NFL Wild Card Round Odds, Picks & Predictions

Wild Card Weekend Preview

The NFL’s Wild Card Playoff schedule brings six games, from Saturday through Monday, with the action starting on Saturday as Carolina hosts the Rams before shifting to a primetime NFC North showdown between Green Bay and Chicago.

Sunday delivers a full triple-header, starting with Buffalo traveling to Jacksonville, followed by San Francisco at Philadelphia, and closing with the Chargers visiting the Patriots. The AFC wraps things up Monday night when Houston heads on the road to face Pittsburgh.

Across the board, the storylines are rich. The Panthers enter as the lone sub-.500 playoff team but get the advantage of hosting the Rams. Oddsmakers don’t like Carolina’s chances, as the Panthers are a double-digit home underdog on the NFL spread.

Chicago and Green Bay renew one of football’s oldest rivalries with playoff stakes, while the Bills-Jaguars game features two teams built around explosive, improvisational quarterbacks. The 49ers-Eagles rematch brings postseason history and contrasting styles—San Francisco’s physicality against Philadelphia’s speed—while the Chargers and Patriots meet in a classic clash of offensive firepower versus defensive discipline.

By Monday, all eyes turn to the AFC’s final matchup, where Houston’s young roster faces a hostile environment and a playoff-tested quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. Wild Card weekend sets the stage for a postseason that feels wide open.

Wild Card Weekend Schedule and Betting Lines

Saturday, January 10

Time (ET) Away Home TV Spread Total

4:30 pm Los Angeles Carolina FOX LAR -10 46.5

8:00 pm Green Bay Chicago Prime Video CHI -1 45.5

Sunday, January 11

Time (ET) Away Home TV Spread Total

1:00 pm Buffalo Jacksonville CBS BUF -1 52.5

4:30 pm San Francisco Philadelphia FOX PHI -4 45

8:00 pm Los Angeles New England NBC NE -3.5 46

Monday, January 12

Time (ET) Away Home TV Spread Total

8:15 pm Houston Pittsburgh ESPN/ABC HOU -3.5 39.5

Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Carolina Panthers vs Los Angeles Rams: The Rams roll into Wild Card weekend as the NFC’s top wild-card team after a comfortable 37-20 win over Arizona, with Matthew Stafford tossing four touchdowns — his ninth game this season with at least three scores and no interceptions, one of the best single-season marks in league history.

Carolina fell in Tampa on Saturday and had to wait for Atlanta’s result to see if the NFC South title would fall their way, and the Falcons obliged. These teams met in Week 13, when Stafford’s three turnovers helped Carolina pull off a 31-28 upset.

Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers: The league’s oldest rivalry gets a third chapter this season, with the home team winning both previous meetings — including Chicago’s improbable 22-16 overtime win in Week 16. Both teams dropped their finales Sunday, though Green Bay had already locked in the No. 7 seed and rested most starters.

Jordan Love hasn’t played since that Week 16 loss due to a concussion but is expected back. Chicago, the NFC North champion, fell at the buzzer to Detroit but still secured the No. 2 seed thanks to Philadelphia’s upset loss.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills: Buffalo enters as the AFC’s No. 5 seed but has never beaten Jacksonville in the postseason and is 0-4 on the road in the playoffs with Josh Allen. Still, the Bills have won a Wild Card game in five straight seasons.

Jacksonville, the AFC South champion and No. 3 seed, rides an eight-game winning streak in which it has outscored opponents by 153 points — one of the best closing stretches by any team in the past 35 years. These teams did not meet during the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco had a chance to steal the NFC West and the No. 1 seed but was dominated 13-3 by Seattle, scoring its fewest points in a game since Kyle Shanahan’s debut in 2017.

That loss dropped the Niners to the No. 6 seed. Philadelphia, the NFC East champion, rested starters Sunday and fell to Washington, settling into the No. 3 seed. The Eagles were the league’s only repeat division winner this season. These teams haven’t faced each other since 2023.

New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers: It’s a mild surprise this matchup landed in the Sunday night window, but New England enters as the AFC East champion and No. 2 seed behind a breakout season from second-year QB Drake Maye, who is firmly in the MVP conversation.

The Patriots jumped from four wins last year to 14 this season, tying the largest year-to-year improvement in league history, though they also benefited from the NFL’s easiest schedule.

The Chargers, the No. 7 seed, rested Justin Herbert and several starters Sunday and were routed in Denver. Herbert is 0-2 in the postseason and threw four interceptions in last year’s Wild Card loss at Houston. These teams did not meet this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans: The final Monday game of the year features a red-hot Houston team riding a nine-game winning streak, becoming just the seventh club ever to reach the postseason after an 0-3 start.

The Texans boast the league’s top defense but are 0-5 all-time on the road in the playoffs. Pittsburgh claimed the AFC North and the No. 4 seed with a dramatic Sunday night win over Baltimore but carries a six-game postseason losing streak, tied for the longest active run in the league. These teams didn’t meet this season and have never faced off in the playoffs.

Wild Card Weekend Betting Tips

It was a fantastic regular season even though it was a 1-3 finish with the NFL picks. Let’s see if we can have a good playoff run as we go against the public with NFL Playoff picks. Let’s look at Wild Card Weekend picks and keep in mind that with a small slate of games to choose from, there won’t be many plays against the NFL betting pointspread.