NFL divisional round against-the-spread picks, predictions for every game: Can the Bears keep it going?

The Chicago Bears could check out for the rest of the postseason and they've already made their fans happy.

This has been a dream season in Chicago. An NFC North title was great. Beating the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs took it to another level. Ben Johnson certainly liked it, and let the Packers know about it. He spoke for all Bears fans.

But the Bears' season isn't done. They have another shot at a win that would (somehow) make this season even more memorable.

The Los Angeles Rams come to Chicago, and the Rams haven't played like a Super Bowl favorite for about a month. They blew a huge lead to the Seahawks in Week 16, lost to the Falcons in Week 17 (and Sean McVay angrily said his starters needed to play in Week 18 because they weren't playing well enough), they trailed a terrible Cardinals team in the third quarter of the finale before pulling away, then in the wild-card round barely beat a Panthers team that went 8-9 in the regular season. The Rams were a popular Super Bowl pick, and they have the talent to do it, but they will need to play better to get there.

Meanwhile, the Bears continue to defy logic in many cases. Teams aren't supposed to fall way behind and rally to win over and over, but the Bears are never out of any game. They have confidence, and a quarterback in Caleb Williams who has played very well in fourth quarters. That goes a long way.

The Rams are 3.5-point favorites at BetMGM. That was Rams -4.5 earlier in the week but it has come down. Perhaps the weather, which is expected to be 20 degrees at kickoff with a 52% chance of snow, has bettors fading Los Angeles. Or maybe it's the idea that the Bears just find a way to get back in games and pull off wild wins. Maybe the Rams win, but it will be close. Bears +3.5 is the pick, with another entertaining game in Soldier Field on tap.

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are underdogs against a good Rams team. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Cooper Neill via Getty Images

Here are the rest of the picks for the divisional round, with all odds from BetMGM:

Broncos (-1.5) over Bills

The Bills began the week as a 1-point underdog. Perhaps oddsmakers overestimated the betting public's admiration for Josh Allen. The line has been on the move in Denver's direction since early in the week.

There are many reasons to like the Broncos' side. They're at home, and the altitude provides a unique advantage for them. The Broncos had a bye week while the Bills have a short week on a Sunday-to-Saturday turnaround. Denver is also a very good team. They were seventh in DVOA this season, one spot above the Bills. The Broncos are discounted more than you'd expect from a 14-win team, but that's due to their fortunate 11 wins in games decided by eight points or fewer, and an offense that is prone to disappearing for long stretches.

Allen is the equalizer for the Bills. They have injury issues at receiver and in the secondary, the run defense wasn't good this season and they rely far too much on their quarterback, who suffered finger, foot and knee injuries against the Jaguars last week. But they have Allen. That gives them a chance in any game, but the Broncos have a lot going for them as well.

49ers (+7) over Seahawks

The Seahawks are fresh off a bye, facing a banged-up 49ers team that lost George Kittle to an Achilles tear. We saw Seattle dominate the 49ers in San Francisco two weeks ago, a 13-3 win that clinched the No. 1 seed. This game is in Seattle as a result of that win. The point spread, at a full touchdown, doesn't seem unfair.

And yet, the 49ers have been surprising everyone all season. Why not again in this divisional round game?

The 49ers pulled the biggest upset of the wild-card weekend when they won at Philadelphia. Doing it after Kittle's injury added to the surprise. San Francisco has gotten to this point with a fantastic coaching job from Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. The 49ers looked bad, especially on offense, against Seattle two weeks ago. But they will make adjustments. Seattle is much better, but San Francisco can keep this game close.

Patriots (-3) over Texans

This is a tough pick against Houston, whose defense is clearly championship quality. And the Texans were my pick when the playoffs began to win the AFC. But Nico Collins' injury changes things.

Collins suffered a concussion on Monday night. It's his second concussion of the season, and the Texans play on short rest this week. It seems very unlikely that Collins, Houston's best offensive player, plays on Sunday. And no matter how good the Texans' defense is, the offense needs to score something.

The Patriots looked good in wild-card weekend. Their defense had its best game of the season, keeping the Chargers out of the end zone. They're not going to score that much against Houston, but if Collins is out, they might not need to score too many points to win and cover.

Last week: 2-4

Season to date: 136-135-7