NFL Playoff Bracket Odds & Predictions: Wild Card Weekend Begins on Saturday

• Texans vs Chargers opens Wild Card weekend

• The Ravens will face the Steelers for the third time this season

• The Lions and Chiefs both earned home-field advantage and a Wild Card bye 

The regular season has ended, and it’s time to start the second season. The Super Bowl will be played in New Orleans in early February, and deciding a champion begins on Saturday. 

We have six games throughout Wild Card weekend. The action begins on Saturday with the Chargers vs Texans. The weekend concludes Monday night with an NFC conference battle between the Rams and Vikings.

Minnesota is coming off a tough loss to the Lions, which made their 14 wins meaningless. The Vikings had one of the best records in the NFL and won’t even play at home in the playoffs.  

Detroit earned the bye with a win over the Vikings, and the Chiefs earned that right in the AFC conference. On FanDuel Sportsbook, these two teams are favored to win the Super Bowl. 

Here, we will look at each game in the playoffs and provide the storylines to watch heading into each game. If you want to bet on the NFL playoffs, check out FanDuel Sportsbook. New customers on FanDuel can get $200 in bonus bets, just by placing a $5 wager.

Chargers (-2.5, O/U 42.5) @ Texans - Saturday, January 11, 4:30 PM EST

• Moneyline: Chargers -154 | Texans +130

• Spread: -2.5 (-118) | +2.5 (+104)

• Total: Over 42.5 (-110) | Under 42.5 (-110)

Jim Harbaugh has returned to the NFL and made a statement in his first season. He has led the Chargers to the playoffs and put the league on notice for the coming seasons.

Justin Herbert has always had potential but was plagued by bad coaching. Harbaugh has brought a dominant run game to Los Angeles, and it has helped his franchise quarterback. 

Los Angeles ended the season with three straight wins and is a road favorite in Houston. The Texans won the AFC South but have regressed since last season. 

They added a lot of talent but couldn’t stay healthy. Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs will miss this game due to knee injuries, leaving Nico Collins as the team’s primary weapon. 

The Chargers haven’t played well against quality opponents in 2024. Look for Los Angeles to try to run the ball early, but if Houston can limit this aspect of their offense, it will set them up for success.

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Ravens (-9.5, O/U 43.5) vs Steelers - Saturday, January 11, 8:00 PM EST

• Moneyline: Ravens -590 | Steelers +440

• Spread: -9.5 (-115) | +9.5 (-105)

• Total: Over 43.5 (-112) | Under 43.5 (-108)

Has recency bias played into the spread for the Ravens vs. Steelers game? Divisional games in the NFL are traditionally tight, but Baltimore has been listed as a 9.5-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Baltimore is the better team, but they lost by two points to Pittsburgh earlier in the season. The Steelers' offense has been nonexistent in the past few weeks, so the line is lofty. 

The Chiefs dominated them on Christmas Day in Week 17 and then had another stinker against the Bengals in Week 18, scoring just 17 points. 

We believe Pittsburgh can keep it close because they have traditionally been solid against Lamar Jackson. Jackson hasn’t been great against Pittsburgh this season, but if the Steelers can’t score, their defense has less impact. 

The Ravens should win, but 9.5 points is a lot, considering the Steelers have an elite defense. Look for TJ Watt to give Jackson trouble and limit the Ravens' explosiveness.

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Bills (-8.5, O/U 47.5) vs Broncos - Sunday, January 12, 1:00 PM EST

• Moneyline: Bills -420 | Broncos +330

• Spread: -8.5 (-112) | +8.5 (-108)

• Total: Over 47.5 (-102) | Under 47.5 (-120)

The Denver Broncos have made the playoffs for the first time since 2015. This was an unprecedented season for the Broncos because they had one of their best years in a decade with a rookie quarterback. 

Russell Wilson didn’t do half as much in Denver as Bo Nix did this season. Nix was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL Draft and didn’t disappoint in 2024. 

The quarterback will finish second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Jayden Daniels. Nix was 12th in passing yards with 3,775 and was sixth in passing touchdowns with 29.

Nix has a bright NFL career but has a challenging task to beat the Bills on the road in the Wild Card round. Whether shouldn’t be an issue because Denver is used to the cold, but Josh Allen has been one of the best players in the NFL this season. 

Allen is the favorite to win the NFL MVP award this season, and we expect him to have a huge game. The Broncos have an elite defense, but Allen is good enough to beat the best defenders in the NFL. 

It has been a magical season for the Bills; only two teams can stop them this year. The Broncos aren’t one of those two teams.

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Eagles (-4.5, O/U 45.5) vs Packers - Sunday, January 12, 4:30 PM EST

• Moneyline: Eagles -240 | Packers +194

• Spread: -4.5 (-115) | +4.5 (-105)

• Total: Over 45.5 (-110) | Under 45.5 (-110)

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers opened the 2024 season against each other in Brazil. The Packers jumped out to an early lead, but Philadelphia battled right back and won 34-29. 

Even though Green Bay lost, the team responded and fought into the postseason. Jalen Hurts's health is the primary storyline heading into Sunday. 

Hurts has been dealing with a concussion for two weeks and just returned to practice. It’s tough for a quarterback to take time off, but Hurts has enough experience that we trust him to return to normal. 

However, this is the most brutal game for the Eagles to get in the first round as a two-seed. They went 11-6 and played in the toughest division in the NFL. 

Green Bay is known for upsetting teams in the playoffs. Last season, they beat the Cowboys in the Wild Card round and almost overtook the 49ers in the Divisional Round. 

Nobody would be surprised to see the Packers pull off an upset. While it’s not likely, especially if the Eagles can run the ball behind Saquon Barkley, Green Bay is a live underdog in this position.

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Buccaneers (-3, O/U 50.5) vs Commanders - Sunday, January 12, 8:00 PM EST

• Moneyline: Buccaneers -166 | Commanders +138

• Spread: -3 (-105) | +3 (-115)

• Total: Over 50.5 (-105) | Under 50.5 (-115)

Eagles vs Packers isn’t the only rematch from Week 1 in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The Buccaneers beat the Commanders by 17 points in Week 1.

While this result is meaningful, both teams have changed drastically since the year's first week. Jayden Daniels went from a promising rookie to an established NFL quarterback. 

Because of his ability to run and throw, Daniels can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the coming seasons. 

This week, the quarterback was selected for the Pro Bowl, which also caused a storyline to explode. Baker Mayfield, who ranked in the top three in passing yards and touchdowns, has been left out of the Pro Bowl. 

The Buccaneers clinched their playoff berth in Week 18 with a win over the Saints. Mayfield wasn’t great, but he dominated when needed, and we believe he will play with a chip on his shoulder. 

This game can be the most competitive game of the weekend. Daniels and Mayfield should duel for 60 minutes.

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Vikings (-1.5, O/U 47.5) @ Rams - Monday, January 13, 8:00 PM EST

• Moneyline: Vikings -118 | Rams +100

• Spread: -1.5 (-105) | +1.5 (-115)

• Total: Over 47.5 (-110) | Under 47.5 (-110)

The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games this season but will be on the road for the playoffs as a five-seed. Although they had chances to win, they couldn’t convert in the red zone. 

This game is a meeting of former coaches. Kevin O’Connell worked for Sean McVay as the Rams' offensive coordinator in Los Angeles.

Elite wide receivers and potent offenses define this game. The Vikings' Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson have become one of the best duos in the NFL. 

Los Angeles has Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, who have also been outstanding receivers this season. Despite being on the road, the Vikings have the edge in this game because they have a better defense. 

Sam Darnold's Week 18 performance showed that he can be shaky, so the Vikings' defense has to be fantastic. Minnesota should respond with a vengeance after their loss to the Lions. 

Los Angeles will put up a fight, but they should get worn down by Minnesota.

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