NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Round Betting
For many football fans and gamblers, the NFL wild card weekend rivals any other sports postseason as far as excitement potential. This year’s six games are comprised mostly of teams with a serious shot at winning it all. Only the Carolina Panthers can be considered an impossibility, as the 8-9 “champions” of the NFC South based on a technicality.
Consider that the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles would surprise nobody if they pulled themselves together to win another Lombardi Trophy.
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Amazingly enough, some of the teams at the top of the seedings and Super Bowl championship that would still qualify as surprise winners. The Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears all made quantum leaps this season. Still, fans and gamblers don’t yet have the mindset of considering them as championship material.
The Chicago Bears made an impressive leap this year under rookie head coach Ben Johnson. Last year, the Bears finished 5-12, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. Johnson proved to be the difference as a brilliant offensive mind. He worked with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams to claim the NFC North title from the Detroit Lions, for whom Johnson served as offensive coordinator before landing the Chicago HC gig.
The Jacksonville Jaguars also made a massive jump to win the AFC South. Jacksonville finished as one of the most profitable teams on the board and is back in the playoffs for just the third time since 2007, the second time since 2017, and the first time since 2022. Rookie head coach Liam Coen made an impact with the Jags’ star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who has not always shown the stuff of a first overall pick in the NFL Draft (2021). Lawrence is coming off the second-best season of his career. He threw a career-best 29 touchdown passes this year.
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are playoff regulars, but gamblers are not expecting much from them.
Pittsburgh ended a win over the Baltimore Ravens in the final game of the season to clinch the AFC North. The Steelers have quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but the veteran import averaged only 6.7 yards per attempt. For all the hype about Rodgers, he has only one Super Bowl appearance in a career that dates back to the 2005 season.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is coming off another strong season, but there is a sense that his surrounding cast is no longer good enough to contend for the Super Bowl seriously. Of major concern is Buffalo’s weakness at stopping the run.
The New England Patriots made a remarkable leap under head coach Mike Vrabel, who took over this season and made an immediate impact with increased toughness, discipline, and focus. Quarterback Drake Maye has emerged as one of the best young signal callers in pro football.
The addition of a third wild card team in each NFL conference a few years ago has just added to the excitement of the regular season. The NFL postseason is still an exclusive club compared to other sports leagues, and the NFL is the only major North American sports league that uses a single-elimination format in every round of its postseason, setting up the likelihood of a wild card team reaching the Super Bowl.
A team to watch in the NFC is the Los Angeles Rams. Although they are the 5-seed in the NFC, they have a potential NFL MVP in quarterback Matt Stafford and one of the most brilliant head coaches in football, Sean McVay.
2025-26 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, January 10, 2026
Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers, 4:30 PM ET, FOX
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 8:00 PM ET, Amazon Prime
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 PM ET, FOX
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, 8:00 PM ET, NBC
Monday, January 12, 2026
Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:00 PM ET, ABC
Wild Card Round Results (2000)
| SEASON |
WINNING TEAM |
LOSING TEAM |
SCORE |
| 2025 |
Baltimore Ravens |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
28-14 |
| Buffalo Bills |
Denver Broncos |
31-7 |
| Houston Texans |
Los Angeles Chargers |
32-12 |
| Washington Commanders |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
23-20 |
| Los Angeles Rams |
Minnesota Vikings |
27-9 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Green Bay Packers |
22-10 |
| 2024 |
Houston Texans |
Los Angeles Chargers |
32-12 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
28-14 |
| Buffalo Bills |
Denver Broncos |
31-7 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Green Bay Packers |
22-10 |
| Washington Commanders |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
23-20 |
| Los Angeles Rams |
Minnesota Vikings |
27-9 |
| 2023 |
Houston Texans |
Cleveland Browns |
45-14 |
| Kansas City Chiefs |
Miami Dolphins |
26-7 |
| Green Bay Packers |
Dallas Cowboys |
48-32 |
| Detroit Lions |
Los Angeles Rams |
24-23 |
| Buffalo Bills |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
31-17 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Philadelphia Eagles |
32-9 |
| 2022 |
San Francisco 49ers |
Seattle Seahawks |
41-23 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars |
Los Angeles Chargers |
31-30 |
| Buffalo Bills |
Miami Dolphins |
34-31 |
| New York Giants |
Minnesota Vikings |
31-24 |
| Cincinnati Bengals |
Baltimore Ravens |
24-17 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
31-14 |
| 2021 |
Los Angeles Rams |
Arizona Cardinals |
34-11 |
| Kansas City Chiefs |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
42-21 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
Dallas Cowboys |
23-17 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Philadelphia Eagles |
31-15 |
| Buffalo Bills |
New England Patriots |
47-17 |
| Cincinnati Bengals |
Las Vegas Raiders |
26-19 |
| 2020 |
Buffalo Bills |
Indianapolis Colts |
27-24 |
| Los Angeles Rams |
Seattle Seahawks |
30-20 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Washington Football Team |
31-23 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Tennessee Titans |
20-13 |
| New Orleans Saints |
Chicago Bears |
21-9 |
| Cleveland Browns |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
48-37 |
| 2019 |
Houston Texans |
Buffalo Bills |
22-19 (OT) |
| Tennessee Titans |
New England Patriots |
20-13 |
| Minnesota Vikings |
New Orleans Saints |
26-20 (OT) |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Philadelphia Eagles |
17-9 |
| 2018 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Houston Texans |
21-7 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
Seattle Seahawks |
24-22 |
| Los Angeles Chargers |
Baltimore Ravens |
23-17 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Chicago Bears |
16-15 |
| 2017 |
Tennessee Titans |
Kansas City Chiefs |
22-21 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars |
Buffalo Bills |
10-3 |
| Atlanta Falcons |
Los Angeles Rams |
26-13 |
| New Orleans Saints |
Carolina Panthers |
31-26 |
| 2016 |
Houston Texans |
Oakland Raiders |
27-14 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
Miami Dolphins |
30-12 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Detroit Lions |
26-6 |
| Green Bay Packers |
New York Giants |
38-13 |
| 2015 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
Houston Texans |
30-0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
Cincinnati Bengals |
18-16 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Minnesota Vikings |
10-9 |
| Green Bay Packers |
Washington Redskins |
35-18 |
| 2014 |
Baltimore Ravens |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
30-17 |
| Indianapolis Colts |
Cincinnati Bengals |
26-10 |
| Carolina Panthers |
Arizona Cardinals |
27-16 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
Detroit Lions |
24-20 |
| 2013 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Kansas City Chiefs |
45-44 |
| San Diego Chargers |
Cincinnati Bengals |
27-10 |
| New Orleans Saints |
Philadelphia Eagles |
26-24 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
Green Bay Packers |
23-20 |
| 2012 |
Houston Texans |
Cincinnati Bengals |
19-13 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Indianapolis Colts |
24-9 |
| Green Bay Packers |
Minnesota Vikings |
24-10 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Washington Redskins |
24-14 |
| 2011 |
Houston Texans |
Cincinnati Bengals |
31-10 |
| Denver Broncos |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
29-23 |
| New Orleans Saints |
Detroit Lions |
45-28 |
| New York Giants |
Atlanta Falcons |
24-2 |
| 2010 |
New York Jets |
Indianapolis Colts |
17-16 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Kansas City Chiefs |
30-7 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
New Orleans Saints |
41-36 |
| Green Bay Packers |
Philadelphia Eagles |
21-16 |
| 2009 |
New York Jets |
Cincinnati Bengals |
24-14 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
New England Patriots |
33-14 |
| Dallas Cowboys |
Philadelphia Eagles |
34-17 |
| Arizona Cardinals |
Green Bay Packers |
51-45 |
| 2008 |
San Diego Chargers |
Indianapolis Colts |
23-17 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Miami Dolphins |
27-9 |
| Arizona Cardinals |
Atlanta Falcons |
30-24 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Minnesota Vikings |
26-14 |
| 2007 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
31-29 |
| San Diego Chargers |
Tennessee Titans |
17-6 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Washington Redskins |
35-14 |
| New York Giants |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
24-14 |
| 2006 |
Indianapolis Colts |
Kansas City Chiefs |
23-8 |
| New England Patriots |
New York Jets |
37-16 |
| Seattle Seahawks |
Dallas Cowboys |
21-20 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
New York Giants |
23-20 |
| 2005 |
New England Patriots |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
28-3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
Cincinnati Bengals |
31-17 |
| Washington Redskins |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
17-10 |
| Carolina Panthers |
New York Giants |
23-0 |
| 2004 |
New York Jets |
San Diego Chargers |
20-17 |
| Indianapolis Colts |
Denver Broncos |
49-24 |
| St. Louis Rams |
Seattle Seahawks |
27-20 |
| Minnesota Vikings |
Green Bay Packers |
31-17 |
| 2003 |
Tennessee Titans |
Baltimore Ravens |
20-17 |
| Indianapolis Colts |
Denver Broncos |
41-10 |
| Carolina Panthers |
Dallas Cowboys |
29-10 |
| Green Bay Packers |
Seattle Seahawks |
33-27 |
| 2002 |
New York Jets |
Indianapolis Colts |
41-0 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
Cleveland Browns |
36-33 |
| Atlanta Falcons |
Green Bay Packers |
27-7 |
| San Francisco 49ers |
New York Giants |
39-38 |
| 2001 |
Oakland Raiders |
New York Jets |
38-24 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Miami Dolphins |
20-3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
31-9 |
| Green Bay Packers |
San Francisco 49ers |
25-15 |
| 2000 |
Miami Dolphins |
Indianapolis Colts |
23-17 |
| Baltimore Ravens |
Denver Broncos |
21-3 |
| New Orleans Saints |
St. Louis Rams |
31-28 |
| Philadelphia Eagles |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
21-3 |
We have seen 11 wild card teams go on to reach the Super Bowl with seven of those teams eventually winning the Lombardi Trophy. The first wild card team to reach the Super Bowl was the 1975 Dallas Cowboys. They went on the road to upset the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams before losing the first of two Super Bowls to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s.
In 1980 the Oakland Raiders were the first wild card team to win the Super Bowl beating Philadelphia, 27-10. They went 11-5 in the regular season, and they turned it on after the first five games as Jim Plunkett led the Raiders to 13 wins in the 15 games he started. The most recent wild card team to win the Super Bowl was Tampa Bay in 2020, besting Kansas City 31-9 behind Tom Brady.
The other wild card teams to reach the Super Bowl are the 1985 New England Patriots, 1992 Buffalo Bills, 1997 Denver Broncos, 1999 Tennessee Titans, 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2007 New York Giants and 2010 Green Bay Packers, and 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There has yet to be a Super Bowl featuring two wild card teams.
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