NFL Wild Card Weekend lived up to the hype, delivering six very entertaining football games with plenty of interesting storylines.
Underdogs went an impressive 3-3 straight-up and 4-2 against the spread in the opening round of the playoffs. The Houston Texans absolutely pounded the Cleveland Browns into submission as 2.5-point underdogs, prevailing 45-14 to earn a date with the Ravens in Baltimore this weekend. Perhaps just as surprising, the Green Bay Packers embarrassed the Cowboys in Dallas, coming away with a 48-32 win as seven-point dogs. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 32-9 as small three-point underdogs on Monday night. A popular upset pick heading into the week was the Los Angeles Rams over the Detroit Lions, but the Lions held off Matt Stafford and the Rams and came away with a 24-23 victory. However, the Rams did cover the spread as three-point underdogs.
Without even playing a playoff game yet, the 49ers’ Super Bowl outright odds have shortened to +175 from +225 and the Baltimore Ravens’ odds have also moved to +275 from +320.
49ers to beat Ravens in Super Bowl LVIII
+475
The Buffalo Bills still have the third-shortest odds since the onset of the playoffs at +500 after easily dispatching the Pittsburgh Steelers at a snowy Highmark Stadium on Monday.
The Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl odds have jumped to +2500 from +6600 prior to their upset win over the Cowboys.
 | To win Super Bowl | To win Conference |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | +175 | -190 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +275 | +115 |
| Buffalo Bills | +500 | +225 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +650 | +320 |
| Detroit Lions | +800 | +320 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +2500 | +900 |
| Green Bay Packers | +2500 | +900 |
| Houston Texans | +2800 | +1200 |
All odds courtesy of 
Divisional Round opening odds
So the stage is now set for the divisional round of the playoffs, with four games on this weekend’s slate. The home team is favoured in all four matchups and we could see a pair of double-digit spreads by the time the action kicks off on Saturday, as two Cinderella teams (Texans and Packers) go up against the top seeds in the AFC and NFC, respectively.
Fresh off their first playoff win since 1991, the Lions open as six-point favourites over the Bucs. Detroit claimed a 20-6 victory over the Bucs in Tampa in Week 6.
And the NFL is saving the best for last, as the Chiefs are 2.5-point underdogs in Buffalo on Sunday night. Weather forecasts are calling for chilly conditions (-5 C, feels like -12 C) in Buffalo on Sunday night but no snow.
All odds courtesy of
Super Bowl MVP odds
A quick glance at the Super Bowl MVP odds will reveal six 49ers players within the top 15 on the list with the shortest odds. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has the shortest odds at +325, and the quarterbacks for all of the eight remaining teams are within the top 10 players with the shortest odds.
Christian McCaffrey to win Super Bowl MVP
+700
in 57 Super Bowls, quarterbacks have won MVP a total of 32 times (56.1%). Wide receivers have won eight times (14%), followed by running backs with seven awards (12.2%). Linebackers (four) have the most MVPs among defensive positions. There’s never been a tight end to win the award.
| To win Super Bowl MVP |
|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson (BAL) | +325 |
| Brock Purdy (SF) | +375 |
| Josh Allen (BUF) | +600 |
| Christian McCaffrey (SF) | +700 |
| Patrick Mahomes (KC) | +800 |
| Jared Goff (DET) | +1200 |
| C.J. Stroud (HOU) | +3300 |
| Baker Mayfield (TB) | +3300 |
| Deebo Samuel (SF) | +3300 |
| Jordan Love (GB) | +3300 |
| Brandon Aiyuk (SF) | +5000 |
| Nick Bosa (SF) | +5000 |
| George Kittle (SF) | +6600 |
| Stefon Diggs (BUF) | +6600 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) | +7500 |
All odds courtesy of
