The playoffs are here! After a grueling 18 weeks of NFL action, 14 teams in the postseason hope to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. Things will start this weekend with the Wild Card, with some tasty games on the way. In this piece, we have NFL picks for Wild Card Round weekend. Which squads will end up moving on to the Divisional Round?
• New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card Round
• Sunday, January 15th at 4:30 p.m. ET
• U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota
In what should be a fun NFC showdown, the Vikings are small favorites over the Giants for their Wild Card Round clash. The Vikings had hopes of taking home the No. 1 seed, but they had to settle for No. 3. With this, they’ll be hosting the Giants on Sunday in a contest that’s going to feature a ton of star players on both sides of the ball for the two teams.
The Vikings and Giants are quite familiar, as they met on Christmas Eve last month. It was a back-and-forth affair, with Minnesota winning thanks to a walk-off field goal from Greg Joseph. Minnesota will hope to take down NY in Minneapolis for the second time this season, but that most certainly isn’t going to be an easy task for the NFC North organization.
| Wild Card odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings to win | -166 | -166 | -166 |
| Giants to win | +140 | +140 | +140 |
| Bengals to win | -290 | -290 | -290 |
| Ravens to win | +255 | +255 | +255 |
The Giants have defied all the odds against them and look like a team ready to record another upset. Earlier in the year, the Giants have been underdogs against the Titans, Packers, and more, yet they’ve found a way to get the job done. All eyes will be on Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley to see if they can power the offense, while Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Adoree’ Jackson, and others will need to step up for the defense.
According to the best-rated sportsbooks, which includes the reliable Bovada review, the Vikings currently hold -166 NFL betting odds, while the Giants have been set at +140. The last time these two teams played, NY felt like it let a win slip away. We don’t think that will happen again, as we’re going with the Giants as our pick to post an upset win. Agree? Check out our best NFL betting sites to get a wager in.
Meanwhile, over in the AFC, Cincinnati should have no issues taking down the Ravens when they meet this weekend. The Bengals, this team started off the season a bit slow, but they have woken up for the second part of the campaign. Joe Burrow is again looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the game, while Ja’Marr Chase is back to full health from his hip injury.
With the Ravens, the big concern for this team is whether or not Lamar Jackson will be able to play. He’s missed the last month with a knee injury and hasn’t been on the practice field since. If Jackson can’t play, that means it will be Tyler Huntley who gets the start. That’s a significant drop for the Baltimore offense. This team needs Jackson in action to have a chance.
Even if Jackson does play, he wouldn’t be at 100 percent, and people are going to be concerned about him being able to run with the ball. When Jackson is fully healthy, he’s so darn electric. Right now, though, he could be limited. This is something everyone will be watching closely throughout the week. Straight up, Baltimore needs him on the field to keep things close.
The oddsmakers like Cincinnati’s chances of moving on, as they’ve been hit with -290 odds to move on to the Divisional Round. As for the Ravens, they’ve been placed at +255. With or without Jackson on the field, it will be tough for Baltimore to record a win. We think the Bengals will be the ones to celebrate after the final whistle – we’re going with them as our pick.
In another fun meeting, countless NFL fans wonder, can Tom Brady take down the Cowboys? In recent years, Dallas has been known for choking in the playoffs, and they’re going to have their hands full trying to beat Tampa Bay in the Wild Card Round. Brady has seen many haters try and take him down this year, but he can silence many folks with a big win.
Meanwhile, for Dallas, the pressure is on for quarterback Dak Prescott. There are no excuses for him, as his playmakers are healthy, and the defense, led by Micah Parsons, has been playing so sharp. Prescott has quite a few haters of his own. A Cowboys win over the Bucs, and it’d help Prescott establish himself as one of the best QBs in the NFC. Dallas holds -152 to beat Brady and Tampa bay. We’re going with Dallas as our pick in this one.
