If you’re a sports betting enthusiast, one of your favorite times of year is about to start – the NFL playoffs. Of the 32 NFL teams, 14 remain alive to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of Super Bowl LVI. Two of the 14 – the Green Bay Packers and the Tennessee Titans – have byes through the first week of the playoffs, but the other 12 will all be in action. As the early odds have come out, we have some “locks” that you can put your money on.
NFL News: Wild Card Lock Picks
Las Vegas Raiders (+6) at Cincinnati Bengals (O/U 48.5)
Cincinnati -275 / Las Vegas +220
Saturday, January 15 | 4:30 pm ET, NBC
Both of these teams overperformed, at least with respect to our initial expectations. The Raiders rode Derek Carr’s arm and an opportunistic defense (led by its pass rush) to just enough wins to get in, sneaking in with an overtime victory in Week 18. We thought the Bengals would compete in the AFC North, but we did not see them sweeping the Ravens and the Steelers. Joe Burrow’s reunification with former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase turned into an electric connection, as Chase broke the Cincinnati record for receiving yards in a season, formerly held by Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
The Bengals lost to Cleveland in Week 18, but they rested Joe Burrow (knee) and did not have Joe Mixon (COVID-19). Mixon has been reactivated from the COVID-19 list, and Burrow is expected to play after what he described as a minor knee injury in Week 17; he sat out the game as a precaution after seeing Kansas City win on Saturday, making it impossible for the Bengals to get the AFC’s top seed. Down the stretch, the Bengals have been one of the hottest offenses in the league, and while the Raiders will pressure Burrow, he has shown more poise – and thrown fewer interceptions – than Justin Herbert, whom the Raiders victimized in Week 18.
Bengals to win and cover : Bet the Game Today
Pittsburgh Steelers (+13) at Kansas City Chiefs (O/U 47.5)
Kansas City -675 / Pittsburgh +475
Saturday, January 15 | 8:15 pm ET, NBC
When these teams met in the regular season, the Chiefs rolled to a 36-10 win, and the Pittsburgh Steelers needed all kinds of help to get into the postseason. In Week 18, Indianapolis had to lose; Pittsburgh had to win in Baltimore; and the Chargers-Raiders game had to produce a winner. The Colts were shocked in Jacksonville, and then Pittsburgh negotiated an overtime victory. The Chargers and Raiders went to overtime and were on the precipice of a tie before Daniel Carlson nailed the third field goal of the extra frame.
Kansas City started the season in real danger of missing the playoffs altogether, but then Patrick Mahomes figured out how to deal with teams putting two safeties deep without throwing interceptions, and the Chiefs’ defense reverted to the form it showed in the team’s championship season. Those two developments took almost half the season to unfold, but by the time they did, the Chiefs had reverted to juggernaut mode. T.J. Watt will harass Mahomes, but the Chiefs should win this one going away.
Chiefs to win and cover : Bet the Game Today
Arizona Cardinals (+4) at L.A. Rams (O/U 50)
L.A. Rams -190 / Arizona +160
Monday, January 17 | 8:15 pm ET, ESPN / ABC
Arizona started 7-0, and then 10-2 – but then dropped four out of five down the stretch to finish 11-6. Their only win in the last five games came in Dallas – another NFC playoff team – but the Cards finished up the season with an ugly home loss against Seattle. Given how much better the Cardinals have played on the road this season, maybe wild card status will treat them better in the playoffs than a division title (and a first-round game at home) would have.
The Rams have seen Matthew Stafford throw eight interceptions in the team’s last four games. This is a trend that developed when Stafford was in Detroit – and which Stafford had largely been able to avoid in the first third of the season. Since then, though, the chaos in the Rams’ season has happened because of poor ball security. Tailback Cam Akers returns for the postseason, though, and the Rams will have plenty of frustration to work out against a Cardinals team that looks cooked.
Rams to win and cover : Bet the Game Today
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