Early NFL Wild Card Betting Lines and Predicted Movement
The NFL regular season has come to a close, but Wild Card Weekend is shaping up to be an exciting one. Three of the games are rematches from earlier in the season, while the other game features the reigning Super Bowl champions! The lines for all four games have been released. I will go through each game, then predict what I believe the final line will be at kickoff.
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Saturday Games
Colts at Texans (-2.5)
This AFC South matchup will be a great one. The road team has won both meetings this season by three points, but we start the week with the Texans being favored. The Colts have been the hotter team down the stretch, so most bets will go their way early. With 60% of bets being placed on the Colts currently, the spread will shrink.
Closing Line Prediction: Texans (-1)
Seahawks at Cowboys (-2.5)
These two teams met in Seattle back in Week 3 which resulted in an 11-point Seahawk win. However, that was a long time ago and neither team really resembles their Week 3 self. In Dallas this time around, the Cowboys are the favored team to start the week. I believe the spread will shrink slightly, possibly due to the Dak Prescott and Cowboy hate.
Closing Line Prediction: Cowboys (-2)
Sunday Games
Chargers at Ravens (-2.5)
The Chargers came to Baltimore just two weeks ago, and now they must do it again. They will look for revenge, after losing by 12 the first time around. With players healthier and sporting a 12-4 record, the Chargers should see more of the early week bets. But with that stout Ravens defense at home, it will be tough for the spread to move much.
Closing Line Prediction: Ravens (-2)
Eagles at Bears (-5.5)
This matchup is the only one we have not seen yet this season. The reigning Super Bowl champs travel to Chicago to take on one of the hottest teams in football. The Bears look nearly unstoppable with their defense leading the charge and offensive creativity doing enough to outscore opponents. Nick Foles comes in with a rib injury, which I’m sure some will be worried about. I could see many avoiding this game due to the current spread, but when people do bet, they will bet on the home team. Because of this, the spread will grow even more, until we can get enough people comfortable to take Philly.
Closing Line Prediction: Bears (-6.5)
Zach Brunner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Zach, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFlurry.