Thirty-two teams duked it out for 18 weeks during the NFL regular season, and now the best 14 remain to face one another in the postseason. The NFL Playoff Schedule and Odds are out for 2023, and the action is expected to be hot and heavy during the next three weeks.
After those three weeks of playoffs, champions will be crowned in the AFC and NFC and then they will meet in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 12, in Glendale, Ariz.
All of the country’s top online sportsbooks have released NFL playoff odds for this weekend’s games, and they will continue to do so through the Super Bowl.
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NFL Playoff Schedule for Super Wild Card Weekend
The NFL has expanded the playoffs to 14 teams from 12, and that means six games in the opening round instead of four. The league has also rebranded the opening weekend and now calls it NFL Super Wild Card Weekend.
This year, the six first-round games will be played over the course of three days. Here is the NFL Playoff schedule:
Saturday, Jan. 14
4:30 p.m. ET: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers, FOX
8:15 p.m. ET: LA Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars, NBC
Sunday, Jan. 15
1 p.m. ET: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills, CBS
4:30 p.m. ET: NY Giants at Minnesota Vikings, FOX
8:15 p.m. ET: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, NBC
Monday, Jan. 16
8:15 p.m. ET: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN
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NFL Playoff Odds for Super Wild Card Weekend
Anytime there are six games on a docket, there are bound to be all kinds of situations involving favorites and underdogs. That’s certainly the case this weekend with the NFL Playoff Odds.
There are two double-digit favorites and two home underdogs to wager on, and the totals (Over/Unders) aren’t so low that they foresee boring and slow games.
Here is a look at the odds for all six games at DraftKings Sportsbook and something to look for in each one. If you’re looking for something a little different than the traditional wagers, check out our NFL Prop Bets for Super Wild Card Weekend.
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
Point Spread: San Francisco (-10)
Moneylines: San Francisco (-500) | Seattle (+400)
Total: Over 43 points (-105) | Under 43 points (-115)
What to Watch: Trading away your franchise and Super Bowl-winning QB and handing the reigns to a journeyman while the once-dominant defense takes a few steps back is not typically a formula for success, but that is exactly what the Seahawks have experienced immediately in the post-Russell Wilson era. Geno Smith has proven to be capable of big performances, and that allowed Seattle to start strong. The Seahawks scuffled in November and December with five losses in six games but rallied to win their last two games to claim the final NFC playoff berth when Green Bay lost to Detroit in the league’s regular-season finale.
Seattle’s reward? A third match against NFC West rival San Francisco, which has won a league-best 10 consecutive games. The 49ers have been a force this season no matter who has been the quarterback and that is a major credit to head coach Kyle Shanahan, who usually has his team among the Super Bowl contenders. Rookie QB Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, took over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo early in the game against Miami on Dec. 4, and he has won all five of his starts since then.
There are strong trends pointing to San Francisco in this one. Among them, the 49ers are 8-0 ATS in their last eight games against division foes, and they are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games.
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LA Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars
Point Spread: Los Angeles (-1)
Moneylines: Los Angeles (-120) | Jacksonville (+100)
Total: Over 47.5 points (-110) | Under 47.5 points
What to Watch: For all the fanfare that accompanies Chargers QB Justin Herbert and his passing talent, he has yet to lead his team to a statement victory. Now in his third season, this is his first playoff appearance, and it comes at the end of a regular season that was littered with injuries up and down the roster. Those injuries continued in Week 18 when coach Brandon Staley asked many of his top players to play in a meaningless game. Key players WR Mike Williams, LB Joey Bosa, and LB Kenneth Murray Jr. were injured, and their statuses for the Wild Card game are uncertain.
The Jaguars, on the other hand, seem to be a team on the rise. A mid-season slump dropped them back into the discussion of teams that might be worth watching next season. A late-season surge, however, catapulted them to the AFC South title and a berth in the playoffs. Led by second-year QB Trevor Lawrence and an opportunistic defense, the Jaguars probably have what it takes to pull off what at this point would technically be an upset against the Chargers. If those Chargers injuries eventually lead to absences from key players this weekend, the Jaguars could flip from underdog to favorite in a hurry so now may be the time to pounce on Jacksonville.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Point Spread: Buffalo (-10.5)
Moneylines: Buffalo (-560) | Miami (+430)
Total: Over 45 points (-110) | Under 45 points (-110)
What to Watch: The biggest question surrounding this game — and perhaps the entire weekend — is will Miami QB Tua Tagovaila return to the field? Tagovailoa suffered his second concussion of the season three weeks ago and missed the final two games of the regular season. The Dolphins had to win their regular-season finale against the Jets to make the playoffs but only after the Patriots lost to the Bills at the same time.
It’s hard to imagine the Dolphins keeping this game against Buffalo close without Tagovailoa because their offense has been limited with Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson throwing the passes instead. If Tagovailoa does play, however, expect this point spread to come crashing down. In two regular-season meetings, both of which had Tagovailoa on the field, the Dolphins beat the Bills once and lost to them by three points once.
On the other hand, the Bills are likely to play some inspired football now that they know rookie Damar Hamlin is making major strides in his recovery from a cardiac arrest he suffered during Buffalo’s game against Cincinnati on Jan. 2. The Bills were the favorite to win the Super Bowl before Hamlin’s incident, and now they have extra inspiration.
It may not matter who plays QB for the Dolphins on Saturday as the Bills are in a prime position to play at the top of their game.
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NY Giants at Minnesota Vikings
Point Spread: Minnesota (-3)
Moneylines: Minnesota (-155) | New York (+135)
Total: Over 48.5 points (-110) | Under 48.5 points (-110)
What to Watch: Usually when a team finishes ahead of two others in points allowed per game it is nowhere near the playoff picture. In the case of the Vikings, however, they did that and still earned the NFC’s No. 3 playoff seed. Minnesota has achieved this success because of a strong offense and an unbelievable 11-0 record in games decided by eight points or fewer.
One of those close wins came against the Giants on Christmas Eve when Greg Joseph booted a 61-yard field goal in the final seconds for a 27-24 win. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the playoff rematch be another close one, but for that to happen, the Giants will have to rediscover the strong form they had during the first half of the season.
Under first-year coach Brian Daboll, New York sprinted to a 6-1 start. The Giants have sputtered over the last eight games, however, going 2-5-1 since late November. Their only wins came against Washington and Indianapolis. QB Daniel Jones has had his best season, and RB Saquon Barkley has rediscovered the form that made him one of the league’s best in his early seasons.
New York will need more of that this weekend while Vikings QB Kirk Cousins proves he can finally get it done on the big stage.
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Point Spread: Cincinnati (-6.5)
Moneylines: Cincinnati (-275) | Baltimore (+230)
Total: Over 43.5 points (-105) | Under 43.5 points (-115)
What to Watch: These teams met last week in the regular season, but don’t put much stock in that Bengals 27-16 victory. Baltimore rested most of its top players, including TE Mark Andrews and RB JK Dobbins. The Ravens even rested back-up QB Tyler Huntley, who is expected to remain the starter as the late-season injury absence of Lamar Jackson lurches on for the second season in a row.
Due to the continued success of Kansas City and QB Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo and QB Josh Allen, the Bengals remain a bit of an afterthought in the loaded AFC title chase. That’s an odd thing because Cincinnati has its own elite QB in Joe Burrow, and he just led the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season.
The Bengals are among the league’s hottest teams with eight wins in a row, including three over playoff teams. In the game on Jan. 2 against Buffalo that was canceled due to the injury to Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin, the Bengals came out hot and scored a touchdown on the opening drive.
The Bengals likely will not dominate Baltimore throughout Sunday’s playoff game, but look for them to put it away in the second half as they look to make their second consecutive deep playoff run led by Burrow.
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Point Spread: Dallas -2.5
Moneylines: Dallas (-140) | Tampa Bay (+120)
Total: Over 45.5 points (-110) | Under 45.5 points (-110)
What to Watch: What a finale for NFL Super Wild Card Weekend. It’s America’s Team versus the GOAT.
Tom Brady probably pictured a smoother ride during the 2022-23 regular season when he came out of retirement, but at least he’s back in the playoffs where he has made a name for himself bigger than anyone else ever to play in the NFL. On Monday, Jan. 16, he’ll try to lead a Tampa Bay team that has struggled at times this season. In fact, a weak NFC South Division is likely the main reason that the 8-9 Buccaneers reached the playoffs.
Dallas has not been without its own blemishes. The Cowboys flashed their gnarly defense early in the season, but it has not been as strong during the latter half. The offense has shown a propensity for high gears, but it has also struggled.
Can QB Dak Prescott shake off his league-leading 15 interceptions? If he does, Dallas likely will win this game and cover. If he turns it over, however, the Buccaneers will ride the home crowd and perhaps one last stand by Brady to advance to the next round.
