NFL Super Wildcard Predictions: Straight Up & Against the Spread Picks for Every Game

 | January 10 | 

6 mins read

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The regular season is done and we're into the business end of the NFL season, in the form of the playoffs and the Super Wild Card Weekend. 

Week 18 saw a pretty impressive return for all our four tipsters with Jonny leading the ML picks at 12-4 and the worst was Adam at 10-6. 

Against the Spread, Adam, Alan and Neil all went 11-5, with Jonny bringing up the rear at 9-7.

For our full season-long record check out the bottom of the article. Please read on for all of our NFL Super Wildcard Weekend Picks & Predictions.

There are six wild card games taking place this week, and we've added our eventual Conference and Super Bowl LVIII selections, too.

*Odds accurate as of 16:00, Tuesday 9 January, 2024

NFL Super Wild Card Weekend Predictions: 

Saturday - 21:30:

Game 1: Browns (-2.5) @ Texans

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Browns
  • Alan: Texans
  • Jonny: Texans
  • Neil: Browns

Money Line - Texans 6/5 & Browns 20/29

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Browns
  • Alan: Texans
  • Jonny: Texans
  • Neil: Browns

Comments: With a line set as the home team-2.5, the oddsmakers clearly see this game as a Pick 'Em at a neutral site. The chaps here are split, with two of us thinking Joe Flacco continues this crazy late-career run that could lead all the way to the Hall of Fame. The other two are going with the very impressive CJ Stroud to lead Houston to at least one more game.

I'm on the Flacco side of the ball, not totally because I believe in the storyline but I think that Cleveland defence is good enough to shut down the Houston offense. This will be low-scoring in all likelihood, so the under is definitely in play but in January, give me the best D when two teams are closely matched. No-one in the NFL has kept teams to fewer yards than the Browns (270.2 per game) and that for me, is the difference. - Neil

Sunday - 01:00:

Game 2: Dolphins (+4.5) @ Chiefs

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Chiefs
  • Alan: Chiefs
  • Jonny: Chiefs
  • Neil: Chiefs

Money Line - Chiefs 1/2 & Dolphins 17/10

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Chiefs
  • Alan: Chiefs
  • Jonny: Chiefs
  • Neil: Chiefs

Comments: The Kansas City Chiefs starters were afforded a rare week off in Week 18 and the defense somehow earned them an unlikely win over the Chargers.

Now though, it's squeaky bum time and reigning Super Bowl champ and MVP Patrick Mahomes & Co. have got to show what they're made of.

Standing in their way is a Dolphins side that have stumbled into the playoffs, courtesy of back-to-back defeats again AFC rivals the Ravens and the Bills.

Miami could be without key men in Jaylen Waddle and Raheem Mostert, so could be heavily reliant on Tua Tagovailoa and ex-Chief Tyreek Hill.

I think the extra week will have helped the Chiefs no end and got the mojo between Mahomes and Travic Kelce back firing. - Adam

Sunday - 18:00:

Game 3: Steelers (+10.5) @ Bills

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Bills
  • Alan: Steelers
  • Jonny: Steelers
  • Neil: Bills

Money Line - Bills 1/5 & Steelers 19/5

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Bills
  • Alan: Bills
  • Jonny: Bills
  • Neil: Bills

Comments: Fascinating AFC clash, and a quick look at the outright Super Bowl betting confirms the size of the task facing Pittsburgh. It's 6/1 about the Bills lifting the Lombardi in Nevada, while the Steelers are 100/1.

Buffalo (season record 11-6) have had a unnecessarily inconsistent run to postseason, but finished strong (WWWWW). That was enough to take the AFC East, but the 10-6 Steelers are on a roll too (WWW).

I'm tipping up the Bills, driven on by the fabulous Josh Allen, to go all the way - but might, just might, have an issue with this large spread.

Bills win for me, and any margin will do at this stage of the campaign - Alan

Sunday - 21:30:

Game 4: Packers (+7.5) @ Cowboys

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Packers
  • Alan: Packers
  • Jonny: Cowboys
  • Neil: Cowboys

Money Line - Cowboys 2/7 & Packers 11/4

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Cowboys
  • Alan: Packers
  • Jonny: Cowboys
  • Neil: Cowboys

Comments: I'm not going to lie, I'm actually surprised that Green Bay made the playoffs this year.

I remember back in roughly November, their record was 3-6 and I didn't give them a chance of making the postseason, but fair play to them, over the last eight weeks of the season, Jordan Love has been one of the most impressive QBs in the league.

One man who will be feeling the pressure here is Mike McCarthy, who was fired as Packers head coach five years ago, and he's overseen an impressive season in Dallas. The Cowboys have gone unbeaten at home this season and the Packers went 1-5 on the road this term against non-divisional opponents.

Both offenses finished the season strongly, but I think Dallas' defense will be difference here. - Jonny

Monday - 01:00:

Game 5: Rams (+3.5) @ Lions

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Rams
  • Alan: Rams
  • Jonny: Rams
  • Neil: Lions

Money Line - Lions 8/15 & Rams 6/4

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Lions
  • Alan: Rams
  • Jonny: Rams
  • Neil: Lions

Comments: What an occasion this will be for Lions fans - the first playoff game in Detroit for 30 years. Who's the person standing in the way of the Lions getting their first postseason win in more than three decades? Ah, Matthew Stafford - awkward...

The Rams QB was drafted by the Lions all the way back in 2009, and this will be his first game back in Detroit since his trade to Los Angeles in 2021. He really does have the chance to be the ultimate party pooper here.

That's not the only storyline to keep an eye on - Jared Goff is also facing his old team, so you'd think that there's no one who understands his weaknesses more than his former head coach Sean McVay.

I can see this one being a close game, but I'm afraid the postseason drought will continue for Detroit. - Jonny

Tuesday - 01:00:

Game 6: Eagles (-2.5) @ Buccaneers

Picks ATS:

  • Adam: Buccaneers
  • Alan: Buccaneers
  • Jonny: Eagles
  • Neil: Eagles

Money Line - Buccaneers 5/4 & Eagles 4/6

Picks Straight Up:

  • Adam: Buccaneers
  • Alan: Buccaneers
  • Jonny: Eagles
  • Neil: Eagles

Comments: What on earth is going down in the City of Brotherly Love? The Eagles have lost five of their last six, including back-to-back losses against the lowly Cardinals and Giants and worse than that have an injured Jalen Hurts. And he's not the only Philly guy on the banged up list.

Meanwhile, in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers have somehow turned a middling season into a playoff charge, courtesy of the under-rated Baker Mayfield.

This will be a low-scoring tight affair but with Hurts and A.J. Brown struggling with injuries, I can't see anything other than a home win at Raymond James - Adam

Season Records:

Against the Spread:

  • Adam: 135-137
  • Alan: 133-139
  • Jonny: 140-132
  • Neil: 140-132

Straight Up:

  • Adam: 162-110
  • Alan: 171-101
  • Jonny: 172-100
  • Neil: 160-112

Super Bowl predictions, prior to Wild Card weekend playing out:

Conference champions; and eventual Lombardi Trophy winners:

  • Adam - Ravens, 49ers; and for Super Bowl LVIII - Ravens
  • Alan - Bills, 49ers; and for Super Bowl LVIII - Bills
  • Jonny - Ravens, 49ers; and for Super Bowl LVIII - 49ers
  • Neil - Ravens, 49ers; and for Super Bowl LVIII - 49ers

Remember to check out our NFL Betting Tips index page where we preview games live on Sky Sports along with this weekly column...

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