The NFL playoffs are well and truly on this weekend, with the Wildcard round underway on Saturday. Who joins the Ravens and 49ers, the top seeds of the AFC and NFC conferences, who are already through to the divisional round? Let’s find out who makes it through to the next round, and who will head straight into the off-season. To play this and other sport events, click here: https://coingames.fun/en/sports#/prelive
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans, Saturday 22:30PM CET
Veteran Quarterback Joe Flacco travels to take on rookie sensation C.J. Stroud, one of the best quarterbacks this year. The Browns ended the regular season just two games behind the Ravens in the AFC North. The Browns have been one of the best teams in the second half of the season: however, they have a 3.5 record away from home. The Texans will be happy to have made the playoffs, and will face one of the best defences in the league in the Browns. Flacco has a positive track record in the playoffs, and we give the Browns the edge in this one. It will be a close game however, as the Texans have been quite good at home (6-3).
Houston Texans to Win – 2.10
Cleveland Browns to Win – 1.74
Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday 2:00AM CET
Last year’s winners Chiefs host the Dolphins in a major AFC Wildcard clash. Miami travel to Arrowhead with a number of defensive injuries, and will have to heavily rely on their offence to outscore Mahomes and company. Even if the Chiefs offence has struggled more than last year (the Chiefs are 5-4 at home), they will prevail on Miami. The Dolphins have lost big against teams like the Bills, Eagles and Ravens, and lost a closer game in Germany to the Chiefs. Mahomes will need to raise an offence that has generated 300+ passing yards only twice this season – while they did so 10 times last season. Miami’s best weapon – and former Chiefs wide receiver – Tyreek Hill is also carrying a minor knock. Look for the Chiefs to advance.
Kansas City Chiefs to Win – 1.41
Miami Dolphins to Win – 2.90
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills, Sunday 19:00PM CET
This should be one of the easier Wildcard clashes to call, as the Bills have won five straight to clinch the AFC East. In addition, Steelers will be without linebacker T.J. Watt for the encounter. And while Pittsburgh won three straight to clinch a playoff berth, their defence has struggled. In fact, they lost four of the five matches before that three-game winning run. On the Bill’s side, QB Josh Allen needs to step up, as he showed some imperfections in the last two wins versus Miami and the Patriots. if he gets going, he is among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And if the Bills get going, it’ll be a struggle for whoever faces them next. Bills to win this one at home (as they had a 7-2 record in the regular season).
Buffalo Bills to Win – 1.18
Pittsburgh Steelers to Win – 5.00
Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys, Sunday 22:30PM CET
This is another encounter that, at least on paper, should be a relatively easy call. The Cowboys have been perfect at home this season (8-0), and topped the NFC East courtesy of the Eagles’ debacle. On the other hand, the Packers overturned their season by winning their last three games to make the playoffs. Their quarterback Jordan Love has been playing great recently and their attack has been high-scoring as well. However, Dallas have perhaps the best combination in the NFL this year with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. The pressure is on the Cowboys, who have not made the Superbowl since 1996. This will be a closer game than people expect, but the Cowboys will eventually win it at home.
Dallas Cowboys to Win – 1.30
Green Bay Packers to Win – 3.50
Los Angeles Rams @ Detroit Lions, Monday 2:00AM CET
This is perhaps the best clash in the Wildcard round this season, both in terms of storylines and team levels. This game features the two quarterbacks traded for each other in Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. The Rams have won the Superbowl twice in the past five years, so they are a very experienced side. The have been the surprise team this season, as they started it 3-6. However, an even bigger surprise are the Lions, who host a playoff game for the first time since 1994. Look for Goff and Stafford to have an amazing game, but ultimately the Rams may well pull off the upset in a high-scoring game. Expect the Rams to give the 49ers a run for their money in the next round as well.
Detroit Lions to Win – 1.60
Los Angeles Rams to Win – 2.35
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tuesday 2:15AM CET
This is another game that could really swing either way. One month ago, you would have seen this clash and given Tampa no chances whatsoever, as Philly at one point had a 10-1 record. Since then, they’ve dropped to 11-6, losing against the likes of the Giants, Cardinals and Seahawks in recent weeks. Their defence has completely blown apart, conceding over 200 points in their last 7 games (close to 30 a game). The Bucs will be happy to just have made the playoffs this year, but they have a real chance of moving forward to the Divisional Round after winning the NFC South with a meagre 9-8 record. If baker Mayfield has a good game, they could realistically send last year’s Super Bowl runners up home. However, don’t underestimate a Philly revamp. This is a tough one, but we’ll go for the upset here and give Tampa the ever-so-slight edge.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Win – 2.30
Philadelphia Eagles to Win – 1.62
