The stage is set for the NFL postseason!
The NFL certainly did not disappoint with the drama in Week 18. After the Jaguars defeated the Colts to eliminate Indianapolis from playoff contention and the 49ers scored extra time over the Rams to crush the fans’ short-lived hopes of the Saints, the NFL fans were glued. to their televisions in the closing seconds of Sunday night football rooting for a … draw?
Fortunately for the city of Pittsburgh, the Raiders kicked the biggest field goal of the season with two seconds left.
Big Ben survives to play at least one more game.
Now he will face the reigning AFC champions in Arrowhead. Can there be more drama left in this crazy NFL season?
I think you can count on it.
Here are the Super Bowl futures odds for the remaining 14 teams in Sports betting YES.
Packers +350
Bosses +400
Buccaneers +700
Invoices +700
titans +800
Rams +900
Jeans +1000
Bengals +1600
Patriots +2000
49ers +2000
Cardinals +2000
Eagles +5000
Raiders +5000
Steelers +8000
With the playoff stage officially established, I asked the Sports Illustrated betting team: Who is going to win it all? Here are your answers.
Check out the NFL playoff lines at SI Sportsbook
Kyle Wood from SI Betting & Fantasy:
I lean towards the Packers, who have the only first-round break in the NFC and had victories over three of their four possible opponents in the divisional round. But I stick with Josh Allen and the Bills, who enter the playoffs with the best four-game winning streak in the league and have the best scoring differential (+194). Buffalo gets the Patriots in the super wild-card round, a matchup that sounds much better for the Bills after they took revenge on their division rival in Week 16 on the road. The AFC is full of hot teams like the Chiefs, Titans and Bengals that the Bills will have to overcome. Still, I believe in defending Allen and Buffalo to get out of the conference and beat anyone who gets in their way in Los Angeles.
BET: Tickets (+700)
Matt Ehalt from SI Betting:
I think this is finally the year for the Packers. Everything seems to be going well for them. But there is no value in betting +350 on them. Got them at a much better value in the off season and will gladly keep that ticket. While the 49ers may be the sexy pick, I’m not sure Jimmy G can win four games in a row. Instead, let’s take a chance with the Bills at +700. Elite quarterback? Check. Strong defense? Check. The lack of a running game scares me, but Allen can make up for that with his improvisation ability. They already beat the Chiefs too. Let’s hope Saturday’s weather isn’t a repeat of what it was in the previous Patriots-Bills game in Buffalo …
BET: Tickets (+700)
Jen Piacenti from SI Betting & Fantasy:
Ay, ay, ay, Ehalt! Are the 49ers a sexy pick? Ok, maybe that +2000 will look sexy now, but it’s not very sexy when the Cowboys send them to AT&T Stadium next week! The Cowboys at +1000 are the sexiest pick, as they actually have a quarterback with a thumb attached and their defense leads the league in serves. Yes, the Packers seem to be firing on full blast, but we’ve seen Aaron Rodgers drown down the stretch before. And speaking of drowning down the stretch, Josh Allen has yet to prove he can get out of his way in the playoffs. I also really like the titans here. Their defense has improved and they are getting Derrick Henry back. I’ll pick you guys to the AFC title, but give me that +1000 so Team America can go all the way!
BET: Cowboys (+1000)
Craig Ellenport from SI Fantasy:
Talk about disrespect. Four teams, including two from the AFC, have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl than the Titans, despite Tennessee being the top seed in the conference. The Bills and Chiefs have better odds, even though Tennessee beat both teams earlier in the season. People forget that Derrick Henry was the best player in the NFL before he was injured in Week 8. With Henry back for the playoffs, I am left with the Titans at +800.
BET: Titans (+800)
Frank Taddeo from SI Betting:
This is by far the most open of the NFL playoffs that I remember since the early 1980s. Although the Packers and Bucs won 13 games, they are far from unbeatable. I have a +950 chance Rams ticket backed in September, but I’m far from convinced that they can win their first-round game against Arizona. I think the winner will come from the NFC, so for me that rules out seven teams. I don’t think the Eagles can win it either, so that’s eight teams. The Bucs simply have too much trouble repeating in a tough NFC after their first-round matchup. In these markets, I believe in betting on value, so I’ll go with the Cowboys at +1000 odds. I love their offense and their defense could be peaking at the right time, not to mention they are a star and a true game changer at the back of Trevon Diggs. Yes, it’s the Cowboys that often fall short in the playoffs, but I think in an open affair it’s just not worth investing in Green Bay or Kansas City with low odds, even if they are the most likely entrants. “
BET: Cowboys (+1000)
Gary Gramling from MMQB:
The four NFC division winners are fairly even, each with glitches that appeared during the final month of the season. The Bucs are running out of weapons, the Rams are too slim in terms of depth and have been delivering it too often, the Packers, who suffered defensive collapses in each of the last two NFC title games, had a hedge busts series. in two of his last four games (and the other two games were against Sean Mannion and the pointless ending). The Cowboys led the NFL in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and weighted DVOA, as well as my own luckily adjusted point differential. The bigger question is whether their defense will hold up, and while it’s never good to depend so much on taking the ball away against quality offenses, the return of DeMarcus Lawrence, paired with Micah Parsons, gives them an expansive and overwhelming passing run. It can be argued that Dallas is the best team in the NFL heading into the postseason, but the odds put them in seventh place. And if your mental block is Mike McCarthy, well, he has won a Super Bowl.
BET: Cowboys (+1000)
Get fantasy and betting analysis delivered to your inbox by signing up for the Winners Club newsletter.
Check the last lines in SI Sportsbook
More Betting, Fantasy and NFL:
• Alabama-Georgia betting preview
• Roundtable betting: Kyrie affects Nets title odds
• Alabama-Georgia betting roundtable
• Best and worst fantasy punishments
• Week 18 Take away food
• Denver quarterback problem
www.si.com
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.