NFL Playoffs Set With Ravens, 49ers as Super Bowl Favorites; Patriots, Saints, Seahawks, and Texans Favored in Wild Card Games

Posted on: December 30, 2019, 11:55h. 

Last updated on: December 30, 2019, 12:37h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

The NFL playoffs are set, as the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles clinched the final two playoff spots Sunday on the final day of the regular season.

The San Francisco 49ers earned home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs thanks to this touchdown-and-game-saving play in Sunday’s win at Seattle. (Image: Otto Gruele Jr./Getty)

In addition to teams clinching, the seedings were determined thanks to some exciting action on the field. In the AFC, a Miami touchdown with 24 seconds left lifted the visiting Dolphins past New England 27-24. That Patriots loss, coupled with a Kansas City Chiefs win, denied New England a first-round bye. That means the Pats will play in the upcoming Wild Card weekend for the first time since 2009.

Meanwhile, home-field advantage in the NFC came down to the final seconds of a crazy finish in Seattle between the host Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Dre Greenlaw stopped Seahawks receiver Jacob Hollister at the one-foot line to preserve a 26-21 49ers victory and give them the NFC West title, as well as the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

We still got unfinished business,” 49ers running back Raheem Mostert told reporters after the game. “Like our shirts say, the West isn’t enough. We really want to go after the NFC Championship and move forward to the Super Bowl.”

The Baltimore Ravens had already clinched the AFC’s top seed, but their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday kept their division rivals from the playoffs.

In addition, the Green Bay Packers secured the other bye in the NFC with their 23-20 win over Detroit on Sunday.

Three Home Teams Favored in Wild Card Weekend

The four NFL playoff games taking place this weekend are: the Buffalo Bills at the Houston Texans, the Titans at the Patriots, the Minnesota Vikings at the New Orleans Saints, and the Seahawks at the Eagles.

Over at FanDuel and DraftKings, the Texans are three-point favorites, while the Patriots lay 4.5 points. The Saints are favored by eight points, while the Seahawks are the only road favorite, giving 1.5 points.

William Hill has similar odds, except that the Saints are giving 7.5 points to the Vikings.

In the hours since the betting lines were released, FanDuel has seen its bettors jump on the Bills and Titans in the AFC games, according to oddsFire. Two-thirds of FanDuel bettors are taking the Bills and the points. That equals 72 percent of the money.

And early bettors are also thinking this may be the end for the Patriots. Again, about two-thirds of FanDuels’ bettors are taking the Titans, with those tickets representing 79 percent of the handle.

While FanDuel bettors like the AFC dogs, they love the NFC favorites for Wild Card weekend. New Orleans has attracted 79 percent of the spread bets and 69 percent of the handle.
Seattle is drawing 74 percent of the action against the Eagles, with those bets representing 71 percent of the money.

Ravens Top Super Bowl Pick

The Ravens are the consensus favorite to win the Super Bowl.

FanDuel, DraftKings, and William Hill all have Baltimore at +220. They’re also in agreement on the 49ers as their second choice at +400. San Francisco likely would not be ranked that high if they did not have home-field advantage in the NFC.

That’s where the sportsbooks start to change. FanDuel has the Chiefs third at +450, followed by the Saints (+600), the Packers (+850), and Patriots (+1200). The Seahawks are seventh at +2500, with the Eagles (+3400), Texans (+3500), Vikings (+4000), Bills (+5000), and Titans (+5000) rounding out the selections.

DraftKings also has the Chiefs at +450 and Saints at +600, but they have the Packers at +1000. While the Patriots are +1200, the Eagles and Seahawks are both +2500. Houston and Minnesota both are at +3300, with the Titans at +5500 and the Bills at +6000.

William Hill has the Saints at +400, followed by the Chiefs at +450. The Packers command +1000 odds, while the Patriots are at +1200. Seattle is +1600, with the Eagles at +2800, the Vikings at +3500, the Texans at +4000, the Bills at +5000, and the Titans at +6000.