Seahawks Open As Double-Digit Favorites Over Panthers In Divisional Round

The NFC bracket of the 2014 NFL playoffs contains two sizable favorites in the second weekend of games.

The Seattle Seahawks host the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, while the Green Bay Packers host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The winners will advance to face each other in the NFC Championship Game.

The Seahawks are the biggest favorites of divisional round weekend. Seattle is an 11-point favorite against Carolina, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. These two faced off in Week 8, with Seattle winning 13-9 in Charlotte but failing to cover as a six-point favorite.

Seattle was 10-6 against the spread in 2014, but it closed out the season with five straight covers. This marks the third home game this season and eighth time in the last two years in which Seattle will be a double-digit favorite. The Seahawks are 7-0 straight up and 4-3 ATS in such games. Carolina is 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS in its last five games. The Panthers have not been double-digit road underdogs since 2011. They have lost five straight and nine of 10 SU in such games.

The total is set at 40 points. The total has gone UNDER in five of Seattle’s last six games and OVER in six of Carolina’s last seven games. It has gone UNDER in four of the last five games between these two, including their Week 8 matchup. The OddsShark Computer predicts a 31-20 Seahawks win, which would mean a push and the OVER.

Green Bay opened as a six-point favorite over Dallas on this week’s NFL playoff betting lines. These two last met in December 2013, with Green Bay winning 37-36 and covering as a road underdog. The Packers are 3-0 SU and ATS in the last three games between these teams.

Green Bay is 12-4 SU and 9-6-1 ATS this season. The Packers went 6-1 ATS in their last seven home games. Dallas is 13-4 SU and 10-7 ATS this season. The Cowboys are 4-1 ATS in their last five games and 7-1 ATS in eight road games this season, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

The game features two notable injuries. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers suffered a calf injury in Week 17 and missed practice to start the week. Rodgers will play Sunday but hinted he will not be 100 percent for the divisional round. Dallas linebacker Rolando McClain left Sunday’s wild-card win with an illness and could not return. He missed the Cowboys’ regular-season finale with the illness, so his status for Sunday will be determined later in the week.

Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images