NFL
NFL Wild Card Round Bracket: Odds, TV Schedule, & How To Watch
Growing up, James was fascinated with watching sports. This led to an interest in research and stats and writing betting analysis for a variety of sports. James has graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
Get to know James Boutros betterPublished06 Jan 2025
The NFL regular season ended after the Detroit Lions defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football to clinch the NFC’s top seed.
With the win, the Lions and the Chiefs each get a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The wild-card round is set and the schedule has been released.
Below, we preview each wild-card game and give the schedule, odds, and how to watch each contest.
NFL Wild Card Round Preview
The wild-card round is set. Below is everything you need for each NFL wild-card game.
Los Angeles Chargers (-3.0) @ Houston Texans (O/U:43.5)
Los Angeles enters the playoffs on a three-game winning streak. Justin Herbert is having an excellent season and has been hot the last few games. Herbert has just three interceptions on the year and is protecting the ball while playing at a high level. Their defense has been much improved under Jim Harbaugh.
Houston enters the game banged up. WRs Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell gave Houston a good WR trio. However, Diggs and Dell suffered season-ending injuries. The passing game has suffered with their absence as teams are just concentrating on Collins. Houston faces a tough Chargers defense that ranks first in the league in points allowed per game.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
It is not a shocker that the Houston Texans play at 4:30 PM EST on Saturday, January 11 during wild-card weekend. Houston has played at 4:30 PM EST on Saturday for eight straight times they have made the playoffs.
The Chargers open as three-point favorites on the road against the Texans. The total for the contest is 43.5. The first game of the wild-card round will be a close contest with the Chargers being favored on the road.
CBS will broadcast this contest and fans can also catch it on Paramount+.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens (-9.5) (O/U:46.0)
The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the playoffs ice-cold. They lost four straight games to end the season. Pittsburgh scored 17 or fewer points in four straight games. They lost by two or more scores in three of their last four games. One of the games they got smoked was against the Ravens in Baltimore in week 16. With their end-of-season collapse, they gave the Ravens the AFC North. Pittsburgh was in control of the division but they fumbled it away.
On the flip side, the Baltimore Ravens took over the AFC North by winning three straight games and four of their last five games to end the season. One of those games they won which helped them take over the AFC North was smashing the Steelers 34-17 in week 16.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
The Ravens will take on the Steelers on Saturday, January 11 at 8 PM EST.
Pittsburgh is the biggest underdog of any team for the wild-card round. Baltimore is favored by 9.5 points. The total for the game is set at 46.0.
This game will be shown on Amazon Prime Video.
Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills (-8.5) (O/U:47.5)
One of the biggest surprises of the year is the Denver Broncos. They won 10 games behind rookie QB Bo Nix and a much-improved defense. Denver’s defense ranked third in the league in points allowed per game.
The Buffalo Bills finished second in the AFC with 13 wins behind MVP candidate Josh Allen. Allen had a superb season and makes the Bills a legit Super Bowl contender. From week 6 to week 13, the Bills won seven straight before losing to the Rams in week 14 and then Buffalo won another three straight before resting everyone in week 18. Buffalo has been one of the best teams in the league this year.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
The Bills and Broncos will square off on Sunday, January 12 at 1 PM EST.
Denver is the second-biggest underdog of any team for the wild-card round. Buffalo is favored by 8.5 points. The total for the game is 47.5.
CBS will broadcast this contest and fans can also catch it on Paramount+.
Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5) (O/U:46.0)
The Green Bay Packers got a major injury scare during their week 18 contest. Jordan Love hit his elbow on a helmet and left the game. It may have been more precautionary but all eyes will be on his health during the week. Christian Watson was carted off during week 18 and he will miss the playoffs. Not the way Green Bay wanted to end the season. They lost two straight games to end the regular season.
The Eagles on the other hand had a sensational season. They won 14 games and won 10 straight games at one point during the season. Philly won 12 of their last 13 games. They rested all their key players in week 18 with them locking up the number two seed in the NFC. The Eagles are a serious Super Bowl Contender.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles will square off on Sunday, January 12 at 4:30 PM EST.
Philly is favored by 4.5 points and the total for the game is 46.0.
This contest will be aired on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.0) (O/U:50.5)
Jayden Daniels is likely to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and has turned around the Commanders organization. Nobody expected this Washington team to win 12 games but they did that behind Daniels.
Tampa Bay once again won the NFC South behind a good offense. They won six of their last seven games and overtook the Falcons to win the division. Baker Mayfield had another strong season. Mike Evans eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, tying Jerry Rice’s record for 11 straight seasons of recording 1,000+ receiving yards.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
The Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will square off on Sunday, January 12 at 8:15 PM EST.
Tampa Bay is a three-point favorite at home against rookie QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. The total for this contest is 50.5, the highest of any game for the NFL wild-card round.
This contest will be aired on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.
Minnesota Vikings (-2.0) @ Los Angeles Rams (O/U:47.0)
The Minnesota Vikings lost in week 18 and squandered their chance of getting a first-round bye. Sam Darnold did not look good against the Detroit Lions in week 18. This will surely hurt any momentum Minnesota had. After an excellent season in which Minnesota won 14 games, they will be on the road against a tough Rams team for the wild-card round.
Los Angeles rested all their key players in week 18. Before week 18, they won five straight games. Their defense improved as the season went on, allowing less than 10 points from weeks 15 to 17. With Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Kyren Williams, this offense is a major threat in the playoffs.
TV Schedule, Odds, & How To Watch
The Vikings and Rams will square off on Monday, January 13 at 8:15 PM EST.
This is the closest spread of any game during the NFL wild-card round. Minnesota is favored by two points. The total for the game is 47.0.
This contest will be aired on ABC and ESPN.
