NFL Wild Card Weekend is finally here, signalling one of the best times of the year for football bettors with the start of the NFL playoffs.
The action gets underway Saturday afternoon when the LA Rams visit the Carolina Panthers, kicking off three straight days of NFL playoff action through Monday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans.
Canada Sports Betting has been providing quality NFL betting content all season long and is here to help you handicap games throughout the postseason. This week, CSB editors Matt Eichhorn and Greg Warren share their picks against the spread for each of these crucial NFL matchups.
All odds mentioned in this article are courtesy of bet365.
LA Rams @ Carolina Panthers (+10.5)
Matt Eichhorn’s pick: LAR (-10.5)
In the opening matchup of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, I like the Los Angeles Rams to get the job done in emphatic fashion, covering the two-score spread against the Carolina Panthers. It’s no secret that the Panthers are a polar bear in Arlington when it comes to the 2025 playoff bracket, as they sport a losing regular-season record and rank near the bottom in almost every major statistic among postseason teams, such as points per game, season point differential, points allowed per game.
With a major edge on both sides of the football, this matchup should be a cakewalk for the Rams as they score a decisive road victory in the Wild Card Round.
Greg Warren’s pick: LAR (-9.5) – alt spread
I’m with Matt on this one. The Rams should cruise to an easy victory, but I’m still going to take a slightly more cautious approach by betting this spread down to LA -9.5 (-132), just to stay away from the key number of 10. These are the NFL playoffs after all, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Panthers pull off a backdoor cover in garbage time, so let’s protect ourselves a little bit.
Rams spread -10.5
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (+1)
Matt’s pick: GB Packers (-1)
In what’s sure to be a game talked about for years to come between these heated rivals, back the Green Bay Packers to escape Soldier Field with the victory as they once again break the hearts of the Chicago Bears and their faithful fans.
With the oddsmakers setting the line at just a single point, it’s clear that these are two evenly matched teams that have a legitimate chance of winning, but the upside of the Packers far exceeds that of the Bears. In head-to-head play this season, the Packers got the better of the Bears the first time around and were on track to pick up a road victory in their second meeting until Jordan Love went out due to injury, and a botched onside kick recovery led to a thrilling Bears comeback win.
Now back at full strength, expect to see the Packers establish their dominant offence early, keep second-year quarterback Caleb Williams on his heels all game as he makes his playoff career debut and emerge with the victory as the dust settles.
Greg’s pick: Bears (+1)
This is a really tough game to call, and with the spread set at just a single point, you’re really just picking an outright winner.
Season-ending injuries to tight end Tucker Kraft and defensive end Micah Parsons are going to be tough to overcome for the Packers, who were legit Super Bowl contenders with both of those key cogs on the field earlier in the season. Additionally, Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a concussion on Dec. 20, and although he’s cleared protocol, he hasn’t seen the field in a competitive environment since then.
The Packers are going to be popular pick this week, but I think the Bears find a way to get the job done on their home field. This game should come down to the wire, so I’ll take the additional point and ride with Chicago.
Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars (+1)
Matt’s pick: BUF (-1)
In yet another incredibly close playoff tilt, bank on the Buffalo Bills to stay alive in their Super Bowl quest as they steal a road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the spread at just a single point, this game boils down to essentially being a pick ’em with the insurance of a PUSH on the side of Jags bettors. While this year’s Jaguars team has looked much-improved in comparison to the porous squads rolled out in recent years, they unfortunately have the displeasure of meeting the most talented quarterback remaining the the NFL Playoffs in reigning league MVP, Josh Allen.
Having come up short year after year, seemingly unable to topple the monster that was the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, the path toward the AFC Championship has never been more available for Josh Allen and co. With unparalleled motivation, proven playoff performances, and spectacular upside, I fully expect to see the best version of this Bills squad in their upcoming postseason matchup. Back the Bills to snag the road victory and send the Jags crowd home unhappy as they keep on dancing into the NFL Divisional Round.
Greg’s pick: Jaguars (+1)
The Bills are one of the best teams in the league at running the ball, but the Jags boast an elite run defence, which held opponents to a league-low 85.6 yards per game. Jacksonville, which averaged 27.9 points per game (sixth in the NFL), also has enough offence to keep pace with Josh Allen and the Bills in this matchup.
Oddsmakers clearly like Jacksonville in this matchup by virtue of making them just a single-point home underdog against an elite Bills team, and the public is backing that sentiment as well, as 52% of spread bets are on the Jags at BetMGM at the time of writing this article.
Allen is 0-4 in road playoff games in his career, and I fear he might not be able to buck that trend against a tough Jags team that has won eight straight games heading into this home playoff game.
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)
Matt’s pick: SF (+4.5)
In a matchup that I believe the Philadelphia Eagles will win outright, I’m still going to back the San Francisco 49ers to keep things close, covering the spread as underdogs in this road playoff matchup. While the defending Super Bowl champions have shown flashes of the elite play that brought home the Lombardi Trophy a season ago, this year they’ve been too streaky to fully trust.
Facing a Kyle Shanahan-coached 49ers team, you can always expect them to remain competitive, regardless of who they’re rolling out onto the field. Look for points to come early and often for both sides in this clash, as neither team is able to find an answer for the punches thrown by their opposition. As unpredictable play is set to come from both teams in this matchup, taking some insurance with the 49ers is the smart bet to make.
While they may not escape with the win, back the Niners to keep things close as they cover the spread as underdogs against the Eagles as they make an aggressive upset bid in the Wild Card Round.
Greg’s pick: 49ers (+4.5)
I 100% agree with Matt on his take. San Francisco has battled major injuries all season long and found ways to remain competitive, and this matchup should be no different.
The Eagles have an average scoring margin of just +3.2 points per game this season, and their offence has been nearly as explosive as in previous seasons. We’re getting a great number at +4.5 to back the underdog in this playoff tilt, so the value is with the 49ers in this spot.
49ers spread +4.5
LA Chargers @ New England Patriots (-3.5)
Matt’s pick: NE (-3.5)
Backing my outright pick to win Super Bowl LX to cover the spread as favourites, hammer the New England Patriots to keep on rolling in their first postseason appearance since 2021. Taking on a beaten and bruised Los Angeles Chargers squad, expect to see the explosive offence of the Pats to overwhelm the Bolts as they run away with the score early into this tilt and never look back.
While the Chargers do possess some terrific talent, such as quarterback Justin Herbert and a solid receiving corps headlined by Ladd McConkey, this team is simply not ready for the postseason. With a subpar run game, the Chargers will be forced to rely on their passing attack to generate yardage against the Patriots. This is going to present a major challenge for them as they will be staring across the field at the three-headed cornerback monster of Carlton Davis, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones, key members of a secondary that allowed ninth-fewest passing yards per game in the NFL this season.
Look for the Patriots to win the turnover battle and utilize their big-play offence to rattle off highlight reel scores, all en route to a stellar home victory as they cover the spread against the Chargers.
Greg’s pick: NE (-3.5)
The Patriots shocked everyone this year with their solid play on both sides of the ball, and they’re a real threat for a deep playoff run.
With a balanced offence that ranks fourth in total yards and a defence that ranks fourth in points allowed per game (18.8), the Patriots can win games in a number of different ways.
With home-field advantage and an inferior opponent in the Chargers this week, New England should be able to win this game by four points or more.
Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers (+3)
Matt’s pick: HOU (-3)
Wrapping up Wild Card Weekend with a battle between two of the most intimidating teams in football, look for the Houston Texans to win the upcoming dogfight with the Pittsburgh Steelers, covering the spread in the process. In a matchup where points may come at a premium, look for the Texans to continue terrorizing offences thanks to their top-ranked defensive unit as they dismantle the mediocre Steelers offensive line and wreak havoc over 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers in the pass-rush.
While the Texans’ offence hasn’t given their fans too much to cheer for this season, their amazing defence will do their part in keeping the Steelers off the scoreboard, providing C.J. Stroud and company ample opportunity to find the end zone. While the Steelers’ defence is solid in its own right, this season, they simply haven’t been able to remain consistent as they allowed 22.8 points per game, the second-most of any team in the NFL Playoffs this year.
Look for the Texans to prove that football is a young mans sport, taking the dominant road victory as they look to make another deep playoff run in the AFC this season.
Greg’s pick: Houston (-2.5) – alt spread
I’m going to take the same strategy as the Rams-Panthers contest and take this line down off the key number of three to Houston -2.5 (-125). The juice is worth the squeeze for the extra insurance should this be a three-point game in favour of the Texans, who are the hottest team in the NFL right now after notching nine straight wins.
Houston’s defence is downright nasty, ranking second in points allowed (17.4) and first in total yards allowed (298.8) per game this season, and that doesn’t bode well for a Steelers offence that ranked towards the back of the pack in most statistical categories this season.
I think this will be a relatively close game, but I’m very confident backing the Texans on the spread in this spot.