NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks- Can Seahawks, Eagles Take Flight?

• Seahawks take stellar playoff record into Dallas
• Bears try to slow down the Nick Foles train
• Four NFL Wild Card Weekend bets to make you a winner

If you believe that the Super Bowl is up for grabs this year more than most other NFL seasons, then the madness should begin this upcoming Wild Card Weekend.

There have been 10 wild card playoff teams that have made it all the way to the big dance, six that have won it, with just four winning all their games on the road.

It hasn’t happened since 2010, when the Packers ran the table and won the title over the Steelers.

While we wait to see how these playoffs pan out, chew on these best bets for each game this weekend.

Colts vs Texans Goes OVER

*All odds taken 01/02

Indy is led by a resurgent Andrew Luck, who paced the Colts to 27.1 points a game, fifth best in the NFL. They put up nearly 280 yards passing per game (6th).

Andrew Luck's best throws from the @Colts' playoff-clinching win in Week 17! #INDvsTEN #Colts https://t.co/4vsCorcC8z

— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2018

Houston has been gashed through the air, ranking 28th in pass yards allowed per game.

TY Hilton has been especially lethal against Houston in his career and Saturday should be no different.

TY Hilton in 14 career games VS Texans-

-76 reception/1445 yards/9 TD's
-5.4/103/.64 per-game average

At Houston-

-41/933/7
-5.8/133/1 average

Two games vs HOU this year-

-13/314/0 pic.twitter.com/8VEB9GZJ6M

— Matthew Hill (@MatthewHill_FF) January 1, 2019

But Houston is no slouch offensively. They were 11th in scoring at over 25 points per game.

Threw for 4,000 yards and 25 TDs.
Rushed for 500 yards and 5 TDs.@deshaunwatson is the first QB in @NFL history to reach those totals in a single season.

📰 » https://t.co/AJ2NRjJUlm pic.twitter.com/rUBjHq1C2f

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 31, 2018

Houston’s pass rush is a real threat, but so is the Colts’ offensive line: they’ve surrendered just 18 sacks in 16 games.

If Luck is able to move the ball at will, Houston is going to have to keep pace. Expect some fireworks to kick things off.

The Pick: Over 47.5 points

Seahawks Upset Cowboys

There’s one thing that Pete Carroll’s teams do better than almost any team in the NFL: own opening round playoff games.

The rest of the NFL would desperately want Washington, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Carolina, and/or Dallas in the wild card slot over the Seahawks. Pete Carroll is just 6-0 in Seattle's first postseason game of a year, 4-0 in wild card round.

— Field Gulls (@FieldGulls) December 3, 2018

Russell Wilson has quietly had a monster year, throwing 35 TD passes to just seven picks.

Don’t mind that he didn’t crack 3,500 yards passing, he didn’t need to: Seattle’s running game was tops in the NFL, averaging 160 yards per contest.

@DangeRussWilson to @TDLockett12 for the Wide-Open TD! 🔥🏈🙌 pic.twitter.com/ruOSp475yu

— Trump Tracker (@djttrackernews) December 30, 2018

Dallas lost to Seattle in Week 3, but this is a different team since they acquired Amari Cooper.

Since the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper:

Record before: 3-4
Record after: 7-2

Total offense before: 320 YPG
Total offense after: 362 YPG

Passing offense before: 183 YPG
Passing offense after: 250 YPG

3rd down % before: 32% (30th in NFL)
3rd down % after: 48% (1st in NFL)

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 1, 2019

Cooper’s addition also makes it harder for teams to stack the box against Zeke Elliot, who is the fulcrum of the Dallas offense.

If Dallas can put up points, their defense – ranked ninth in defensive DVOA – can hold Wilson and company down.

Amari Cooper did the T.O. celebration after scoring his 2nd TD 🔥

(via @thecheckdown)https://t.co/IVdcSv9eQ1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 10, 2018

Still, until someone does it, it’s hard to bet against Seattle here.

The pick: Seahawks (-103)

Chargers vs Ravens Goes UNDER

This matchup should be as disjointed and rugged as Week 16, a 22-10 Ravens win, prompting safety Eric Weddle to say out loud what we’re all thinking:

Eric Weddle's feeling very confident about his Ravens 😤 pic.twitter.com/nYrafyEdjG

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 24, 2018

Baltimore features a defense that can take over games with their ability to shut down the opposition (third in DVOA).

Lamar Jackson with the zone read scramble for a 25yd TD!!!#RavensFlock #NFL pic.twitter.com/WpgUjTrjX8

— TRSN NFL (@TRSNNFL) December 30, 2018

They also have the most 1980s-based offense in the NFL, a run-heavy scheme based around rookie Lamar Jackson, and it’s working to the tune of 230 rush yards a game over the last seven contests.

Rivers INT by #Ravens https://t.co/rkAyXWGdsi

— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) December 23, 2018

Chargers QB Philip Rivers will have to be better than his two-INT performance in their last meeting if LA is to win a playoff game for the first time since 2013.

Batimore’s defense surrenders just 210 yards a contest (5th in the NFL).

There are so many ways this plays out, but I believe it all fits under the ‘low scoring’ umbrella.

The Pick: Under 41.5 points

Eagles Cover the Spread in Chicago

On paper, this one should be no contest. I mean, look at what the Bears have done and compare it to the recent teams that have accomplished the same feat.

Only 4 teams have Led NFL Outright in Scoring Defense & Takeaways Since 1970 Merger
Playoff Result
2018 Bears ?
2013 Seahawks Won Super Bowl
2000 Ravens Won Super Bowl
1985 Bears Won Super Bowl

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) January 1, 2019

But this is no ordinary opponent, with no ordinary backup. It’s the defending-champion Eagles, starting the immortal Nick Foles.

My final stat of the year:

Nick Foles threw 90 third-down passes in calendar year 2018.

Eighteen of them were incomplete.

Foles on 3D in 2018: 72-for-90 [80%], 874 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT, 135.8 passer rating.

Insane.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) January 1, 2019

Included in that are three straight regular season wins to close out the year, to breathe life into what surely looked like a classic Super Bowl-winning hangover next season.

SEE YA @NELSONAGHOLOR 👋👋👋

83-yard TD on a dime from @NickFoles!! #FlyEaglesFly

📺: CBS https://t.co/kxSNXf5gQC

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2018

The real key here is Mitch Trubisky, who has been shaky under center for the Bears.

Of Chicago’s 12 wins this year, just two have come against teams that have winning records: Seattle (in Week 2) and the Rams (in a game the defense dominated while Trubisky threw for just 110 yards).

https://twitter.com/TheAustinFuges/status/1078478243228012544

If he plays at a competent level Sunday, the Bears should be in good shape.

And even then, I’ll take the points and St. Nick, thank you.

The Pick: Eagles (+6)