After Week 17 of the regular season, the NFL’s playoff bracket is now complete. In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers have the byes, while the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens hold the byes in the AFC. That leaves Houston hosting Buffalo and New England hosting Tennessee on Saturday, and then New Orleans hosting Minnesota and Philadelphia hosting Seattle on Sunday. We have the full schedule for this weekend’s NFL Wild Card games as well as sports betting odds and suggestions for each of the four matchups.
2019 NFL Wild Card Odds, Previews & Predictions
Wild Card assignments are set. pic.twitter.com/tuBT6EskcD
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) December 30, 2019
Saturday, January 4th
Buffalo at Houston (4:35 pm ET, ESPN/ABC)
- 2019 NFL Wild Card Odds: Texans -2.5, O/U 42.50
Buffalo and Houston have a storied playoff history, including Frank Reich leading the Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit over the Houston Oilers in a 1992 wild card game. Those Oilers have become the Tennessee Titans, of course. The Bills are appearing in their second playoff game since 1999. Two years ago, they lost in Jacksonville, 10-3, but their offense is significantly better this time, while their defense remains elite.
Houston will have to play without wideouts Will Fuller and Keke Coutee, while the Bills could be missing a number of players on both sides of the ball, most noticeably cornerback Levi Wallace and defensive end Shaq Lawson, but they all had Week 17 off to nurse injuries. Buffalo went 6-2 away from home this season, winning in Miami, Dallas and Pittsburgh down the stretch. This will pit two run-heavy offenses against two stout defenses. Give me Buffalo to cover.
Tennessee at New England (8:15 pm ET, CBS)
- 2019 NFL Wild Card Odds: Patriots -4.5, O/U 43.50
Tennessee has played New England twice in the playoffs, once in 2003 and once in 2018, both in the AFC divisional round. The Patriots won both matchups, rolling to a 35-14 win back in 2018. While the Patriots gave up a shocking loss to Miami on Sunday, Tennessee rolled to a 35-14 win over the Houston Texans. It should be noted that the Texans started backup A.J. McCarron at quarterback, as the team had already clinched the AFC South. However, the Titans boast a stout tailback in Derrick Henry (1,540 yards, 16 TD) and averaged 183 yards per game on the ground over their last six contests.
New England still has the league’s top defense in yards permitted per game, allowing 268 per contest. However, the second half of the season has been tough, as the Pats followed up an 8-0 start with a 4-4 finish, losing to Baltimore, Kansas City and Houston down the stretch. If they had lost to Buffalo in Week 16 (and that was no easy win) they could have ended up losing the division. They only scored more than 24 points once in those last eight games, a win over the punchless Cincinnati Bengals. Even so, I’ll give Belichick the coaching nod here. Patriots to win and cover.
Sunday, January 5th
Minnesota at New Orleans (1:05 pm ET, FOX)
- 2019 NFL Wild Card Odds: Saints -7.5, O/U 48.50
The Saints and Vikings renew a playoff rivalry that had a memorable finish in the 2017 NFC divisional round game, as Stefon Diggs caught a last-second 61-yard touchdown pass to run off with the win. The Saints beat Minnesota in Minneapolis, 30-20, last season. This year’s game might be a lot less exciting, as New Orleans has won three straight games by 69 combined points, while Minnesota has gone 2-3 down the stretch. New Orleans followed up their 2017 divisional round frustration with an NFC Championship loss to the Rams last year that centered around a pass interference non-call, so they should have plenty of motivation.
New Orleans has won 21 of 27 at home since the start of the 2017 campaign and has won three consecutive wild card round matchups. They should have the pass rush to befuddle Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins, while Drew Brees has a 17:3 TD:INT ratio at home, completing 77.5 percent of his passes in the Superdome. Saints to win and cover.
Seattle at Philadelphia (4:40 pm ET, NBC)
- 2019 NFL Wild Card Odds: Seahawks -1.5, O/U 46
Seattle has beaten Philadelphia five times in a row. They are 7-1 in their last eight games away from CenturyLink Field. This is the first postseason matchup between the two teams, but they did play back on November 24, a game that Seattle won in Philadelphia, 17-9. The Seahawks were so depleted at tailback, losing C.J. Prosise and Chris Carson for the season, that they had to go out and sign Marshawn Lynch off his couch to carry the ball. He did score against San Francisco in the regular season finale, but it remains to be seen if he has the stamina to make it through two games in two consecutive weeks.
Philadelphia is also hurting in terms of injuries. Their offensive line and their secondary are already missing starters, and Zach Ertz (ribs) and Miles Sanders (ankle) are two key offensive players who could miss this game, and while Philadelphia has managed to excel no matter who is on the field, Seattle has not, scoring just 36 points combined in their last three games. They went 1-3 down the stretch, with their win coming over a demoralized Carolina team. I see Carson Wentz doing just enough to get the Eagles to a tight win. Philadelphia to cover.
