NFL Wild Card Round Tips
The 2025 NFL regular season is over and only 14 of the original 32 teams remain in the hunt for a Super Bowl win at Levi's Stadium in California on February 8.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens were the last two teams to be eliminated from contention, while the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks earned themselves a week off by winning the top seed in each conference.
That leaves 12 teams to battle it out in the six Wild Card contests this weekend, with the action spread across three days, with two games on Saturday, three on Sunday and a Monday night match-up.
We’ve picked out our four favourite bets in our Wild Card tips, including one for each of the Sunday and Monday match-ups.
TIP 1 - Over 51.5 points @ 10/11
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 6pm GMT)
Any UK-based NFL fans who saw the Jacksonville Jaguars get hammered 35-7 by the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley in October will have been amazed to see how they turned their season around.
The Jaguars were 4-3 after that loss but won nine of their last 10 games to finish at 13-4 and become third seed in the AFC playoffs after winning the AFC South.
The Bills are lower in the seedings than would have been expected at the start of the season - in sixth spot with a 12-5 record - but while they can be inconsistent they still pose a major threat to the upstart Jaguars.
The best bet for their clash in Florida should be to go over 51.5 points with both offences in fine form.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has finally found the form expected of a former number one overall draft pick with 11 TD passes and only one interception in his last four games, while the Bills were the joint-fourth highest scorers in the league this season.
Remember: BetMGM is paying out early when your team takes a 17-point lead, regardless of the final result. More information can be found here.
TIP 2 - Philadelphia Eagles -3.5 @ 9/10
Philadelphia Eagles vs San Francisco 49ers (Sunday, 9.30pm GMT)
The San Francisco 49ers had a chance to become the top seeds in the NFC last weekend, but ran into a brick wall in the shape of their NFC West rivals the Seattle Seahawks, losing 13-3 at home in a one-sided affair.
The 49ers still have a chance to play in the Super Bowl in their home stadium next month, but that dream could fade when they face defending champions the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
The 2025 season has not gone entirely smoothly for the Eagles, but they had been in solid form before resting several of their key starters against the Washington Commanders on Sunday and losing.
Their defence can make life tough for the injury-hit 49ers' offence and take Nick Sirianni's team through to the divisional round.
TIP 3 - Under 45.5 points @ 10/11
New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers (Monday, 1am GMT)
The Patriots and the Chargers both rank in the top eight for yards allowed per game and the top nine for points allowed per game this season and those two solid defences should combine to produce a low-scoring game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
The Patriots won 13 of their last 14 games in a 14-3 campaign to just miss out on the AFC top seeding, and while there are questions over the quality of the opposition they faced, they won their last two games by 32 and 28 points, conceding just 10 points each time.
The Chargers are a solid outfit who went 11-6 despite losing their last two games to the Texans and the Broncos, but those match-ups produced just 36 and 22 points respectively and another low total is likely against the Patriots.
TIP 4 - Houston Texans -3 @ 17/20
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Houston Texans (Tuesday, 1.15am GMT)
The Pittsburgh Steelers would not have expected to be in this game when they were waiting for Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop to attempt a 44-yard field goal at the end of their Week 18 game against the Ravens on Sunday night.
However, Loop missed wide right and the Steelers clung on to win 26-24 and clinch the AFC North title with a 10-7 record.
That earned Mike Tomlin's team a home game against the Houston Texans, who just missed out on the AFC South title despite winning their last nine matches to finish at 12-5.
After winning their last four away games against the Titans, Colts, Chiefs and Chargers, the Texans won't worry too much about having to play on the road.
The Steelers look vulnerable after losing at home to the Seahawks, Packers and Bills this season, even though wide receiver DK Metcalf will be available again after a two-game suspension.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
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