Best Divisional Round Prop Bets: NFC

It is the divisional round of the NFL playoffs which means we have four NFC and four AFC teams remaining in the hunt to play in Super Bowl LVI.

In the NFC, Aaron Rodgers and the top-seeded Packers host Jimmy G and the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay while Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers host Matt Stafford and the star-studded Rams at Raymond James Stadium. Both contests are rematches from the regular season with the Packers and Rams winning round one.

Courtesy of PlayPickup.com, here are some of the best prop bets for divisional round weekend in the NFC.

Leading Rusher in 49ers at Packers

Both Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garappolo have led their team to a Super Bowl, with Rodgers winning one as a starter and Garappolo as a backup. However, it’s not necessarily the passing attack that will be in focus on Saturday. Both teams have a dynamic rushing attack that could be the focal point for whichever team wins and advances to the NFC Championship Game.

For the 49ers, running back Elijah Mitchell had 96 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in San Francisco’s win over the Cowboys in the wild card round. However, wide receiver Deebo Samuel may be the 49ers’ most dynamic rusher. Samuel added 72 yards and a touchdown on the ground on just 10 carries. For the season, he has 365 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns on 59 rushing attempts. That, combined with his 1,405 yards through the air, makes him one of the most dynamic players in general, not just at the running back position. The Packers didn’t get much of a glimpse of Samuel as a runner when they met back in September as his usage really began during the 49ers week 10 victory over the Rams.

A.J. Dillon had a career year for the Packers in 2021. He amassed 803 yards on the ground on 187 carries and found the endzone five times. He also added 313 yards in the air. However, he had just 18 yards on five attempts in the team’s week three meeting. Aaron Jones led the rushing attack in the Packers’ week three win over the 49ers with 82 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. A Pro-Bowler a year ago, Jones had nearly identical numbers to Dillon, despite playing in two fewer games. On the season, Jones had 799 yards and four touchdowns on 171 carries. He added an additional 391 yards and six touchdowns through the air in 2021.

Aaron Rodgers Passing Touchdowns (O/U: 2.5)

In the Packers’ week three win over the 49ers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns. He average 2.3 touchdowns a game during the 16 games he played during the regular season. However, since week 11, Rodgers is averaging 2.9 touchdowns a game. The 49ers’ defense, on the other hand, allows just 1.5 passing touchdowns a game and over the last eight weeks (including the wild card game against the Cowboys), they have allowed just 13 passing touchdowns or 1.6 a game. This number is heavily skewed by three touchdowns by Rams quarterback Matt Stafford in the final week of the season. With the number set at 2.5, and the weather expected to be frigid, it may be tough for Rodgers to hit the over which is set at 2.5

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Will The Bucs Intercept Matt Stafford?

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford had one of his best games of the season when they met the Bucs back in September. In that win, Stafford threw for 343 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. It was one of two games in which Stafford hit four touchdowns and one of the six games he did not throw an interception. He also was interception-free in the Rams 34-11 win over the Cardinals while attempting, by far, his fewest passes of the season with just 17. However, Stafford threw an interception in each of the last four games of the regular season, three of which were multiple interception games. After throwing just four interceptions during the first eight games of the regular season, Stafford threw 13 in the final nine games. As a team, despite all the injuries in the secondary, the Buccaneers had the eight most interceptions in the league with 17. In a game where Stafford will likely have to match Tom Brady’s offense, you’ll likely see him throw a few very interceptable balls.

Total Touchdowns For Tom Brady (O/U: 2.5)

The 44-year-old Tom Brady led the league with 43 touchdown passes in 2021. He added a pair in the Bucs dominating wild card victory over the Eagles. However, in order to extend his streak of nine straight divisional-round victories, Brady will have to beat a team he is 0-2 against since joining the Bucs prior to the start of the 2020 season. He threw two touchdowns in the regular season against the Rams in 2020 and threw one this season. However, he had a rushing touchdown in each. Needless to say, the Bucs need Brady to produce to win this game. However, there is always a chance that they hand the ball of as they get closer to the goal line… assuming Brady doesn’t rush it in himself.