2026 NFC Divisional Round Predictions and Preview

Wild Card weekend in the NFC truly lived up to it's name. Every game had a dramatic finish with the Bears, Rams and 49ers punching their tickets to the Divisional Round. Our NFL experts are back this week to break down the Rams vs. Bears and 49ers vs. Seahawks as they battle to get one step closer to the Super Bowl.

After the biggest comeback in Bears history, Chicago now plays host to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round. The Rams know a thing or two about comebacks as well as Matthew Stafford orchestrated a game winning drive to take down Carolina in the Wild Card Round. These two teams didn't meet in the regular season, so we don't have anything to go off from that perspective. The Rams are the best team in the NFL in points per game, passing yards per game as well as being a top 10 team in rushing and points allowed per game. Stafford Leads the NFL in both passing yards and TDs this season and is likely to win MVP. As for the Bears, they're 6-2 at home this season, while being a top 10 team in passing, rushing and points scored per game. Chicago's defense, which has been their biggest question mark all season will have their hands full on Sunday. The weather in Chicago will certainly play a factor in this game as it did in the Wild Card game against Green Bay. No matter the result against L.A, Coach Ben Johnson along with QB Caleb Williams have shown the potential the Bears have been lacking in recent years and put together a season not seen in Chicago since their Super Bowl run.

We have the Rams projected to win and advance to the Conference Championship with a score of 27.5-21.5. Los Angeles is currently a 3.5 point favorite, so our tip is to take the Rams -3.5 currently at -115 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

NFC West Rivals face off as the 49ers head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks for the third time this season. For the Seahawks, this is their second game in a row against the 49ers and they'll be hoping for a similar result to two weeks ago. The odds are also very much in their favor as they'll be playing at home, coming off a bye week, while the 49ers had to travel to the east coast, had a tough game against the Eagles and now play on Saturday, making it a short week for them. The teams split their regular season games, though the final game of the season could be seen as a one off given that the playoff seeding had already been decided. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks ranked 3rd this season in points scored per game and led the NFL in fewest points allowed per game, while being a top 10 team in both passing and rushing. As for the 49ers, Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey despite going 12-5 finished 3rd in the NFC West. San Francisco has a good passing attack, but their rushing leaves something to be desired. Although the 49ers were able to put up 25.7 points per game, they also allowed 21.8 per game. Purdy's 2,167 passing yards are near the bottom of the league for starting QB's, but yet the 49ers have found ways to win when it mattered. With the odds stacked against them, the 49ers opened as a 7 point underdog, which has grown to 7.5 points currently.

We're predicting Seattle to win with a projected final score of 22.5-19. Our tip, take San Francisco +7.5 currently at -110 on FanDuel Sportsbook.