The NFL playoffs are upon us and the matchups are set. Things kick off Saturday with the Los Angeles Rams at the Carolina Panthers, followed by the Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears.
On Sunday, Jacksonville hosts Buffalo, San Francisco heads cross country to play Philadelphia, and New England looks to defend its home turf against the LA Chargers.
Wild-card weekend wraps up Monday as the red-hot Houston Texans hit the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Matt Bowen, Pamela Maldonado and Seth Walder looked at the early odds for the wild-card games and identified which ones are worth jumping on now before potential shifts later in the week.
Note: Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears +1.5 (-118)
Bowen: Home playoff game at Soldier Field. An opportunistic defense (which will need to make a couple plays). And Ben Johnson's offense. Chicago must create balance in the call sheet to set-up Caleb Williams on play action throws. Bears win here -- and cover.
Last week: Cowboys -4.5 at Giants (Giants won, 34-17)
Packers at Bears OVER 45.5 total points (-110)
Walder: Here's a number that has persisted and continues to blow my mind: on plays that are not turnovers, the Bears defense has allowed 0.17 EPA per play, third-worst in the NFL. To be clear, that's third-worst even in comparison to non-turnover plays for all other teams. Add in another underrated number -- that Jordan Love ranks third with a 73.4 QBR this season -- and a Micah Parsons-less Packers defense, and I think there will be points in this divisional playoff battle.
Jacksonville Jaguars ML (-102) vs. Buffalo Bills
Maldonado: The Jaguars at home means tempo, early confidence and Trevor Lawrence operating in rhythm. When the Jaguars score first, they stay aggressive, Travis Etienne Jr. remains part of the script and the offense doesn't collapse into predictable drop-backs. The Bills want to control pace, but this number says they may not get that chance.
Last week: Titans-Jaguars over 46.5 (Jaguars won, 41-7)
