NFL Wild Card Odds: Opening Lines And Movement

The NFL playoffs are on the horizon, with Wild Card Weekend offering six matchups over three days. We have a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, then three games on Sunday at 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. ET.

The round then ends with the new tradition of a Monday Night Football playoff game, with the Los Angeles Rams hosting the Minnesota Vikings at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.

We’re breaking down the opening odds for each wild card game below, with a look at any key injury news and analysis of how these lines could shift throughout the week. We’ll also highlight some trends that would help with placing bets on your favorite sportsbook apps. 

NFL Wild Card Odds

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers: Los Angeles Chargers +13.5 (-120) on FanDuel

• The Texans are home underdogs, with most books opening the line at Chargers -2.5. Early action on the Chargers moved the line up to -3 at some books, and it’s possible the line will jockey back and forth around the key number all week. The Texans opened at +125 on the moneyline and are up to +135 as a consensus number. The total opened at 44.5 and is down to 43.5 points. The Houston offense struggled mightily down the stretch, with Tank Dell (leg) joining Stefon Diggs (ACL) on season-ending IR, but the Texans locked up the AFC South early and were able to rest key starters in Week 18. Houston went 4-7-1 against the spread when facing AFC opponents this year but 3-1 ATS when playing with a rest advantage. 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore Ravens -13.5 (-110) on Caesars

• The Steelers closed as three-point home underdogs before beating the Ravens 18-16 in Week 10. They closed as seven-point dogs in Week 16 and hung close before ultimately notching a 34-17 loss at Baltimore, part of a four-game losing streak to close out the regular season. The Ravens opened as 8.5-point favorites in this matchup and have been quickly bet up to 9.5-point favorites. Pittsburgh has benefitted from the top turnover margin in the AFC this season, but the Steelers offense ranks 29th in red zone touchdown conversion rate. Baltimore is averaging the third-fewest turnovers and leads the NFL in red zone TD conversion rate (74.2%). Ravens games are 9-1 to the over when they’ve been on equal rest with their opponents, and their division games are 5-1 to the over. The total for this matchup opened at 46.5 and was quickly bet down to 45.5 points. 

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills: Buffalo Bills -7.5 (-115) on Caesars

• The Bills opened as 7.5-point favorites at some books, but that didn’t last long, with the home team now favored by 8.5 or nine points across the online sports betting industry. The Broncos are coming off a blowout win over the Chiefs’ backups, while the Bills rested key players in Week 18. Denver went 1-6 straight up against playoff teams prior to that win over the Chiefs. Denver is getting +400 odds or higher on the moneyline. The Bills played two games with a rest advantage this year and won by an average of 31 points per game. Buffalo is 5-3 ATS at home with an average margin of victory of 16.6 points per game. Prior to their Week 18 loss, the Bills had won six straight and 11 of their last 13 matchups against rookie quarterbacks. 

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles: Philadelphia Eagles -5.5 (-110) on Caesars 

• Jordan Love appeared to suffer a thumb injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of a Week 18 loss to Chicago. He was ready to re-enter with seeding at stake, so the Packers quarterback should be good to go for a rematch of Week 1 against the Eagles. Philadelphia opened at -3.5, and the home favorites have been bet up to -4.5 with -205 odds on the moneyline. The total is holding steady at around 46.5 points. The Packers went 2-5 ATS in matchups against playoff teams this season, but they were 8-3 ATS outside of the tough NFC North. The Eagles went 11-1 straight up and 9-3 ATS over their final 12 games, with the sole loss coming in Week 16 when Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion. Hurts is expected to be cleared for the wild card round. 

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3 (-110) on Caesars

• The Bucs nearly blew a chance to clinch in the NFC South before rallying late to beat the Saints in Week 18. The Commanders also overcame a slow start to beat the Cowboys, earning the No. 6 seed and this matchup, which has the highest over/under line (50.5 points) of these six games. The Bucs are favored by a flat three points, with a couple of books fluctuating around the key number to -3.5 or -2.5 depending on action. The Commanders opened at +136 and are now as high as +158 on the moneyline. While rookie quarterbacks are below .500 in playoff games, Jayden Daniels has led Washington to five straight wins to cap the season. The Bucs handled the Commanders by a score of 37-20 in Daniels’ NFL debut. Tampa is 8-3 ATS in non-division games and winning by an average of 11 points per game in five contests as home favorites. 

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams: Minnesota Vikings +17.5 (-115) on Caesars

• The Vikings failed to capitalize on scoring chances early in a 31-9 loss at Detroit in Week 18, dropping them to the No. 5 seed. The Rams posted a 30-20 win over the Vikings in a Thursday Night Football matchup in Week 6, but they have opened as 2.5-point underdogs at home in this rematch, with +116 odds on the moneyline. The Vikings went 3-2-1 ATS as road favorites this season. Their non-division games were 8-3 to the under. The Rams went 9-2 straight up and 7-4 ATS over their last 11 games to clinch the NFC West. They went 4-2 ATS as home underdogs this season, and those games were 5-1 to the over.