Wild Card weekend — the best week of the NFL season — is here.
As we gear up for the NFL playoffs, we have six games to target ahead of Wild Card weekend, and line movement is going to be tough to predict.
As is usually the goal, we are looking to beat the opening line by the time games go off on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Beating Wild Card weekend lines is never easy, but we’ll do our best for the playoffs.
Wild Card weekend opening odds
| Spreads, lines and odds for all six Wild Card games |
|---|
| Rams (-10.5) vs. Panthers |
| Packers (-1.5) vs. Bears |
| Bills (-1.5) vs. Jaguars |
| 49ers (+4.5) vs. Eagles |
| Chargers (+3.5) vs. Patriots |
| Texans (-3.5) vs. Steelers |
Wild Card weekend early predictions and picks
Panthers (+10.5, -112) vs. Rams
I can’t remember the last time we saw a double-digit spread in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
It’s certainly possible that the spread closes in the 9.5 range come gametime, which would be the entire thought process for this Saturday midday matchup.
This line opened at 10, and BetMGM has held steady while other books have moved to 10.5.
Circa Sports, the sharpest sportsbook, has also held steady on Rams -10, meaning some of these rec books could soon follow suit if sharp action comes back on the Panthers at some shops.
The Panthers did beat the Rams earlier this season, so let’s see if the line moves by game time to open up middle opportunities at the key number of 10.
Betting on the NFL?
Bears (+1.5, -122) vs. Packers
This betting line has been all over the place. Chicago comes in as a betting underdog at home against a Packers team that has struggled in recent weeks.
Some books have already seen those odds flip, with Caesars, BetMGM, and DraftKings all making the Bears -1.5 favorites in this home game.
FanDuel isn’t as big a believer in the Bears, it seems, and while monsters of the midway have been able to pull off wins late in the fourth quarter with some Houdini acts, the Packers haven’t been the same without Micah Parsons.
The play here is to back the Bears at +1.5 (-122) and expect some line movement to come closer to game time, where you can re-invest in the Packers at +1.5 as well at a highly juiced price in the -125 range.
Worst-case scenario, you’re getting a solid edge on the Bears at an underdog price that I expect to get gobbled up before long.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
