4 NFL Bold Predictions for the Divisional Round

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you only play 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you four bold predictions to watch for in each week the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Bold Predictions for the Divisional Round

Christian McCaffrey Will Post at Least 150 Yards From Scrimmage and 2 Scores

The last time we saw Christian McCaffrey, he was exiting the field in Week 17 with a calf strain. The San Francisco 49ers downplayed the severity of their star's injury but still kept him out of their final game of the regular season.

While his health was a bit of a concern entering the playoffs, the do-it-all back returned to a full practice Tuesday after spending the 49ers' well-earned bye week recovering. If he's as healthy as it seems he is, he's going to tear apart the Green Bay Packers' defense this weekend.

McCaffrey was hands down the best back in the league this year. Only Derrick Henry finished within 300 yards of McCaffrey's league-best 1,459 rushing yards, only Breece Hall topped his 564 receiving yards, and only Raheem Mostert kept pace with McCaffrey's 21 total touchdowns. It was a tour-de-force season for the former Carolina Panthers back and one he'll keep rolling on into the playoffs.

The Packers are fresh off an exciting, decisive win over the Dallas Cowboys but still aren't quite at the same level as the 49ers. Specifically, their rushing defense leaves much to be desired. They allowed 2,181 rushing yards in 2023, the fifth-most in the league, making them by far the worst rush defense in the playoffs this year.

The 49ers are not a team that's afraid to run the ball down their opponents' throats. When they find a matchup on the field they like, they exploit it until the opposing team adapts. That's why I'm expecting the 49ers' offense to run through McCaffrey for as long as it takes the Packers to figure out a way to shut him down -- which might not ever happen.

He'll take advantage of that workload by churning out at least 150 yards from scrimmage and at least 2 touchdowns. If you also think McCaffrey is queued up for a fantastic day against Green Bay, consider taking a look at some of his Divisional Round Props on FanDuel Sportsbook.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Will Beat the Lions (+235)

As we should all know by now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers love to blitz. They sent extra pass rushers at a 40.1% clip during the season, the third-highest rate in the league.

Their defense put up some dominant performances in the trenches this year. Not only did they allow the fifth-fewest rushing yards this year (1,620), but they were also, notably, the only team to shut down the "brotherly shove" (a feat they accomplished twice).

The Detroit Lions' offense has been a force to reckon with this year but is also one the Bucs are equipped to handle. While Detroit has leaned heavily on their elite running backs to take pressure off of quarterback Jared Goff, the Bucs typically shut down the running game.

And the book is out on Goff, who has historically struggled to deal with pressure -- he was the third-most-blitzed quarterback in the NFL in 2023. Goff's yards per attempt average dipped a full 2 yards when he was under pressure this year, dropping from a strong 8.3 yards per attempt down to a subpar 6.3 mark under pressure. The Lions did their best to manage with Goff's limitations, but those weaknesses are still there for opposing defenses to exploit.

The Bucs are going to do their best to force the Lions to beat them through the air, which means Goff will need to challenge the Bucs' defense down the field. It's a gamble the Bucs took all year with mixed results. Sometimes the strategy shuts down top-notch passers like Trevor Lawrence, while other times quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud casually drop 470 yards and 5 touchdowns against your thinned-out defensive backfield.

Given Goff's historical struggles under pressure, this seems like the kind of game where the Bucs' defense can pull off an upset win -- just like we saw on Monday when they took down the reigning NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Bills Will Keep the Chiefs Under 16 Points

The Buffalo Bills have played some strong defense this season -- when they aren't the most banged-up team on the field.

According to numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, they were the sixth-best defense in 2023. It didn't quite look like it against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, but over the course of the year, this team has played some tough-as-nails defense.

They might match surprisingly well into this iteration of the Kansas City Chiefs' offense as well. Without a reliable downfield option, the Chiefs asked Patrick Mahomes to distribute the ball closer to the line of scrimmage and put his receivers in position to create yards after the catch (YAC). To that effect, his 6.5 air yards per attempt ranked 30th among qualifying starters while his 6.4 YAC per completion ranked third-highest.

The Bills have been quite good at shutting down yards after the catch this year. Opposing pass-catchers averaged just 4.9 YAC per reception against the Bills, the eighth-fewest. That accomplishment is even more impressive considering that opposing quarterbacks averaged the second-fewest air yards per attempt (6.9 yards) against the Bills.

In other words, the Bills' defense (with its eighth-ranked pressure rate) forced quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly on shorter targets and then prevented those shorter completions from generating yards after the catch. They have essentially been preparing all year to handle an offense like the Chiefs' unit, which could allow them to keep Mahomes and company out of the end zone. They'll hold their playoff rivals under 16 points in this critical Divisional Round game.

Ravens Tight Ends Will Total at Least 100 Receiving Yards and a Touchdown

Few NFL teams can truly claim to have a difference-making pass-catching tight end. The Baltimore Ravens have two (arguably three, if you are still holding out hope for Charlie Kolar like I am). And this weekend, they'll put up at least 100 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans.

For starters, it looks like star tight end Mark Andrews is going to make his return from the injured reserve. He's already back at practice this week and the team appeared to make room for his return to the roster in their transactions on Monday. We've seen what the All-Pro-caliber tight end is capable of as a receiver (10 career 100-yard games) and are eagerly awaiting his return to the game.

The Ravens didn't just sit idly by while Andrews was sidelined, though, as they let second-year tight end Isaiah Likely spread his wings in the second half of the year. Over the final six weeks, Likely caught 5 touchdowns while averaging 53.7 receiving yards per game.

Even if Andrews returns to the lineup, the Ravens can't exactly put a talent like Likely's back in the bottle, so I'm expecting to see plenty of both players on the field against the Texans in the Divisional Round.

The Texans are a pretty great matchup for tight ends, as well. They were one of five teams to allow opposing tight ends to compile over 1,000 receiving yards during the year, and they gave up the most receptions (107) to the position.

They've benefitted from elite cornerback play from Derek Stingley Jr. shutting down their opponents' wideouts for much of the year, but the strength of their defensive backs has appeared to funnel more targets to tight ends. That sets up both Andrews and Likely for strong days as pass-catchers in what could be a fast-paced game.

If you're as excited as I am for this contest between the AFC's top seed and the soon-to-be Rookie of the Year, consider taking up FanDuel Sportsbook's No Sweat Same Game Parlay offer on Saturday's games. Just build a parlay of at least three legs for either of Saturday's contests, and FanDuel refunds any losing wagers with additional bonus bets.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.