The 2024 NFL playoffs are finally here, starting with the Wild Card Round this Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending champions, as they won their third title by beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII last year. There are a lot of good teams this season, so it should be a competitive playoff
| Tournament: | National Football League (NFL) 2024 Playoffs, Wild Card Round |
| Venue: | Stadiums across the United States |
| Date: | 13-18 January 2024 |
The 2023–24 NFL playoffs start on January 13 and end on February 11 with the Super Bowl LVIII, which will be held for the first time in Nevada at the Allegiant Stadium. The Wild Card Playoffs will be the first playoff stage and will determine the teams’ ability to reach the Divisional Playoffs, starting on January 20, 2024.
The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t qualified for the playoffs, though, so they can’t participate in the Super Bowl at their stadium this year. The Kansas City Chiefs will start their title defense with a tough matchup against the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card Round.
Here’s a look at the 2024 AFC playoffs winner odds and the favorites to win the AFC Championship from the best NFL bookmakers:
The Baltimore Ravens had the best record in the whole league this season, winning 13 games and losing only four, so they are reasonably the favorites to win the AFC. The Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Miami Dolphins all finished the regular season with the same record (11-6). The Chiefs and Dolphins will clash in the toughest wild-card matchup, so that’s not good for either of them. The Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans, and the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t have many winning chances.
Here’s a look at the 2024 NFC playoffs winner odds and the favorites to win the NFC Championship:
The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the top favorites since the start of the season. They finished at the top of the NFC regular season standings with 12 wins and 5 losses. The Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions finished with the same record as the 49ers (12-5), and they both have relatively easy matchups in the Wild Card Round. Last year’s Super Bowl contenders, the Philadelphia Eagles, had another impressive season and can’t be ruled out of the conference, while the Los Angeles Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Green Bay Packers aren’t expected to qualify further.
There are 14 NFL teams that make it to the playoffs: seven from the AFC and seven from the NFC. The top team in each conference of the regular season gets a bye from the Wild Card Round, so the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers have already qualified for the Divisional Round. The tournament format is a single-elimination game in each conference, with the AFC champions facing the NFC champions in the Super Bowl at the end.
Historically, the Wild Card teams don’t do well in the playoffs. There are only seven Wild Card teams that went on to win the Super Bowl; lastly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 finals with Tom Brady, as they were the fifth seed in the NFC going into the playoffs.
2 (100%)
0
The American football odds have the Buffalo Bills as 10-point favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card Round. This is such a high line for a playoff matchup, especially since it’s expected to be a windy game. The Steelers have lost by more than 10 points in only four of their 17 games this season, so they didn’t have a lot of big losses, and they are on a three-game winning streak right now. The Buffalo Bills should definitely get the win here, but covering the 10-point spread will be difficult.
2 (100%)
0
Isiah Pacheco is currently having his best season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. The running back has scored five touchdowns in his last four starts with the team, and he had a nice rest last week. Pacheco has scored nine touchdowns for the Chiefs this season so far, and he is their main threat in the rushing game. The Miami Dolphins have conceded an average of 32.3 points per game in their last three matches, so their defense has been shaky and suffering from injuries, which is a good opportunity for Isiah to keep his four-game scoring streak going.
2 (100%)
0
The Philadelphia Eagles will try to build on their success last year by going to the Super Bowl again. They have played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only once this season, which ended in a 25-11 win for Philadelphia. The Eagles have a lot of uncertainty about their injured players, but they won’t play until Monday, so they have some time to recover. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won five of their last six games in the regular season to reach the playoffs on an incredible run, so they can keep this game close, but it will be hard for them to beat the 2023 Super Bowl finalists.
2 (100%)
0
The Los Angeles Rams are in great form, winning seven of their last eight games. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are a scary wide receiver duo, and they will cause many problems for this bad Detroit defense. The Lions have conceded at least 20 points in nine of their last 10 games, and they might lose one of their biggest offensive weapons, Sam LaPorta, due to an injury. The underdogs have covered more than 66% against the spread in the Wild Card Round in the last six years, so the Rams are a good pick to cover and possibly even win the game.
That was our 2024 NFL Wild Card betting guide and an overview of the bookies’ favorites to win each conference. Make sure to use our 2023–24 NFL playoff predictions and bet them at the best American football bookmakers to have more fun watching the event.
