NFL Wild Card Odds Feature Six Matchups of Varying Intrigue
One of the most interesting matchups of the NFL Wild Card weekend is the Saturday night clash between division rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. This will be the third time this season that the two teams have met, but this time the point spread is at its peak, reaching double digits.
Baltimore is the AFC’s No. 3 seed, finishing the regular season 12-5 straight up and 10-6-1 against the spread. The Ravens are on a nice run, winning and covering the point spread in their last four games. On the other hand, the Steelers (10-7 SU/11-6 ATS) lost their last four games and went 1-3 ATS, which is why they are on the road this week as the No. 6 seed.
Caesars Sports opened the Ravens as 9.5-point favorites and spent the first half of the week at -10, before nudging back to -9.5 on Wednesday afternoon. However, it’s not all Baltimore action just yet. “Right now, we’re pretty balanced on this game, surprisingly,” said Caesars Sports head of trading Joey Feazel. “I’m sure we’re gonna need the Steelers on game day.”
Another highly anticipated matchup is the Green Bay Packers vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, which will take place on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Eagles (14-3 SU/11-6 ATS) are the NFC’s No. 2 seed, while the Packers (11-6 SU/9-8 ATS) are the No. 7 seed. Despite being a bit banged up, quarterback Jordan Love is expected to play, while wideout Christian Watson is out after tearing his right ACL.
Professional bettor Randy McKay has a couple of playoff wagers in his pocket. His first is a two-team, six-point teaser, pairing the Buffalo Bills -2.5 vs. the Denver Broncos with the Los Angeles Rams +7.5 vs. the Minnesota Vikings. McKay likes going against rookie QBs, especially making a road playoff start, and believes the Bills defense will get a couple of turnovers and make it tough for Denver to keep up.
The Los Angeles Chargers are in an enviable spot as the No. 5 seed, facing a No. 4 Houston Texans squad that struggled at multiple junctures this season. The Chargers opened as a 3-point favorite and remain there as of Wednesday night for the opening Wild Card game on Saturday.
The rest of the story includes insights on the other three matchups, including the Washington Commanders vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Los Angeles Rams, and the Buffalo Bills vs. the Denver Broncos. Feazel believes the Bills are in a good spot, but action-wise, we are seeing that Super Bowl middle, where bettors are laying 8.5/9 with the Bills or playing the Broncos on the moneyline.
High rollers are apparently keeping their powder dry until a little later this week, but rest assured, they’re coming. There’s an interesting bet banking on a big comeback for Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who broke his left leg during Detroit’s Week 6 blowout of Dallas. If Hutchinson returns and tears it up at the Superdome, the Caesars customer stands to profit $75,000.