Betting the 2025 NFL Playoffs

With the NFL regular season officially in the books, it's time for U.S. sports bettors to start looking at the playoff picture. There will be 7 teams in each division lining up for a chance to play for all the marbles and a chance to represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl LIX.

Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played on February 9, 2025, at 6:30 pm EST. The game will be played at the Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, and will pit the AFC Champion against the NFC Champion in a tussle for the Lombardi Trophy.

Playoff Participants

When the last NFL regular season game was played on January 5, 2023, the field was set for the 2025 playoffs. Here's a look at the matchups for each conference with the current point spreads included:

America Football Conference:

Wildcard: Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills -9, o/u 47
Wildcard: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens -10, o/u 44
Wildcard: San Diego Chargers -3, o/u 42.5 at Houston Texans

Second round: The winner of the Denver/Buffalo game will play the Kansas City Chiefs
Second round: The winners of Pittsburgh/Baltimore & Chargers/Texans will play each other

National Football Conference:

Wildcard: Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles -4.5, o/u 45.5
Wildcard: Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3, o/u 50.5
Wildcard: Minnesota Vikings -1.5, o/u 47 at Los Angeles Rams

Second round: The winner of the Green Bay/Philadelphia game will play the Detroit Lions
Second round: The winners of Washington/Tampa Bay & Vikings/Rams will play each other

For interested parties, here are the current odds for each team to win the Super Bowl:

Detroit Lions +275
Kansas City Chiefs +350
Baltimore Ravens +600
Buffalo Bills +600
Philadelphia Eagles +700
Minnesota Vikings +1600
Green Bay Packers +1800
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3000
San Diego Chargers +3500
Los Angeles Rams +3500
Washington Commanders +3500
Denver Broncos +8000
Houston Texans +10000
Pittsburgh Steelers +10000

Wagering on the NFL Playoffs

With the odds officially posted for the playoffs, U.S. recreational sports bettors will likely be getting into action. some bettors will focus on the games while others might look at the listed proposition bets. While the volume of available prop bets will pale compared to the 500+ prop bets that will be listed for the Super Bowl, there will still be some interesting options listed by game. Let's take a look at some key wagering information.

Where to Wager

Currently, 39 states have legalized sports betting. In some cases, it's only online sports betting while quite a few states also offer retail sports betting options. In the states where online sports betting is permitted, bettors should have access to one or more licensed sports betting operators. Operators of note include:

• BetMGM


• BetRivers


• Caesars Sportsbook


• DraftKings


• FanDuel


• -... and more
  

Welcome and Super Bowl Bonuses

If this would be your first time betting on sports online, you'll want to find an operator that is offering new customers extra value in the form of welcome and Super Bonuses. Your focus should be on comparing operators based on their welcome bonus promos and selecting the one that seems to be offering what you want. You'll see offers that come with free wagers, matching deposit bonuses, and rebates from lost bets.

Types of Available Wagers

Even with the number of games pared down to six (6) over the first weekends of the playoffs, sports bettors will have access to a full menu of betting options. That menu includes:

• Straight bets with the point spread


• Straight bets with the money line


• Parlays - 2 or more games


• Teasers - 2 or more games


• Round robins - 3 or more games


• Proposition or prop bets


• Future odds wagering - To win conference championships or the Super Bowl
  

Note: Wagering limits will vary from operator to operator and state to state. If you wish to place a sizeable wager, you can check with each operator to see which one is willing to accommodate your needs.

The Picks

As a novice or recreational sports bettor, you might appreciate a few free picks to help guide you through the first weeks of the playoffs. Here's a quick look at all six games that will be played wildcard weekend.

Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills -9, o/u 47

Under the leadership of rookie QB Bo Nix, the Denver Broncos had a positive turn of fortune from the 2023 season, making the playoffs with a record of 10-7. Unfortunately, they will have to face a Buffalo team that won 10 of its last 12 games, putting up 30+ points in 9 of those games. One gets the feeling this could be a bit of a "shootout" as long as the weather conditions are reasonable in Buffalo. A play on the over 47 seems to be the play here.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens -10, o/u 44

This will the the 3rd time this season that these division foes have played with each team holding home-field advantage. Boasting the NFL's number-one rushing offense (197 YPG) and the number-one overall offense (425 YPG), the Ravens looked poised to dominate this game. Lay the 10 points.

San Diego Chargers -3, o/u 42.5 at Houston Texans

Last year, the Texans had an explosive offense, led by then-rookie QB C.J. Stroud. The team was a bit less effective this year, ranking 22nd for total yards at 319 YPG. They had a strong 1st half of the season but faded a bit in the 2nd half. Meanwhile, the Chargers offense picked things up over the last three (3) games (all wins), averaging 36 PPG. Lay the 3 points and hope the offense keeps rolling.

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles -4.5, o/u 45.5

Both of these teams enter the playoffs, boasting very good running attacks. The edge goes to Saqoun Barkley who bounced back off of a subpar 2023 with an amazing 2,005 yards rushing and 13 TDs. The Green Bay Packers can counter with RB Josh Jacobs with 1,329 yards rushing and 5 TDs. Look for both teams to play conservative ball with their rushing attacks, making the under 45.5 the right call.

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3, o/u 50.5

Coming off a 13-loss season in 2023, the Commanders were sure the biggest surprise of the 2024 NFL season, going 12-5 under rookie QB who threw for 3,568 yards and 25 TDs, adding 891 yards on the ground, plus 6 rushing TDs. While the Bucs had a respectable season including an early season 37-20 rout of these Commanders, The feeling here is Washington has enough weapons to get revenge. Play the Commanders +3.

Minnesota Vikings -1.5, o/u 47 at Los Angeles Rams

The Vikings rolled this year to a 14-3 record behind a surprising Sam Darnold, who threw for 4,319 years and 35 TDs. The QB's performance resurrected a career that was going nowhere before 2024. Meanwhile, Green Bay QB landed a huge off-season contract and came back with a solid, not great, 2024 season with 3,389 passing yards and 25 TDs. It's hard to trust Darnold in the playoffs but Minn WR Justin Jefferson (1,533 receiving yards and 10 TDs) might be the difference makers. Take the Vikings -1.5.

Summary: To U.S. sports bettors. It's time to load up your online sports betting accounts. This year's game-play action figures to be competitive and exciting.