The NFL regular season has wrapped up ahead of an exciting Wild Card Weekend with the Bills and Steelers making surprise appearances.
NFL Playoff Picture
The NFL’s playoff picture is set.
We already knew the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens would have the week off.
What wasn’t expected: the Pittsburgh Steelers are here! They were given less than a 20% chance of playing in the postseason after last week.
The Buffalo Bills have continued their resurgence into Super Bowl LVIII contention. Written off only six weeks ago, they’re the 2nd seed and in a good position to make a deep run.
Exposed last week, the Philadelphia Eagles are lucky to be here. A loss to the New York Giants isn’t great playoff preparation for an already struggling team. Unlike the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys made a statement in thrashing the Washington Commanders 38-10. There is only so much of a statement you can make when you’re playing the Commanders, but the Cowboys inspired some hope of a push towards the Super Bowl.
Wild Card Round Matchups
– Cleveland Browns ($1.65/-2.5) @ Houston Texans $2.24
– Miami Dolphins ($2.24/+3.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs $1.56
– Pittsburgh Steelers ($4.80/+9.5) @ Buffalo Bills $1.18
– Green Bay Packers ($3.90/+7.5) @ Dallas Cowboys $1.26
– Los Angeles Rams ($2.56/$1.51) @ Detroit Lions $1.51
– Philadelphia Eagles ($1.65/-2.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers $2.24
TOP 6 NFL SUPER BOWL LVIII ODDS
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| TEAM | CURRENT PRICE | LAST WEEK’S PRICE | |
| San Francisco 49ers | $3.25 | $3 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | $3.90 | $4.20 | |
| Buffalo Bills | $7 | $10 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | $8.50 | $9 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | $9.50 | $10 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | $13 | $10 | |
Lose-Lose For The Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles lost their fifth game in six while A.J. Brown, Jalen Hurts and Sydney Brown all left the field with injuries.
Week 18 couldn’t have gone much worse for the Eagles. Their 27-10 loss to the New York Giants is an embarrassing end to a horrid two months. Once in control of the NFC East and still with a chance of winning it in this one, the Eagles are now the 5th seed and travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round.
They became the first team in NFL history to start a season 10-1 and fail to reach 12 wins.
Sitting starters doesn’t start to explain away this loss for Nick Sirianni and the Eagles. Philly were getting thumped on the scoreboard at halftime. They were outgained 272-101 by oranges. Their issues go beyond this game and will extend into the playoffs.
This isn’t just the worst Eagles defense I’ve ever seen, this might be the worst overall defense I’ve ever seen, of any team in the NFL ever.
And the offense is dreadful today, too. The coaching staff, and the players act like they’ve never seen a blitz before in their lives.
— John Stolnis (@JohnStolnis) January 7, 2024
Right now, the Eagles look like playoff fodder thanks to a diabolical defence. Matt Patricia’s side of the ball gave up over 400 yards to Tyrod Taylor and the Giants! Currently 27th in defensive DVOA, even if Philly does sneak past the Bucs here, they’re not in the Super Bowl LVIII conversation at $13.
Bye-bye Bill?
The New York Jets ended a disappointing season on a high, ending their 15-game losing streak to the New England Patriots with a 17-3 win.
It may also mark the end of the Bill Belichick era at the Patriots.
The rumours have been swirling for months. In Week 18, they recorded only 119 yards of offence – the fewest of the Belichick era.
New England needs a fresh start and it’s looking increasingly likely that a new coach will lead it.
Bill Belichick walks off the field as the Patriots head coach for potentially the final time.
In typical Belichick fashion, there was no extra emotion, no wave to the fans, no grand exit. pic.twitter.com/0uMYlj7IQL
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) January 7, 2024
While this may be the end for Belichick in New England, he won’t be lost to the NFL. Producing on offence with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe is an impossible task. Still, he’s managed to keep this team engaged and effective on the defensive end for the most part. Few coaches could go three weeks without giving up more than ten points while losing all three games as Belichick and the Patriots did earlier in the season.
As the NFL season ends, the off-season news cycle begins for a large chunk of the league. Belichick’s landing spot will be a focus throughout.
Justin Fields, On The Other Hand
Justin Fields’ future with the Chicago Bears remains uncertain following their 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He started 38 times for the franchise since being drafted 11th overall in 2021 and has been performing well of late. It looked as though Fields was being ushered out the door before a strong finish to the season raised questions over whether or not they will retain the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
JUSTIN FIELDS SAYS GOODBYE TO #BEARS FANS AND THE CITY OF CHICAGO
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 8, 2024
Caleb Williams is still the $1.13 favourite to be drafted with the top pick, but will it be by Chicago? It’s another off-season storyline to add to the pile alongside Belichick and the Patriots.
Chiefs & Dolphins On A Collision Course
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t the team most thought they would be by this point of the NFL season. The offence has struggled all year. Patrick Mahomes can only do so much, and right now, it’s not enough to be a genuine Super Bowl LVIII contender at $9.50.
Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins aren’t the team they were earlier in the season. Kicking off at a historical pace with the ball, they’ve come back down to earth towards the end of the regular season. Untimely injuries have played a significant in their recent decline for Miami to now be on the seventh line of betting at $17.
THE CHIEFS DEFENSE SCORES ON A 97-YARD RETURN 😳 pic.twitter.com/aQUy83ENNL
— PFF (@PFF) January 7, 2024
Still, this matchup shapes as a beauty with the Chiefs opening as $1.56 and -3.5 favourites.
While the Chiefs’ offence has been disappointing, the defence has improved to keep them in games at times this season. Add Mahomes to a close game in the playoffs, and Kansas City will end up on to more often than not. They’ll also run at an injury-impacted Dolphins defence in the Wild Card Round. Nonetheless, the Dolphins’ offence is a force to be reckoned with even if they’re dealing with a few injuries. De’Von Achane’s performance in Week 18 is a reason for hope as players hopefully heal around him throughout the week.
Every game this week carries its own element of intrigue, but Chiefs v Dolphins is must-watch TV.
Jaguars Flop Is Steelers Gain
The Jacksonville Jaguars went 3-6 after the towel incident. Now, they’re out of the playoffs.
The Jaguars are ELIMINATED and they just sent the Steelers to the playoffs.
The Terrible Towel curse is real. pic.twitter.com/9Qn10d8dLe
— Playmaker TD 🏈 (@playmakerTD) January 7, 2024
Losing 28-20 to the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars handed the Pittsburgh Steelers a late Christmas present. Remarkably, after going through numerous quarterbacks in a difficult division, Mike Tomlin has done it again. He’s done it with Mason Rudolph over the last three weeks…
The Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since 2016. They’re facing an in-form Buffalo Bills team this week, so they are unlikely to end the streak. Nonetheless, it’s an incredible coaching job for the Steelers to make it this far.
Given the recent uptick on the offensive end, their +9.5 is an early line worth exploring. There is every chance they keep up with Josh Allen and the Bills in a bit of a shootout next week.
Best Bet Pittsbugh Steelers +9.5 @ $1.93*