Updated Odds to Make NFL Playoffs, NFL Playoff Picture, Wild Card Matchups, and Remaining Schedules
By John Perrotto in NFL Football
Updated: December 23, 2020 at 2:36 pm ESTPublished:
- The latest odds have been posted on whether certain NFL teams will make or miss the playoffs
- The Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans are all -10000 picks to reach the postseason
- A breakdown of the odds and the postseason picture in both conferences can be found below
Six NFL teams have clinched playoff berths and 15 others have at least a mathematical chance of reaching the expanded 14-team field with two weeks remaining in the season.
The AFC teams that have qualified are the Kansas City Chiefs (12-1), Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) and Buffalo Bills (11-3). The Green Bay Packers (11-3), New Orleans Saints (10-4) and Seattle Seahawks (10-4) are in from the NFC.
The Chiefs (AFC West), Bills (AFC East) and Packers (AFC North) have also wrapped up division titles.
Let’s take a look, breaking it down by each conference, of the playoff picture and teams’ odds of reaching the postseason.
AFC Playoff Picture
Odds to Make/Miss Playoffs
| Team | Make | Miss |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Titans (10-4) | -10000 | +1700 |
| Cleveland Browns (10-4) | -1250 | +725 |
| Indianapolis Colts (10-4) | -1250 | +725 |
| Miami Dolphins (9-5) | +220 | -278 |
| Baltimore Ravens (9-5) | N/A | N/A |
| Las Vegas Raiders (7-7) | N/A | N/A |
Odds taken from DraftKings on Dec. 21
The Titans’ odds to make the playoffs took a huge jump after being -1200 last week.
Tennessee rolled to a 46-25 victory over the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday to raise their record to 10-4. The Titans are tied with the Colts for the division lead but hold the second tiebreaker by virtue of having the better record inside the division. They are 4-1 against AFC South teams and the Colts are 3-2.
Best runs from @KingHenry_2's 147-yard game #DETvsTEN
📺: More coverage on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/qwRuxRTqtm
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 20, 2020
The teams split their two regular-season meetings with the visiting team winning each.
The Titans are also a game up on gaining one of three wild-card spots.
The Browns’ odds last week were at -950 and improved following their 20-6 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night. Cleveland (10-4) has a slim chance of winning the AFC North but it must win its last two games and the Steelers must lose their last three, including Monday night to the lowly Bengals in Cincinnati.
.@NickChubb21 is IN for the touchdown! 🚂
📺: https://t.co/jyHm6MrARd pic.twitter.com/38dJKwwGjA
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 21, 2020
The Browns’ best chance of reaching the postseason for the first time since 2002 is gaining a wild card.
The Colts’ odds improved from -800 after they beat the Houston Texans at home Sunday. While it still can win the division with some help, Indianapolis’ best path to the playoffs is as a wild card.
Even though they eliminated the New England Patriots from the playoff race Sunday with a 22-12 win at home, the Dolphins’ playoff odds actually went down a tad from the -215 of last week. The Dolphins hold the third and final wild card at the moment but the Ravens, who like Miami are 9-7, are right behind and on a three-game winning streak since their COVID-19 outbreak.
Current Playoff Picture
| Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | 13-1 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-2 |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills | 11-3 |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans | 10-4 |
| 5 | Cleveland Browns | 10-4 |
| 6 | Indianapolis Colts | 10-4 |
| 7 | Miami Dolphins | 9-5 |
- The Steelers would host the Dolphins in a wild card round game if the playoffs started right now and would likely be around 5.5-points favorites.
- The Colts would visit the Bills in Orchard Park, which would be the first playoff game at Bills Stadium since 1996 games. Buffalo would likely be a 2.5-point favorite or so in that matchup.
- The Titans would host the Browns in Nashville in a rematch of a high-scoring game in Week 13 which Cleveland won 41-35 at Nissan Stadium. Despite that loss, Tennessee would be expected to be about a six-point favorite in the rematch.
Remaining Schedules
| Week | Titans | Browns | Colts | Dolphins | Ravens | Raiders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | at Packers (11-3) | at Jets (1-13) | at Steelers (11-2) | at Raiders (7-7) | Giants (5-9) | Dolphins (9-5) |
| 17 | at Texans (4-10) | Steelers (11-2) | Jaguars (1-13) | at Bills (11-3) | at Bengals (2-11-1) | at Broncos (5-9) |
While the Ravens are currently out of the playoffs, they should feel good about their chances of winding up with one of the wild cards. Baltimore has the easiest schedule of the AFC contenders as they host the New York Giants this Sunday then concluded the season by visiting the lowly Bengals in Cincinnati.
The Ravens are 10.5-point favorites over the Giants. The line figures to be at least as high for the matchup with the Bengals.
JK ALL DAY @Jkdobbins22
Back in action on Sunday on FOX at 1 p.m. vs. the Giants! pic.twitter.com/0omci1nfM3
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 21, 2020
A strong case can be made that the most difficult schedule belongs to the Titans as they finish with road games against the Packers and Houston Texans.
Tennessee is a +3.5 underdog against the Packers on Monday Night Football. Though the Titans will be favored against the Texans, Houston has a dangerous quarterback in Deshaun Watson, giving them a chance to pull an upset.
NFC Playoff Picture
Odds to Make/Miss Playoffs
| Team | Make | Miss |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams (9-5) | -10000 | +1700 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) | -10000 | +1700 |
| Arizona Cardinals (8-6) | -250 | +200 |
| Chicago Bears (7-7) | +200 | -250 |
| Minnesota Vikings (6-8) | +1700 | -10000 |
Odds taken from DraftKings on Dec. 21.
The Buccaneers, Cardinals and Bears all saw their odds improve from last week after notching wins Sunday. Tampa Bay rallied from a 21-ppoit deficit to beat the Falcons 31-27 in Atlanta while the Cardinals held off the Philadelphia Eagles 33-26 at home and the Bears registered a 33-27 road victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
A week ago, the Buccaneers’ odds were -2500 while the Cardinals’ were -166 and the Bears’ were +480. No odds were listed for the Rams going into Week 15.
Check out me & Lavonte David …. look like the same player 😂 pretty unique pic.twitter.com/psydTykk4j
— DEVIN WHITE (@DevinWhite__40) December 21, 2020
The oddsmakers downgraded the Vikings’ chances severely — all the way from +300 and +1700 — following their fifth home loss of the season.
Despite an ugly 23-20 home loss to the previously winless New York Jets on Sunday, the Rams (9-5) are still a near lock to make the playoffs as they need only to split their last two games. Though the Rams trailed the first-place Seahawks (10-4) by one game in the NFC West, they would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if they win in Seattle this Sunday. Los Angeles defeated the Seahawks at home earlier this season.
The Buccaneers (9-5) also need to win only one of their last two games to get a wild. They technically have a chance to win the NFC South but would have to win out while the Saints lost their last two games.
The Cardinals control their own destiny and will assure themselves of a postseason berth by winning their final two games.
27 Completions
406 Passing Yards
3 TDVote @K1 for @FedEx Air Player of the Week:
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 21, 2020
The Bears (7-7) have won back-to-back games following a six-game losing streak to keep their playoff hopes alive but need help.
After falling two games below .500, the Vikings (6-8) need to win both their games and get a whole lot of help from other teams to crack the playoff field.
Odds to Win NFC East
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Washington Football Team (6-8) | -335 |
| New York Giants (5-9) | +600 |
| Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1) | +700 |
| Dallas Cowboys (5-9) | +1500 |
Odds taken Dec. 21 from DraftKings.
Washington technically is also still in the wild-card race, though, realistically its only chance of getting into the postseason is by winning the division. Taking the NFC East crown is also the only way the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys can reach the postseason.
With a one-game lead in the standings, Washington controls its own fate. The Football Team’s improve from the -284 of last week despite losing to the Seahawks 20-15 at home on Sunday.
So much respect around the league for Ron Rivera. 🙏
@dangerusswilson | @WashingtonNFL pic.twitter.com/Tq78XlM7vX— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 21, 2020
The Giants and Eagles also lost and their odds got longer as New York’s were +380 last week and Philadelphia’s were +625.
The Cowboys weren’t given odds last week but they are at least on their board after winning back-to-back games, including defeating the visiting San Francisco 49ers 41-33 on Sunday.
Current Playoff Picture
| Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green Bay Packers | 11-3 |
| 2 | New Orleans Saints | 10-4 |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks | 10-4 |
| 4 | Washington Football Team | 6-8 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Rams | 9-5 |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-5 |
| 7 | Arizona Cardinals | 8-6 |
- The Saints would host the Cardinals if the wild card round began at this moment and would likely be a seven-point favorite or so.
- The Buccaneers would visit the Seahawks and the line would likely be very small, perhaps even pick ’em.
- The Rams and Washington would have a rematch of their Week 5 game, also at FedEx Field, which Los Angeles won 30-10. The Rams would likely be favored in the four-point range.
Remaining Schedules
| Week | Rams | Buccaneers | Cardinals | Bears | Vikings | Washington | Giants | Eagles | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | at Seahawks (10-4) | at Lions (5-9) | 49ers (5-9) | at Jaguars (1-13) | at Saints (10-4) | Panthers (4-10) | at Ravens (9-5) | at Cowboys (5-9) | Eagles (4-9-1) |
| 17 | Cardinals (8-6) | Falcons (4-10) | at Rams (9-5) | Packers (11-3) | at Lions (5-9) | at Eagles (4-9-1) | Cowboys (5-9) | Washington (6-8) | at Giants (5-9) |
The Buccaneers have the easiest road to the playoffs. They are 9,5-point favorites over the Lions on Saturday and should be more than a touchdown favorite over the Falcons on regular season’s final days.
One more win and we're in.#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/t54ByG02pE
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 21, 2020
The loss to the Jets could really come back to bit the Rams, who have a tough finishing stretch as they the Seahawks then host the Cardinals.
Washington already has the one-game edge in the NFC East standings and another advantage in the fact that they wind up the season against a pair of four-win teams, home against the Carolina Panthers and at the Eagles.
Playoff Predictions
The Dolphins are currently in playoff position but have a tough couple of weeks ahead by playing the Raiders in Las Vegas — another Jon Gruden December collapse aside — and the Bills in Buffalo. Miami looks like a team ripe to get caught by the Ravens, so the bet there is no.
It is tempting to wager yes on the Bears now that they have risen from the dead. While they should beat the Jaguars handily, they finish against the Packers and their playoff destiny is out of their hands. Thus, it’s hard to bet on the Bears reaching the playoffs.
Sports Writer
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
