NFL Best Bets for Wild Card Round (Predictions for Chargers vs. Texans, Packers vs. Eagles

There are no longer massive 16-game NFL slates to bet on, but now the games mean even more because... it's the PLAYOFFS!

The NFL Playoffs get underway on Saturday afternoon with the Los Angeles Chargers taking on the Houston Texans, and SI Betting's Peter Dewey has a pick for that matchup.

The wild card round features two Saturday games, three Sunday games and a Monday night matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.

The SI Betting team has a pair of picks to consider this weekend, including SI Betting's Iain MacMillan's top underdog of the week.

Let's break down these plays and get ourselves ready for some playoff football!

NFL Wild Card Round Best Bets

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Green Bay Packers +4.5 (-110) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Iain MacMillan
Los Angeles Chargers -3 (-105) vs. Houston Texans – Peter Dewey

Green Bay Packers +4.5 (-110) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Iain MacMillan

This season, 48.83 percent of the offensive yards the Eagles gained came from running the football, the most in the NFL by over four percent. That shows that if any team wants to hang with them in the postseason, stopping Saquon Barkley and their running game is going to be crucial.

Thankfully for Packers fans, Green Bay has done a good job of doing exactly that. The Packers enter the playoffs allowing the third fewest yards per carry at 4.0. They also ranked seventh in opponent rush EPA and fifth in opponent rush success rate since Week 10.

If the Packers run defense steps up, Green Bay is going to be live to not only cover this spread but potentially pull off the upset.

Los Angeles Chargers -3 (-105) vs. Houston Texans – Peter Dewey

The Houston Texans come into the playoffs off a rough finish to the 2024 regular season that saw them lose two key offensive weapons in Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending injuries.

Now, Houston is set as a home underdog against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild card round. Los Angeles has been elite when favored on the road, going 5-1 against the spread with an average scoring margin of +15.3 points in those games.

Meanwhile, Houston went just 1-5 against teams that are above .500 this season, posting a 3-3 against the spread record as an underdog.

With this spread staying steady at the key number of 3, I love backing a Chargers team that is getting healthy with the return of J.K. Dobbins late in the regular season. Los Angeles is the No. 5 defense and the No. 13 offense in terms of EPA/Play this season. Houston does have the No. 6 defense, but it clocks in at just 24th in EPA/Play on offense.

With all the weapons missing for Houston, I don’t see it competing with a Chargers team that closed the season on a three-game winning streak, improving to 6-3 straight up on the road in the process.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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