The NFL playoffs are finally here, one of the most live-streamed sports in the world. This article will analyze the NFL bookmakers’ odds and game stats with some inside info on injuries, previous winners, and the potential Super Bowl winner.
| Tournament: | National Football League (NFL) 2023 Playoffs |
| Venue: | State Farm Stadium, Arizona (for Super Bowl match) |
| Date: | 14 January – 12 February 2023 |
The playoffs and Super Bowl this year will be so much fun with a lot of good teams. The playoffs start on Saturday, January 14, and end with the Super Bowl in State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, who didn’t qualify this year for the playoffs. Check this article for some good options and potentially profitable bets before placing a punt on the American football bookies.
Starting in 2020, 14 NFL teams will make the playoffs: seven AFC teams and seven NFC teams. Each first seed receives a bye from the Wild Card round. In this case, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs from the AFC and the Philadelphia Eagles from the NFC, so they won’t be playing this week.
After the Wild Card comes the Divisional Round, which consists of four teams from the AFC and four teams from the NFC. The winners of these matchups play each other in the Conference Championship, and the winners get to go to the Super Bowl.
The most successful club in winning the AFC championship is the New England Patriots with 11 titles, while the Dallas Cowboys are the most successful in the NFC with eight titles.
There are six total matchups in the Wild Card round: three AFC matchups and three NFC matchups.
The round will be opened by an NFC game, with the Seattle Seahawks traveling to San Francisco to play the 49ers on Saturday. The Seahawks are 9.5-point underdogs, according to NFL bookmakers, and the total is 43.5 points.
With such a huge gap between the teams during the regular season, there is almost no doubt the 49ers to go further after this game. With the odds of 1.2 (1/5), it makes almost no sense, so it’s better to pick a handicap (-5.5) for the team from San Francisco for the odds of 1.5 (1/2).
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers will host the Cowboys at home on Monday for their wild-card game. The Dallas Cowboys had an embarrassing loss (6-26) against the Washington Commanders in the last game of the season, and they will have to do better to have a chance here.
Tom Brady is 7-0 straight up against the Cowboys, so he is undefeated when playing the Cowboys with the Patriots or Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has the second-best passing offense in the league and should take advantage of that to win this game.
Saquon Barkley and the Giants will be playing the Vikings on Sunday away from home. Saquon is having a great season with ten touchdowns and 1312 rushing yards in 16 games. Saquon had a touchdown in the only game played between the Giants and Vikings this season, and it was in the last 3 minutes to tie the game before the Minnesota Vikings won it in the last second.
The Minnesota Vikings have the 20th-best rushing defense in the league, while New York has the 4th-best rushing offense in the league, thanks to Barkley. You can also sprinkle on Saquon’s first touchdown scorer at 6.5 (11/2).
Another matchup we also take is a game on Saturday, and it is the Los Angeles Chargers at the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags are +2 point home underdogs, and the total is 46 points.
The Los Angeles Chargers have been hit by injuries all season long, and they could be without Mike Williams and Joey Bosa in this game; they are both questionable. The Los Angeles Chargers are the worst team in rushing defense (30th), and the Jaguars have a very nice rushing offense with Etienne as their RB; he can cause a lot of problems for that LA defense. Doug Pederson, the Super Bowl-winning coach, is doing great with the Jags in his first year and should have a good plan for this game.
Here we’ll take a victory for the home team, which is on a five-match win streak, which was needed to finish at least in the Wild Card zone. Still, the Jaguars scored more and conceded fewer points during the season than the Chargers, and it’s a good time and chance to beat the team from Los Angeles.
Ja’Marr, the Bengals WR, will be playing against the Ravens in this round on Sunday at home. Chase is the main receiver for the Bengals, who have a great passing offense (4th), while the Ravens are one of the worst teams defending the pass (24th), so Ja’Marr will cause a lot of headaches for the Ravens.
Chase has nine touchdowns in 12 games so far this season, and he has seven touchdowns in the last seven games, so he is averaging a touchdown a game. Chase has one touchdown in two games played against the Ravens this season. You can also sprinkle on Chase to score the first touchdown at 5.5 (9/2).
The bookmakers see two clear favorites to claim half of the Super Bowl trophy and win the AFC division in 2023:
With the Bengals chasing the division title except for the Chiefs and Bills, the bookies almost have no belief in other teams. Thus, the Chargers are valued at 11.6 (21/2), while the other teams have odds higher than 20.0. While the logic of betting sites is clear, there is always a chance for outsiders to surprise favorites.
Those are just great value odds on the current AFC champion. The Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow have already beaten the favorites to win this year’s AFC Conference. In addition to beating them twice in the last year too, including the AFC Conference finals between the Chiefs and Bengals, the Bengals won it 27-24 in overtime.
Cincinnati is 6.5 point favorite in the Wild Card round and should have a clear path to the Divisional round and go from there. While the Bills are another favorite to clean-sweep the AFC division and our prediction to claim the Super Bowl, at least it’s better to risk with the Bengals at the divisional stage. Thus, for the Cincinnati team having the odds at the level of 5.5 (9/2) is a chance that shouldn’t be ignored in the season 2022/23.
The NFC Division looks a bit more competitive in the season 2022-23, with two clear favorites, one chasing side, and two dark horses:
The Eagles and 49ers are much ahead of the rest of the teams in terms of odds of winning the NFC division in 2023. Cowboys are regarded as the only side to become a competitive group to them. The division looks a bit more competitive with the Buccaneers and Vikings, although the odds for them are over 11.0. The rest of the sides can hardly pretend for the trophy, being valued over 20.0.
The San Francisco 49ers are absolutely rolling right now. They have finished the season with a 13-4 straight-up winning record and are also on a 10-game winning streak. It doesn’t seem like they are stopping any time soon.
They are 9-point favorites against the lowest seed in the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks, and are expected to win and get to the divisional round easily. You can’t go wrong with betting on San Francisco to win the NFC Conference Championship.
Patrick Mahomes will almost certainly be named the MVP for his great season, and the Chiefs will always have a shot at the title as long as he is their quarterback. The Chiefs have finished as the No. 1 team in the AFC standings, and they will receive a bye in the Wild Card round, which gives them a great advantage.
The Chiefs had a lot of doubt around them after Tyreek Hill left for Miami, but the Chiefs kept playing well. Jerick McKinnon stepped up big time this season, as he has nine touchdowns in 17 games this season. As usual, Travis Kelce is having a great season with 12 touchdowns and 1338 receiving yards in 17 games.
The Bills have been on an emotional rollercoaster in the last few weeks, from Damar Hamilton’s scary injury to canceling their game with the Bengals. The Bills are more motivated than ever now, and Buffalo has a team that has the most talents in league with Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, and Von Miller.
The Bills’ first game will be against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Stefon Diggs is having a great season with the Bills. Diggs has 11 touchdowns and 1429 receiving yards in 16 games this season. He and Josh Allen make a great duo and can be dangerous against any team in the league, so that should boost their winning chances in any game.
Last year’s Super Bowl finalists and runner-up, the Cincinnati Bengals, are the 5th favorite to win the Super Bowl after the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, and Eagles. Joe Burrow has been playing better than ever, and the Bengals finished the season on an eight-game winning streak with a 12-4 straight-up record.
Cincinnati will face the Ravens in the Wild Card round on Sunday night after defeating them 27-16 in the last game of the season. Tee Higgins is another player who is having a good season with the Bengals, and he has seven touchdowns and 1029 receiving yards in 16 games.
Those who want to place a risky bet and are ready to wait until becoming rich on February 12, here is our bold prediction for the NFL Super Bowl outcome:
This is such a great value for the GOAT, Tom Brady, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the title. Tampa Bay didn’t have the best season, but they can be solid when they are playing as underdogs.
Mike Evans coming back to form will be a great boost for the Buccaneers. He had three touchdowns in their win over the Panthers, which got them into the playoffs, and he got rested in the last game, so he should be ready to go. Tampa Bay will have to either abandon their run game or improve it, as they are the worst running team in the league.
The Super Bowl is the final game of the NFL season and determines the winner of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The first game to be called the “Super Bowl” was in 1969.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are the most successful teams, with six titles each. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are not far behind, with five titles each. Tom Brady is the player with the most Super Bowl wins (7), and he is going for the 8th in this season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here are some key injuries and questionable players for the playoffs: Lamar Jackson is likely out for the Ravens against Cincinnati, and his reserve quarterback, Huntley, is also questionable for that game.
Mike Williams is questionable for the Chargers against Jacksonville after getting injured in the last game. Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, is out against the Bills.
In the end, these are our 2023 NFL playoffs and Super Bowl tips and predictions:
We also like some value bets like the Buccaneers or Bengals to win the Super Bowl at huge prices. Betting on underdogs in the NFL playoffs proved to be a winning strategy, so check the betting lines and be careful when taking big favorites against the spread. Follow our betting tips for American football to enjoy the games more and be responsible.
