The best time of the NFL season is here: Six Wild Card games across three nights from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12 kicks off on Saturday night.
To start things, the Los Angeles Rams travel to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers in a rematch from Nov. 30 that saw the Panthers win 31-28.
Two interceptions, including a pick six, led to the demise of the Rams, but there's not doubt they are the much better team.
Next up on Saturday night is the third matchup of the season between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. They split the regular season series with each team winning at home, and Chicago will be at their safe haven in this game.
Expect some fireworks from two aggressive quarterbacks and a third consecutive thrilling finish in this rivalry.
Sunday features the Buffalo Bills visiting the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars, then the San Francisco 49ers head to Philadelphia to take on the reigning champs. To close the night, MVP candidate Drake Maye welcomes Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bills vs. Jags game has the highest total of the weekend as each offense can generate explosives consistently. An aggressive Jacksonville defense can lead to takeaways or big plays, whereas the Bills defense tries to keep everything in front of them. Jacksonville is the more talented team, but Josh Allen is undeniable.
The banged up Niners face the healthy Eagles in Philly which could also be a thriller. Several backups are out there for San Francisco's defense, but it seems that they always step up under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Jalen Hurts and co. are on the quest to claim back-to-back Super Bowl titles featuring all the stars that were on the team last year.
The defensive-minded Chargers look to slow down Maye and the Patriots offense on Sunday night. LA's pass defense is one of the best in the league and it will be interesting to see how the young Maye attacks the ever-shifting secondary in a must-win environment.
Herbert is looking for his first playoff win of his career and he'll get a chance to make some plays against a defense that doesn't feature a dominant EDGE rusher. Both starting tackles are out for L.A. for the rest of the season, and this might be the perfect matchup for them.
To wrap up Wild Card weekend, the best defense in the league in the Houston Texans travel to the AFC North-winning Pittsburgh Steelers who barely held on to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.
It's hard to imagine the Steelers being able to move the ball much against this vaunted front and secondary, though Pittsburgh defense has playmakers of its own that can flip a game with a strip-sack fumble.
Aaron Rodgers' quick and short passing game may be an advantage to alleviate Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter flying off the edge.
Let's take a look at the main betting lines for each matchup:
Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 10, 2025 | Bank of America Stadium | LAR -10.5 | O/U 46.5 | LAR: -600 |
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 10, 2025 | Soldier Field | GB -1.0 | O/U 45.0 | GB: -120 |
Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 11, 2025 | EverBank Stadium | BUF -1.5/JAX +1.5 | O/U 51.5 | BUF: -115 |
San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 11, 2025 | Lincoln Financial Field | PHI -5.0 | O/U 44.5 | SF: +200 |
Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 11, 2025 | Gillette Stadium | NE -3.5 | O/U 46.0 | LAC: +165 |
Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Date / Time | Location | Spread | Total | Money line |
Jan. 12, 2025 | Acrisure Stadium | HOU -3.0/PIT +3.0 | O/U 38.5 | HOU: -155 |
All odds in this article were correct at time of writing and are subject to change.
