Chiefs.

It’s a lot to digest, but I’ll do my best. Before we turn our attention to championship weekend, let’s take a look back at what we just witnessed. Here are my top 3 takeaways from a betting perspective from a wild 4 games.

Best second round ever?

We would have considered ourselves lucky to get 2 great games this weekend. Instead we got 4, and each one had us holding our breath until the very end. From a betting perspective, the lower seeds were quite profitable. Underdogs went 3-1 against the spread and 3-1 straight up. The under cashed in both Saturday games while both Sunday games went over.

It’s not hyperbole to say this Bills/Chiefs shootout is going to go down as one of the best games in recent NFL history. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes took turns demonstrating perfect quarterback play, and each of the previous 3 games ended on walk-off field goals that broke ties. I think it’s safe to say we won’t see another Divisional Round like that again for quite some time.

Home-field disadvantage?

One of the big betting narratives this offseason was about the return of fans to stands. Obviously Covid-19 restrictions meant there was no such thing as home field advantage in 2020, and there was a lot of talk that it would come back in 2021. There were plenty of theories that fans being back in stadiums would provide a boost to home teams, especially early on. That proved to be wrong during the regular season, as road teams did quite well all year. And that was especially true this weekend.

The top seeds in both conferences (Titans and Packers) both lost at home. Tampa Bay couldn’t defend Raymond James Stadium. If Mahomes hadn’t pulled off his last-second heroics, all four road teams would’ve won in the Divisional Round for the first time ever. It looks more and more like home-field advantage is a thing of the past, and that could be important to keep in mind when next season rolls around. Bye weeks also didn’t appear to do much good for Tennessee and Green Bay.

If you’re a fan of upsets, check out my 2021 recap of the 10 biggest upsets from the year in sports.

End of eras?

It looks like the Bills and Titans will likely just regroup and more or less run it back next year. But for the two NFC teams that got sent packing this weekend, there are now major questions about the future. The Packers and Buccaneers could possibly both be looking for new quarterbacks. Green Bay is in a really tough salary cap spot, and there’s talk they could start to enter somewhat of a rebuild. Aaron Rodgers has made it clear he wants no part of that, and it looks like he could once again demand a trade or retire.

Similarly, Tom Brady made no commitments to playing for the Bucs in 2022 when speaking to the media after their loss to the Rams. Who knows how serious he is about retiring, but it seems like there’s a real chance. Ditto for the beginning of the Jordan Love era in Green Bay. The Titans are pretty much stuck with Ryan Tannehill, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they explored some ways to move on after his meltdown against Cincinnati.

It looks like there’s going to be a lot of change this offseason, so buckle up. When the futures market first opens up after the Super Bowl things are going to shift fast, so reading the tea leaves on certain franchise’s directions will be key.