On the whole, the NFL wild card weekend rivals any other sports postseason in terms of potential excitement. 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.
Overall, some of the teams at the top of the NFL Football Betting 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.
Certainly, the Chicago Bears made an impressive sportsbook 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.
Also, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a massive jump to win the AFC South. Jacksonville finished among the most profitable teams on the board and is back in the playoffs for just the third time since 2007. 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. Correlate that 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. Consider that Pittsburgh ended a NFL Odds 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. Of course, 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. Meanwhile, 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.
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.
NFL Betting Lines 2025-26 NFL Super Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, January 10, 2026
- Los Angeles Rams at Carolina Panthers, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
- Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime
Sunday, January 11, 2026
- Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:30 p.m. ET, FOX
- Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Monday, January 12, 2026
- Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8 p.m. ET, ABC