After 18 weeks of regular season action, we’re finally headed to the NFL Playoffs!
This weekend, there will be six playoff matchups to decide divisional round games. Other than the Rams-Panthers game, all current spreads are no higher than 3.5 right now. It should make for some really good NFL Playoff games.
I’ll review some of the most appealing NFL Odds for Wild Card Weekend and their betting lines.
NFL Odds Wild Card Weekend At-A-Glance
The Los Angeles Rams are on the road to take on the Carolina Panthers. Yet, the Rams are still 9.5-point favorites on the road in that playoff game. That’s the one game where the spread is chaotic. The other five games look much more appealing on paper.
In fact, the Chicago Bears are set to face the Green Bay Packers on Saturday Night. That will be an intense rivalry matchup.
You also can’t go wrong with a matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers-Patriots game is another matchup between two super-hyped-up quarterbacks.
Let’s talk about them.
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears (+1.5 -110)
The Chicago Bears are the home team. But they’re still underdogs despite having two more wins than the Packers this season.
The Packers aren’t healthy at quarterback, but it’s still likely Jordan Love will start. He’s thrown for far less than Caleb Williams, but has been more accurate overall. The run game has been a weakness for Green Bay recently.
Meanwhile, the Bears have found ways to win tight games all season long. They’ve had a low differential, but a high winning percentage. It’s hard to sustain that kind of success. But at home, the Bears will have more confidence.
Still, the odds haven’t shifted since opening. The Packers are still -1.5 against the spread. Yet the total has moved from 46.5 to 45.5 so far. Bettors think we’ll get a lower-scoring game in this one.
Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (+1.5 -105)
The Buffalo Bills are heading to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars in their Wild Card game. The Bills are one of the few teams that continue to make the playoffs but can’t ever get into the Super Bowl.
They’re hoping this is their year. However, the analytics actually favor the Jaguars at home, despite the Bills being the favorites.
The Bills have been one of the worst tackling teams in the nation. The secondary has also been far from excellent this season. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence has put together his best season under center for the Jaguars and has thrown for over 4,000 yards this season.
The spread hasn’t changed for the Bills. They’re still -1.5 (+100). The total has also stayed the same at 51.5. However, if I had to choose a team, I’d be backing the home team here.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots (-3.5 -110)
The Los Angeles Chargers sat their starters in Week 18 in preparation for this game. But that could hurt them in the long run. The Chargers lost to the Texans in Week 17 and have now lost two consecutive games. That won’t give them much confidence heading into this game.
On the other hand, the Patriots have won three consecutive games and have Drake Maye, who will be an MVP candidate. Maye’s second season under center in the NFL was terrific. He threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns and is playing on a team with the better overall defense.
The Patriots ultimately allowed 11 fewer points this season. In addition, New England is home. Los Angeles will have to play in freezing cold temperatures instead. That certainly can’t help.
Even with that, the spread has stayed in favor of the Patriots -3.5, and the total has jumped up from 45.5 to 46.5. The Patriots would be my bet.
Get Ready For Wild Card Weekend
There are so many exciting games for the NFL Wild Card Weekend. As stated previously, five of the six games have spreads of no more than 3.5 points, but remember to always give a look at the NFL Odds for Wild Card Weekend before making any bet.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
