The NFL Playoffs are finally here, and the postseason begins Super Wild Card weekend from Jan. 13-15. Each conference has three games this weekend, and the AFC will be up first.
The AFC Wild Card Odds were released late Sunday night after the visiting Buffalo Bills rallied from behind in the second half to beat the Miami Dolphins, claim the AFC East title, and earn the AFC’s No. 2 seed. The Bills will play host to Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Miami’s loss drops it to the No. 6 seed, and that means a visit to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. The Super Wild Card weekend opener will feature the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.
Here is a closer look at all three AFC games this weekend and the AFC Wild Card odds. Before you place your wagers, check out the best NFL sports betting bonuses to add to your bankroll when you sign up.
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Saturday, Jan. 13, 4:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
At this time last year, Texans QB CJ Stroud was preparing to be drafted, and Browns QB Joe Flacco was preparing for life after football. On Saturday, one of them will win an NFL playoff game.
Flacco’s story with Cleveland has been a great one. Plucked from free agency after two Browns QBs sustained injuries, Flacco has guided the team to the No. 5 seed, and they’ll be favored on the road for the postseason opener.
The Texans’ story with Stroud has been a good one, too. It’s hard to judge how rookies will adjust when given the reins from the start, and the No. 2 overall pick has passed all early tests with flying colors. Whether he can pass his first playoff test remains to be seen.
Cleveland beat Houston 36-22 at home on Dec. 24, but Stroud was injured and didn’t play. With Stroud in the lineup and the game in Houston’s indoor NRG Stadium, Saturday’s game should look different.
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
Saturday, Jan. 13; 8 p.m. ET (Peacock)
There will be no shortage of storylines on Saturday night.
Is Kansas City’s offense really so broken that it cannot win in the playoffs? How will the South Beach-dwelling Dolphins handle the extreme cold weather in Kansas City? Will Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, who won a Super Bowl with Kansas City in 2021 and led the league in receiving yards this season, be a star in his return to Arrowhead? How much money will NBC make on Swifties signing up for new Peacock accounts?
The glaring statistic for this one is that the Dolphins were 1-5 this season against teams that qualified for the playoffs. One of those losses was to the Chiefs (21-14) in London on Nov. 5. The setting for that game was indoors in front of neutral fans, so it was much more conducive to the Dolphins’ high-flying aerial attack than Saturday’s game will be.
Even if it seems like this season’s version of the Chiefs’ offense is not good enough for QB Patrick Mahomes to win his third Super Bowl, Saturday’s game does seem like a great spot for Kansas City to prove it hasn’t fallen too far off the pace.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills
Sunday, Jan. 14; 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
When NFL Week 18 began, there was a chance the Bills would miss the playoffs altogether. Thanks to their thrilling win in Miami, however, they’re sitting pretty as the AFC’s No. 2 seed. That means they’re guaranteed at least two home playoff games if they beat Pittsburgh.
Not many think that won’t happen.
Pittsburgh won three in a row to end the regular season and then got some help on Sunday to sneak into the playoffs, but the Steelers look undermanned against Buffalo. That will be amplified by the fact that DE TJ. Watt will miss Sunday’s game after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Saturday’s win over Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore.
Everyone knows Buffalo’s offense is strong under the direction of do-it-all QB Josh Allen, but the Bills really flexed their muscle on defense Sunday night by shutting out the Dolphins in the second half. That’s a good sign for Buffalo being able to limit the Steelers and QB Mason Rudolph in the playoff opener.
