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Writer's pictureElijah Southwick

NFL Playoffs Game Picks: Wild Card Weekend

Elijah Southwick



Green Bay Packers (+295) @ Dallas Cowboys


The Cowboys have been one of the NFL’s best teams at home this season, and they deserve to be 7.5 point favorites against the Packers. But Green Bay might just be peaking at the right time, with QB Jordan Love and his talented group of young receivers starting to put it all together in the last couple weeks of the season. Getting nearly three to one on the Packers moneyline is worth the risk in this spot.


Packers CB Jaire Alexander will face the tall task of covering Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, the NFL’s top statistical receiver on the season. Alexander’s numbers are down in the limited amount of games he’s played this season, but he’s still a top talent at the position and has a chance to give Lamb a tough matchup. If the Packers successfully limit Lamb in this game, they’ll have a legitimate shot at the upset.


Detroit Lions (-3.5) vs. Los Angeles Rams 


The Lions have been one of my favorite teams to bet in the second half of the season. For some reason, they consistently feel underpriced despite being the darlings of the league this year. Detroit is not an elite, no-weaknesses football team, but they’re well-rounded and have very good units on both sides of the ball. I think they’re capable of beating any team in the league when they’re playing well. I don’t expect the Rams to spoil the Lions’ storybook season on the road, despite QB Matthew Stafford’s homecoming and the rest of the captivating storylines in this game.


Bonus Bet: Detroit Lions (+1800) to win the Super Bowl


The current Super Bowl odds aren’t the prettiest. The two favorites are somewhat attractive to me with the 49ers at +220 and the Ravens at +310. After them, I’m going way down to the Lions at +1800. They feel like the only team at a good price that’s trending up and has the firepower to get hot and take out some top teams. The Bills (+650) and the Cowboys (+750) feel too pricey, and the Chiefs (+1000) haven’t shown enough this season to have better odds than the Lions.


Miami Dolphins (+4) @ Kansas City Chiefs


This feels like a matchup of two of the league’s most disappointing teams in the second half of the season. Neither are playing good football and the Dolphins have serious injury issues. The problem with the Chiefs is that they haven’t cleaned up the inconsistencies on offense. Let’s not forget that Kansas City spotted Las Vegas two defensive touchdowns on back to back plays on Christmas Day, leading to a home loss. Despite their strong defense, the team’s offensive issues have persisted throughout the season.


If the Chiefs don’t put up a good offensive performance, the likes of Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane could threaten to break the game with a big play or two of their own, forcing the Chiefs to play from behind. I don’t have complete confidence in the Chiefs to play a consistent game and take out a “lesser” opponent. They’re on upset watch this weekend.


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