NFL Playoff Odds: Texans, Bears Among Wild Card Betting Favorites

by

Jan 4, 2019

The Los Angeles Chargers will aim to avenge a 22-10 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago when they visit the Ravens on Sunday in a Wild Card Weekend clash as 3-point underdogs on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Chargers’ Week 16 loss as 4-point home chalk marked the team’s worst offensive performance on home turf since September 2017. However, Los Angeles has been one of the most productive teams in the NFL on the road this season, racking up 27.75 points per game while posting wins in seven of eight ahead of Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium.

Capped by last weekend’s decisive 23-9 win in Denver against the Broncos as 7-point favorites, the Chargers also have held road opponents to just 17.33 points per games over their past six outings.

Baltimore has continued its trademark stingy play during a steady 6-1 straight-up run, surrendering just over 18 points per game, while the point total has topped 32 just once in its past three contests, producing consecutive wins for the UNDER for the first time since mid-October.

In Sunday’s other matchup, the Chicago Bears hit the gridiron as the biggest favorites of Wild Card Weekend, listed as 6.5-point home chalk in their clash with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Bears sit at or near the top of most NFL team defensive statistics after closing out the season on a 9-1 SU run. Chicago’s defense has limited opponents to 10 or fewer points in three of four outings, fueling a five-game SU win streak on home turf, and lifting the Bears to a short +675 wager on the Super Bowl odds.

With last season’s Super Bowl hero Nick Foles under center, the Eagles closed out their schedule with three straight victories, and have posted wins in six of eight visits to Chicago, including a pair of victories as betting underdogs.

Wild Card Weekend action kicks off Saturday with the Houston Texans hosting the Indianapolis Colts as slim 1-point favorites, while the Dallas Cowboys take on the Seattle Seahawks as 2-point home chalk.

Led by quarterback Andrew Luck, the Colts have marched back to the playoffs on the strength of a 9-1 SU run that includes a 24-21 win in Houston as 4-point underdogs in Week 14. That marked the only home loss of the season for the Texans, who also have covered just once in their last four outings at betting sites.

The Cowboys have been dominant at times while winning seven of eight, but are a dismal 2-9 SU in 11 playoff contests since December 1996.

Thumbnail photo via John Glaser/USA TODAY Sports

Picked For You