NFC Playoff Teams Betting Profiles
Now that the NFL playoff field is set, there are no more convoluted scenarios to consider. Win four games in a row (three if you're the Chiefs or Eagles), and Super Bowl LVII is yours.
Before you place your futures bets for conference champions, Super Bowl victors or fill out your postseason bracket, let's get to know each team competing for the Lombardi Trophy. In the AFC, it's the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars, Chargers, Ravens and Dolphins. And representing the NFC are the Eagles, 49ers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Giants and Seahawks.
Below are betting profiles for the seven NFC teams, complete with records, key betting information, offensive and defensive averages, first-round opponents and futures odds and more.
MORE: AFC Playoff Teams Betting Profiles
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Record: 14–3
Record Against the Spread: 8–9
Over/Under Record: 10–7
Points Per Game (Rank): 28.1 (3)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 20.2 (8)
Wild Card Opponent: BYE
Odds to win NFC: +160
Odds to win Super Bowl: +500
Even though Philadelphia started the season 8–0, it took until Week 18 to lock up the No. 1 seed. That was partially due to fierce competition from the 49ers and Cowboys but more a result of back-to-back losses in Weeks 16 and 17 without quarterback Jalen Hurts (shoulder). He returned for the season finale to beat the Giants, 22-17, who rested their starters with a playoff spot secured, though it was not a convincing performance.
The offseason addition of wide receiver A.J. Brown unlocked Hurts and the Philly offense. Brown and DeVonta Smith both finished with over 1,100 receiving yards, and Miles Sanders added 1,200 yards on the ground. Add in Hurts' rushing contributions, and the Eagles ran for an NFL-best 32 touchdowns behind perhaps the league's best offensive line. The defense allowed the second-fewest total yards, fewest passing yards, caused 27 turnovers (tied for third-most) and got to the opposing quarterback 70 times, which nearly set a single-season record.
The Eagles began the season 5–2 against the spread and went 3–7 the rest of the way. They were also favored in 16 games, tied for most in the league. Philadelphia has a week off before it hosts the divisional round at Lincoln Financial Field, where it was 6–3 against the spread and 7–2 straight up.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Record: 13–4
Record Against the Spread: 11–6
Over/Under Record: 9–8
Points Per Game (Rank): 26.5 (6)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 16.3 (1)
Wild Card Opponent: Seahawks (-10.5)
Odds to win NFC: +188
Odds to win Super Bowl: +550
Brock Purdy leads the hottest team in the NFL into the postseason. You read that right. The seventh-round rookie quarterback, “Mr. Irrelevant,” is 6–0 since taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo, who replaced Trey Lance early in the year. The midseason acquisition of running back Christian McCaffrey, who has 10 touchdowns and over 1,000 total yards since being traded, was a huge boost to an offense that also got All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel back for the season finale.
The backbone of this San Francisco team is its league-best defense, which allows the fewest points per game and is tied for the second-most turnovers. But Purdy, surrounded by a stellar supporting cast of skill positions players, helped the 49ers win over three playoff teams, including a 21-13 victory against the Seahawks, their Round 1 opponent. San Francisco has the best record against the spread in the NFC and covered eight times during its 10-game winning streak to close out the regular season—it was favored in nine of those games.
3. Minnesota Vikings
Record: 13–4
Record Against the Spread: 7–9–1
Over/Under Record: 11–6
Points Per Game (Rank): 24.9 (8)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 25.1 (30)
Wild Card Opponent: Giants (-2.5)
Odds to win NFC: +1000
Odds to win Super Bowl: +2800
The Vikings finished with a negative point differential despite racking up 13 wins for two reasons: They won an NFL-record 11 one-score games, and when they did lose, their average margin of defeat was more than 22 points. Minnesota's top-10 scoring offense could not compensate for its bottom-five defense, which gave up 40 points twice this season. The team's strength is the connection between Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson, who led the league in receiving yards. But the offensive line had a tough time keeping Cousins upright and blocking for running back Dalvin Cook this year.
The final month of the season laid the Vikings' flaws bare. They went 3–2 overall ( 1–4 against the spread). Still, two of those wins were at the expense of two of the league's worst teams, the Bears and Colts. They needed a historic comeback and overtime to get past Indianapolis. Minnesota's only other win over its final five games ironically came against its Round 1 opponent, the Giants, on a 61-yard, game-winning field goal at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings finished the season 8–1 at home but just 4–5 against the spread.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 8–9
Record Against the Spread: 4–12–1
Over/Under Record: 6–11
Points Per Game (Rank): 18.4 (25)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 21.1 (13)
Wild Card Opponent: Cowboys (+2.5)
Odds to win NFC: +1000
Odds to win Super Bowl: +2500
Two years removed from a Super Bowl win, Tom Brady and the Bucs limp into the playoffs with a sub-.500 record and long odds to make any kind of run. They have the lowest-scoring offense in the postseason by far and the worst run game in the NFL. Tampa Bay flashed some of what made it a powerhouse in recent years in Week 17 when Brady threw for a season-high 432 yards, more than 200 to Mike Evans, but that’s just what was needed to pull off a comeback against the Panthers.
The Buccaneers defense is a middle-of-the-pack unit that only forced a few turnovers. Its best performance was a 19-3 Week 1 win against the Cowboys in the game where Dak Prescott hurt his hand. That ended up being a rare cover for Tampa Bay, which posted the worst record against the spread in the league. Despite its struggles, it was favored most of the time and went 0–3 against the spread as an underdog.
5. Dallas Cowboys
Record: 12–5
Record Against the Spread: 10–7
Over/Under Record: 9–8
Points Per Game (Rank): 27.5 (4)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 20.1 (5)
Wild Card Opponent: Buccaneers (-2.5)
Odds to win NFC: +500
Odds to win Super Bowl: +1200
It was a strange year for the Cowboys, whose season looked lost when Prescott was injured in Week 1. Then Cooper Rush and a ferocious defense kept the team afloat while he was out, and an improved offense made a real run at the No. 1 seed down the stretch before falling flat in Week 18. That disappointing performance aside, Dallas has a one-two punch in the backfield with running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, and the connection between Prescott and CeeDee Lamb truly blossomed this season.
There were highs for this offense, which eclipsed 40 points four times, and then the low against the Commanders in the season finale and in the opener against the Buccaneers. Over the season's final month, the Cowboys covered just once across five games. Having to go on the road for a Wild Card weekend might also be a challenge for Dallas, which went 4–4 in away games.
6. New York Giants
Record: 9–7–1
Record Against the Spread: 13–4
Over/Under Record: 7–9–1
Points Per Game (Rank): 21.5 (16)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 21.8 (18)
Wild Card Opponent: Vikings (+2.5)
Odds to win NFC: +2000
Odds to win Super Bowl: +6000
Brian Daboll authored a quick turnaround in New York. The surprising 6–2 start the Giants got off to was necessary, given how they performed in the second half of the season. After the bye, they went just 3–5–1 but still clinched a playoff spot before Week 18. A healthy season from running back Saquon Barkley and the best season of quarterback Daniel Jones' career propelled the team to victory in plenty of tight games. For as well as New York runs the ball against its opponents, its defense lets up nearly as many yards on the ground.
No team covered more as an underdog than New York, which went 10–2 against the spread with six wins straight up, and it closed out the final month of the season 4–1 against the spread. The Giants have a 6–1 road record against the spread heading into Minnesota, and they covered against the Vikings in Week 16.
7. Seattle Seahawks
Record: 9–8
Record Against the Spread: 7–10
Over/Under Record: 8–9
Points Per Game (Rank): 23.9 (9)
Points Allowed Per Game (Rank): 23.6 (25)
Wild Card Opponent: 49ers (+10.5)
Odds to win NFC: +2500
Odds to win Super Bowl: +5000
The Seahawks might be the most improbable playoff team of the bunch. After they traded away their franchise quarterback, Geno Smith, who had to win the starting job in training camp, set a franchise record for passing yards. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his ninth season and led a legitimately dangerous offense, highlighted by receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and rookie running back Kenneth Walker, into the postseason.
Things nearly went south for Seattle, starting with their Week 10 game against the Buccaneers in Germany. They were 6–3 heading into that matchup and proceeded to lose five of their final eight games and covered just one game over that stretch. It took an overtime win against the Rams and the Lions beating the Packers in Week 18 to send Pete Carroll's team back to the playoffs, but they made it happen despite a bottom-10 defense. Now the Seahawks head back to Levi's Stadium to play a juggernaut 49ers team that swept them in the regular season.
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