NFL Wild Card Weekend odds, predictions, expert picks: Best bets, where to watch, NFL playoffs, stream, more
CBS Sports and SportsLine break down every game over Wild Card Weekend
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8 min read
The road to Super Bowl LX begins now. After 18 weeks of regular-season action, there are just 14 teams that have their dreams of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy alive, and 12 of them will begin their playoff run over Wild Card Weekend. As the No. 1 seeds in the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos sit back and enjoy their first-round bye, the rest of the playoff pool will start throwing haymakers in hopes that they can reach Santa Clara for a chance to win a title.
As we do every week throughout the season, we've collected the best picks and gambling content from CBS Sports and SportsLine in one place. That way, you can get picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts along with additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more. Ready? Let's jump in.
All NFL odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox (Stream: Fubo -- try for free)
Panthers +10: "Being one of the worst playoff teams has actually worked out fairly well for those bad teams over the course of NFL history. The only three playoff teams with a worse point differential than the Panthers ALL WON THEIR OPENING ROUND GAME, including the 2010 Seahawks, who beat the Saints in the infamous Beast Quake game. Of the four previous division winners that have made the playoffs with a losing record, two of them won in the wild-card round, including the 2014 Panthers. Did I just talk myself into picking an upset? I did not, but I do think this game will be much closer than most people are expecting." -- CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech on why he has Carolina covering against the Rams on Saturday. To see all of his Wild Card Weekend picks, click here.
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Rams +10.5: "Massive spread, but the Rams have a couple of things to prove here. Back-to-back losses in Weeks 16-17 landed them with a wild card, which of course means their road to the Super Bowl is a bit tougher. Then, this is a revenge game for the Rams, as they were upset by the Panthers in Carolina in Week 13. ... Despite the playoff berth, it's not like the Panthers are riding high. They fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular-season finale, and needed the Atlanta Falcons to save them. I would love to see the forever-doubted Bryce Young play the role of spoiler and rookie phenom Tetairoa McMillan dice up this Rams secondary, but I don't think it's in the cards this week." -- CBS Sports NFL writer Jordan Dajani on why he has L.A. covering the massive spread, 31-20. To see his other picks, click here.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Packers -1.5: "This week, the Bears ability to run the football is going to be even more important because you don't want want to put Caleb Williams in a situation where he has to carry the offense. I'm not saying that Williams can't do it, but I am saying that almost every quarterback making his first career playoff start tends to struggle and Williams is making his first career playoff start. Last year, Bo Nix and Sam Darnold were both making their first career playoff starts in the wild card round and both quarterbacks got blown out. The Packers would have pulled off the season sweep if not for a miracle onside kick recovery by the Bears in Week 16 and although Green Bay didn't get the win then, I do think they get the win here, becoming just the second seventh seed ever to pull out a win." -- CBS Sports NFL writer John Breech on why he has Green Bay taking down Chicago. To see all of his Wild Card Weekend picks, click here.
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on CBS (Stream on Paramount+)
Jaguars +1.5: " [Josh] Allen is 0-4 on the road in his playoff career, while [Sean] McDermott is 0-5. As an organization, the Bills' last road playoff win came back in the 1992 AFC Championship in Miami against the Dolphins. Meanwhile, the Jags are stout at EverBank Stadium, finishing the regular season with a 7-1 straight-up home record. As for the nitty-gritty of this game, I think the Jaguars are well-equipped to attack Buffalo's biggest weakness. The Bills gave up 5.1 yards per carry this season, which was the third-worst mark in the entire NFL. Jacksonville has shown an eagerness to run the football when given the opportunity, so this could be a strong day on the ground for Travis Etienne. Buffalo becomes a surprising one-and-done." -- CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan on why he likes the Jaguars to pull off the upset over Buffalo. To see all of his picks for Wild Card Weekend, click here.
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox (Stream: Fubo -- try for free)
Eagles -5.5: "The Eagles come in with a dominating defense, while the 49ers have a good offense. That's the matchup that will decide the game. The 49ers defense has struggled all year, while the Eagles offense has as well. Something has to give. I think the Eagles offense will get it going some here against the 49ers defense. Look for a big game from Saquon Barkley. On the other side, I look for the Eagles to limit Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense. The Eagles get it going some on offense and advance to the next round." -- CBS Sports Senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco on why he has Philly winning and covering over the Niners. To see all of Prisco's Wild Card Weekend picks, click here.
49ers +4.5: "The Niners were red-hot before getting stonewalled in the final week of the season by the Seahawks. They should get Trent Williams and possibly Ricky Pearsall back for this game, which should help them move the ball against Philly's defense better than they did against Seattle. HOWEVER. San Francisco is still incredibly banged up on both sides of the ball, but particularly on defense. I know the Eagles are perhaps the most untrustworthy offense in the league, but I like them to be able to get something going against this San Francisco unit that has allowed offenses to move the ball with consistency even before losing Tatum Bethune (in addition to Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and more) for the season. I don't feel fully comfortable backing a team that can look so listless, so often, but that's why I'm picking the Eagles to win and not cover." -- CBS Sports NFL writer Jared Dubin on how he sees this playoff matchup between Philly and San Francisco unfolding. To see the rest of his picks, click here.
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET on NBC
Looking to add some DFS lineups to your Wild Card Weekend? Allow SportsLine's Mike McClue help you formulate the best possible lineup for this "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the Chargers and Patriots. McClue is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. Anyone who has been following him is way up. Now, McClue has set his sights on this playoff matchup and has identified some key players you must include in your lineups. To see who they are, go check out SportsLine.
Patriots +3.5: "I have many more questions surrounding Justin Herbert's ability to ascend in the playoffs. The Chargers QB is 0-2 in his playoff career, and they've been some pretty damming defeats. The first saw Herbert and the Chargers blowing a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars during the 2022 playoffs. The second came last year when he threw four interceptions in a loss to Houston after tossing just three picks over the entire regular season. Until Herbert shows me something different, I'll fade him." -- CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler Sullivan on why he likes New England to win and cover on Sunday night. To see all of his picks for Wild Card Weekend, click here.
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN (Stream: Fubo -- try for free)
We wrap up the first round of the NFL playoffs in Pittsburgh and there's no person more qualified to have you end the weekend on a high note than R.J. White. The SportsLine expert has been on a 37-20-1 roll (+1455) over his last 58 picks involving the Steelers. Now, he's revealed his best-bet for this Monday night showdown against Houston. We can tell you he's leaning Over the 39.5 total, but to see his official pick for this game, you'll need to go to SportsLine.
Steelers +3: "The Texans have one of the best defenses in the league and that can be a problem for a Steelers offense that is just OK. Aaron Rodgers does have a lot of playoff experience, which matters. He also gets back DK Metcalf in this one, which is big. The Steelers offensive line has also been good as of late. The Texans offense has been better during a nine-game winning streak, but this will come down to Houston's offensive line against the Steelers' front. That's a problem. Look for the Steelers to force some mistakes by C.J. Stroud as Pittsburgh advances behind its defensive front in a playoff upset." -- CBS Sports Senior NFL analyst Pete Prisco on why he has Pittsburgh upsetting Houston as a home underdog. To see all of Prisco's Wild Card Weekend picks, click here.
