Chiefs for three in a row?
After a frantic Week 18, the 2025 NFL playoff games are finally set in stone. Thirty-two teams have now been whittled down to the best 14 and from here on in it’s all about knockout football. No second chances.
In this season’s post-season line-up, there are some surprise names – these include the Washington Commanders, the Minnesota Vikings, the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. As things stand, all are still in with a chance of winning Super Bowl LIX.
tenth straight season in the playoffs
There are also, of course, loads of familiar teams left for whom the playoffs are de rigueur, including the red-hot favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom this is the tenth straight season in the playoffs. Andy Reid’s men are also still on target to be the first team in the history of the NFL to win three straight Super Bowls.
Wild Card Weekend kicks off on Saturday, January 11 when the Houston Texans entertain the Los Angeles Chargers and concludes on Monday night, January 13 when the Minnesota Vikings head to L.A. to play the Rams.
In between those two are four other massive games, which will for sure add up to the most exciting and nerve-shredding weekend of the season so far.
We’ll take a look at the individual games and from them try and identify some good value bets, but first here is the completed 2025 NFL playoffs schedule.
2025 NFL playoffs:
Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, January 11
- Chargers at Texans, 4:30pm ET
- Steelers at Ravens, 8pm ET
Sunday, January 12
- Broncos at Bills, 1pm ET
- Packers at Eagles, 4:30pm ET
- Commanders at Buccaneers, 8pm ET
Monday, January 13
- Vikings at Rams, 8pm ET
BYES: Lions, Chiefs
Divisional Round
Saturday, January 18
- AFC/NFC matchup, 4:30pm ET
- AFC/NFC matchup, 8:15pm ET
Sunday, January 19
- AFC/NFC matchup, 3pm ET
- AFC/NFC matchup, 6:30pm ET
Championship Sunday
Sunday, January 20
- NFC Championship, 3pm ET
- AFC Championship, 6:30pm ET
Super Bowl LIX (New Orleans)
Sunday, February 9
- AFC champion vs NFC champion, 6:30pm ET
Wildcard Weekend – Analysis and Best Bets:
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans – Saturday, 4:30pm ET
Not for the first time, the Houston Texans have landed themselves a home playoff tie on the Saturday of Wild Card Weekend. It has become something of a Texan tradition.
This time around, the Texans are the underdogs, despite having home-field advantage, and are pitched at +130 for the win on the moneyline. This has some logic when you consider the difficulties that the Texans’ offense has had this season, even though they finished with 10 wins in the not-very-strong AFC South.
scored more than 30 points on just two occasions
Well worth noting here is that the Texans beat just one playoff team on the way to winning the division title and scored more than 30 points on just two occasions – the most recent being back in Week 11 when they beat the ailing Cowboys. Even then, they needed a defensive touchdown.
But also worth noting is that the Chargers didn’t beat loads of playoff teams, either, during their regular season, although their offense did start to fire in the closing weeks of the season.
They amassed 108 points in their final three games weeks and in Jim Harbaugh, they have a coach who is used to winning, particularly in one-off playoff games. He could be the difference.
PICK: Chargers to win (-150)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – Saturday, 8pm ET
You can’t beat an inter-divisional matchup to get things started in the playoffs, with the Steelers taking their 10-7 record to Baltimore, where the Ravens ended the season 12-5.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, the bookmakers are unimpressed with their chances of a win and have them listed as long as +380. On the flip side, the Ravens are as short as -550!
Given how many close games these two played over the years, that seems like a massive gap and while it is clear the Ravens are in pole position, we should expect a closer game than the odds suggest.
What hasn’t helped is that the Steelers were only able to limp over the playoff finish line thanks to a four-game losing streak, while the Ravens coasted to the AFC North title with ease. The key here is that not since Week 14 have the Steelers scored more than 18 points.
In fairness, they did have some tough opponents teams down the final stretch and, in Mike Tomlin, they have a brilliant coach. But the quarterback issue has plagued them during the second half of the season, with Russell Wilson sometimes making way for Justin Fields.
It would be no surprise to see Fields featured at some stage on Saturday. For the Ravens, Lamar Jackson has no such doubts hanging over him. If he fires on all cylinders, the Ravens win.
Pick: Steelers Total Under 16.5 Points (-105)
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills – Sunday, 1pm ET
The Broncos are one of the season’s surprise packages. The job that coach Sean Payton has done to get them to the playoffs has been exceptional, and even more so when you consider he has had a rookie quarterback, Bo Nix.
Unfortunately for the Broncos, their reward for a really good season is a trip to Buffalo and a fully rested Josh Allen, who sat during the final week of the season.
the Broncos will have to be outstanding against the run
The Bills form has been every bit as good as their 13-4 record suggests and, in addition to the arm of Allen, they have developed a potent run game. To compete, the Broncos will have to be outstanding against the run, contain the threat of Allen, and give good protection to Nix. Only if all three of those things happen do they have a chance.
The Broncos did successfully shut out a Chiefs’ second-string in the final week of the season, but before then had conceded lots of points. One possible plus for the visitors is that the Bills don’t have a standout receiver, but it still looks a very big ask for the inexperienced visiting QB.
Pick: Bills to win (-450)
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles – Sunday, 4:30pm ET
This one looks massive and promises to be the game of the weekend. At this same stage last season, Jordan Love and company headed to Dallas and produced a firecracker of a display to beat the Cowboys, but this will be even tougher.
While the Eagles start as favorites (-250), partly because of home-field advantage, the Packers at +195 is reflective of the fact they still have a realistic chance of victory.
Philadelphia should be well rested after sitting out several starters in their final regular season game at home to the Giants and a fresh Jalen Hurts at QB is a frightening prospect for Green Bay.
The Packers, meanwhile, will be without the explosiveness of Christian Watson, who tore his ACL on Sunday, but Love should be on track to start despite hurting his throwing elbow against the Bears. He will have to be at his best against a solid Eagles squad that has given up 300 total yards or more just three times since Week 5.
For the Packers, Josh Jacobs will also have to run well, while their defense will somehow need to find a way to negate Saquon Barkley’s outstanding running prowess.
Everything points to this being a cracker and, as the odds suggest, the closest game of the weekend.
PICK: Packers to win (+195)
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Sunday, 8pm ET
This is another playoff game where a rookie quarterback makes his post-season debut. The Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels has a tough assignment on his hands as he takes on a Buccaneers team that’s in good form.
In the last two weeks, Tampa Bay’s run and pass game has been on fire and the Commanders will be tested to the limit. Washington though, has won their three final games to end the season, but will need a heroic performance from Daniels to pull off the win.
averaging close to 300 yards per game
In each of those final three games, the Commanders gave up more than 330 yards and will be challenged by Baker Myafield who himself has been averaging close to 300 yards per game, which includes 16 touchdowns in his last five games.
One particular matchup to look out for is Commanders’ corner Marshon Lattimore versus Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans, as there has been plenty of bad blood between the pair.
But Mayfield is the key here, and if he plays well then Tampa Bay gets the job done, regardless of how well Daniels and the Commanders play.
PICK: Buccaneers to win (-175)
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams – Monday, 8pm ET
After winning 14 games, the Vikings still find themselves on the road – the price you pay for being in the same division as the 2024-25 Detroit Lions. The flip side is, if you’re the Rams, you win your divisional title and then host a team that has won 14 games!
The Rams start as slight underdogs (+110), but as the odds suggest, this one is also very tricky to call. The Vikings are unconvincing favorites at (-130).
In a Sean McVay versus Kevin O’Connell coaching matchup, McVay has a good success rate when going head-to-head with former assistants, so this is a plus for the Rams and something for the bettors to latch onto.
On the downside for the Rams, they will be without the services of rookie running back Blake Corum, who fractured his forearm in Sunday’s game – a possible error on the part of McVay who played some key starters in a relatively meaningless game.
Key to this game will be the Vikings’ defense, which is heavily reliant on the blitz, and how the line protecting Matthew Stafford deals with it. The Rams QB previously had one of his best games of the season against the Vikings, completing a 75% of his passes and throwing for four touchdowns.
That day he managed the blitz well and if he does the same again, there is a win here for the Rams.
PICK: Rams to win (+110)