NFL Sunday Night Football Wild Card Betting
Behind likely Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders had a breakthrough season winning 12 games and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years. Their win total matched that of the previous two seasons combined and they look for their first playoff win since the 2005 season when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in a NFC Wild Card matchup. The game is set to kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium and will be televised on NBC. Ironically Washington’s last playoff victory was over Tampa Bay at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Since then the team formerly known as the Redskins is 0-5 in the postseason.
The Bucs are back in the postseason for a fifth straight season after winning the NFC South for a fourth consecutive year. Needing a win over New Orleans on the final Sunday they came through with their sixth victory in seven games to leapfrog Atlanta. This game is a rematch from Week 1 when the Bucs dominated in a 37-20 triumph behind four TD passes from Baker Mayfield. You could day Daniels has come a long way since his NFL debut giving Washington a chance for an upset in this contest.
NFL Wild Card Sunday Night Football Betting Odds
Washington Commanders +3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3
Over/Under: 50.5
Money Line: Commanders +144, Buccaneers -165
Washington was in the running for the NFC East title until the very end, unfortunately they ran out of time and Philadelphia was a bit better. The Commanders closed the season with five straight wins, including over Philly in Week 16, but a three-game slide prior to that put them in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Still, winning 12 games is quite an accomplishment for the club after securing just four wins last season. The biggest reason is behind center and the impact Daniels had on the team. It’s hard to identify others who have been more valuable to their team than the No. 2 overall pick has been to his.
Daniels threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns during the regular season with an additional 864 yards and six scores on the ground. With a knack for making big plays, Daniels has become a folk hero around Washington. Just about half of his TD passes (12) came in the fourth quarter or overtime and he directed four game-winning drives with three ending on TD passes on the final play from scrimmage. After ranking 23rd or worse in the NFL in scoring in each of the previous six seasons, Washington was one of the more productive teams. They ranked fifth averaging 28.5 points and were seventh with nearly 370 total yards per game.
With two dynamic quarterbacks who can make and extend plays, there is a good chance we see points on the board. The teams combined for 57 points in the Week 1 meeting easily going OVER the total of 41.5. We have a 9-point difference on the total for this matchup with 50.5 the highest on the Super Wild Card Weekend board. In his first NFL game Daniels flashed his dual threat ability running for 88 yards and two TDs on 16 rush attempts. The passing game was less effective, though. Daniels was 17 of 24 for 184 yards and the game wasn’t that close. Tampa covered the 4-point spread for their fourth payout in the last six series meetings.
Tampa Bay took a chance on the former No. 1 overall draft pick and Mayfield rewarded the franchise with another division title and playoff appearance. Signing a 1-year deal ahead of the 2023 campaign, Mayfield started every game and delivered a playoff win over the Eagles with 381 passing yards and four TDs. The Bucs re-signed him during the offseason and Mayfield had a career year throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs while completing 71.4 percent of his passes.
The Bucs boast the third-best passing game in the NFL averaging 250.4 yards and they also rank third in total offense with nearly 400 yards per game. with a pair of middling defenses facing offenses that rank among the best in the NFL we could see points on the board. Washington concedes 23 points per outing with the Bucs allow 22.6.
Sunday Night Football Betting Schedule
In Week 2, the Houston Texans will host the Chicago Bears in a matchup of two of the emerging quarterback stars of the NFL. Last year, CJ Stroud, who was taken 2nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, led the Houston Texans to the AFC South Championship and a playoff win over the Cleveland Browns. Stroud shot down the adage about rookie NFL QBs not being able to deliver. Instead, Stroud threw for 4108 yards and a 23/5 TD/INT ratio. DeMeco Ryans had a spectacular debut as Houston’s coach, but now Ryans and Stroud face higher expectations, and the scrutiny of proving their success was not a fluke.
Of course, the Bears took Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Williams does not have the supporting cast that Stroud had last year. Williams also arrives with what many believe to be a quirky personality that may not be best for leading an NFL locker room. The Bears gave up on Justin Fields, who they took in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, after just three seasons on a team with little support. Chicago remains a team that generates a lot of ambiguity and little in the way of optimism from gamblers.
One of the best Sunday night matchups in the early going is a Week 4 affair between the visiting Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams won their respective divisions last year. The QB matchup of Josh Allen of the Bills and Lamar Jackson of the Ravens is one of the best possible. The Ravens and Bills could easily meet in the 2024 NFL Playoffs.
Week 8 is certain to bring ratings and scrutiny when the San Francisco 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy and QB Dak Prescott are under intense pressure to deliver a Super Bowl berth after flopping in the playoffs. Owner Jerry Jones, age 81, is eager to gain one last Lombardi Trophy but, as always, has a team that is never quite complete. The Dallas track record of falling short since the 1994 departure of head coach Jimmy Johnson offers no comfort or reason to believe that anything will ultimately change with America’s team.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers are the defending NFC champions and are coming off their second heartbreaking loss in five years to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. San Francisco is certainly the team to beat in the NFC West. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have proven to be a highly effective leadership tandem.
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