The 18-week gauntlet of the NFL regular season is over, and the lights are getting brighter. Wild Card Weekend arrives in mid-January with six games on the docket between Saturday afternoon and the evening of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday. While the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers enjoy some time off after earning No. 1 seeds, the rest of the playoff contenders are in action and, in this space, that means a wide-ranging schedule to evaluate and handicap. For more, our own Robby Kalland also has a betting guide for the weekend.
For us, Week 18 was a nice ending to a solidly successful regular season, even if the Zombie Ravens couldn’t quite make it a clean sweep. Before digging into the Wild Card slate, let’s glance at the full-season progress.
- Week 18: 2-1
- 2023 Season: 46-38-4
Come get these winners.
TEASER: Houston Texans (+8.5) over Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys (-1.5) over Green Bay Packers — DraftKings
You knew we would have a teaser, didn’t you? Rookie quarterbacks do scare me a bit in the playoffs, especially when facing a very good Browns defense. However, CJ Stroud isn’t a typical rookie. He’s also playing at home with Joe Flacco on the other side. With a total in the low-to-mid 40’s, I love grabbing 8.5 with the Texans. On the other side of this one, I’m not sold on the Cowboys as a Super Bowl team right now or anything, but they’ve been great at home, and I think this is a relatively friendly spot.
Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs UNDER 44.5 points — FanDuel
It’s going to be unfathomably cold in Kansas City on Saturday. That helps push me Under here, but this is also a bet that the 2023/2024 version of the Chiefs is more likely to show up than previous ones. Namely, this is a very good defensive team right now, and the Dolphins aren’t the same on the road, much less in these conditions. I lean to Kansas City, but I don’t want to lay four points. Let’s get some punts.
Los Angeles Rams (+3) over Detroit Lions — Widely Available
If this was a full, 16-game week, this probably wouldn’t make the card. The line makes sense, and I don’t think this is a huge numerical edge. I do like what I’ve seen from the Rams. The Lions are the Lions. We’re also getting a full field goal. Let’s rock.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) over Philadelphia Eagles — Widely Available
Simply a principle play. I knew I’d have the Bucs from the moment the matchup was set. Maybe Philadelphia finally wake up here. The Eagles are more talented, by far. But that defense is hideous right now, there are injuries everywhere, and I can’t fathom laying points on the road with Philly. Go, Baker, go.