The first round of the NFL playoffs is officially in the books, moving us to the divisional round. There weren’t as many close matchups in the first round as fans hoped, but we anticipate that trend will shift this weekend. Only 8 teams remain, and this weekend’s games are crucial in determining the four teams that’ll make up the NFC and AFC Championships.
We will break down our favorite Underdog player props from all four games, starting with the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.
The Texans are coming off an impressive win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but can they keep that energy and momentum up against the defending champs? We’ll soon find out. Let’s dive into the player prop side of things, hoping to sweep Underdog’s board!
This game has the makings of a shootout. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are hoping to silence the doubters that still exist, and C.J. Stroud is trying to follow up his brilliant performance from last week.
With that in mind, Mahomes and Stroud are both likely to sling the ball all around the field, especially Mahomes, who has less to work with on the ground. He doesn’t have Joe Mixon to rely on as Stroud does, and he will do whatever he can to keep this offense moving down the field.
Mahomes had 41 passing attempts in his last matchup with the Texans, and considering he’s had 38+ attempts in three of his last four games, we’re confident that he’ll achieve that mark again this weekend. Don’t overthink this prop, and don’t bet against Mahomes in the playoffs. It doesn’t usually go well.
The connection between Mahomes and Travis Kelce might be as iconic as peanut butter and jelly. Okay, okay, we might be exaggerating a bit, but it’s not too far off.
Mahomes and Kelce have one of the best bonds between any quarterback and pass-catcher in this league, and they seem to come alive in the playoffs.
Kelce had 70+ yards in all four of the Chiefs’ postseason games last season, and in a must-win game, we expect Mahomes to call his number a lot, resulting in at least 54 receiving yards.
Who does Stroud have to throw to at this point, anyway? After losing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell earlier in the season, Stroud’s receiving corps looks like more of a hospital ward than an NFL roster.
He’s been able to make it work regardless, and it’s helped that Nico Collins is back, fully healthy, and ready to go. Collins has been on a tear since returning from injury, having a particularly great game against the Chargers in the Wild Card round.
Look for him to have another fantastic performance that shows up in the box score, amassing more than 81 receiving yards.