NFC WILD CARD CHEAT SHEET, ODDS, TRENDS

Kevin Rogers Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

The road to the NFC Championship will begin next weekend in the Wild Card Round as six teams will look to advance to the NFL Divisional Playoff Round.

Seeds two through four are the division winners while five, six and seven are the Wild Card teams. The first Wild Card game is set for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 and conclude on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022.

NFC PLAYOFF BRACKET AND MATCHUPS

• 1 Seed - Green Bay (First Round Bye)
• 2 Tampa Bay vs. 7 Philadelphia
• 3 Dallas vs. 6 San Francisco
• 4 L.A. Rams vs. 5 Arizona

ODDS TO WIN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

• Green Bay Packers +170
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers +360
• Los Angeles Rams +400
• Dallas Cowboys +600
• Arizona Cardinals +900
• San Francisco 49ers +1400
• Philadelphia Eagles +2500

Odds per (Subject to Change)

MATCHUP - TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

• Date: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
• Venue: Raymond James Stadium
• Location: Tampa, Fla.
• TV-Time: FOX, 1:00 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: BUCCANEERS -7.5, ML -350, O/U 49.5 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These teams met on Oct. 14 in Week 6 in Philadelphia on a Thursday night game. The Buccaneers picked up the 28-22 win, but the Eagles grabbed the cover as seven-point underdogs as HC Nick Sirianni elected to go for two after a touchdown run by QB Jalen Hurts with 5:54 remaining in regulation. The UNDER (53) still ended up hitting in that game.

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Buccaneers are the defending Super Bowl champions, rolling to three consecutive victories on the road last season as an NFC wild-card entry. Tampa failed to cover in its opening game of the playoffs as 10-point favorites against the Washington Football Team Jan. 9, but rattled off three straight wins and covers as underdogs at New Orleans in the Divisional Playoffs, at Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game, and in Super Bowl LV against the Kansas City Chiefs in a game played on their home field.

The Eagles missed the playoffs last season, and they were bumped off in the NFC wild-card round on Jan. 5, 2020 by the Seattle Seahawks at home, 17-9. The Eagles went 1-1 SU/2-0 ATS in the playoffs during the 2018-19 season, topping the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round 16-15 before bowing out against the New Orlean Saints in the Divisional Playoffs 20-14 on Jan. 13, 2019. The UNDER has cashed in three straight playoff games for Philly.

MATCHUP - DALLAS COWBOYS VS. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

• Date: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
• Venue: AT&T Stadium
• Location: Arlington, Texas
• TV-Time: CBS, 4:30 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: COWBOYS -3, ML -160, O/U 51 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The last time these teams met was Dec. 20, 2021 in Dallas in Week 15 last season. The Cowboys came away with a thrilling 41-33 victory as four-point underdogs as the OVER easily connected. Prior to that, the Cowboys rolled up a 40-10 win on Oct. 22, 2017 in Santa Clara, again as the OVER cashed. The Cowboys also won Oct. 2, 2016 before that, cashing as a one-point favorite in Santa Clara. The last time the 49ers won in this series was a 28-17 victory as 3.5-point favorites on Sept. 7, 2014 in the season opener.

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Cowboys haven't appeared in the postseason since the 2018-19 season. The season ended on Jan. 12, 2019 with the Los Angeles Rams ousting them 30-22 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs as 7.5-point favorites. The last playoff win by the Cowboys was 24-22 against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card as 2.5-point favorites as the OVER also hit. The OVER is 3-0 in the past three playoff games for the Cowboys.

These teams haven't met in the playoffs since 1994, a 38-28 victory by the 49ers at Candlestick Park in the NFC Championship Game, en route to a victory in Super Bowl XXIX.

The Niners return to the postseason for the first time since losing the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 2, 2020. This will be the first playoff road game for the 49ers since the 2013-14 season, when they were bumped off by the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in the NFC Championship Game, 23-17. Prior to that the 49ers won road playoff games at Carolina and at Green Bay. The UNDER is 3-0 in each of their past three playoff road outings.

MATCHUP - LOS ANGELES RAMS VS. ARIZONA CARDINALS

• Date: Monday, Jan. 17
• Venue: SoFi Stadium
• Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
• TV-Time: ESPN, 8:15 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: RAMS -4, ML -190, O/U 50 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These teams split a pair of regular-season meetings, with the road team winning in each of the outings. Arizona destroyed L.A. in Week 4 as 3.5-point underdogs, winning 37-20 as the OVER cashed. In a Monday night meeting in Week 14 in Glendale, the Rams returned the favor with a 30-23 victory as three-point underdogs, again as the OVER connected. The OVER is 4-1 in the previous five meetings in this series.

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Rams split a pair of playoff games last season, winning an NFC wild-card game in Seattle before losing in the Divisional Playoffs at Green Bay, 32-18. The OVER cashed in each of those games. Prior to that, the Rams lost to the New England Patriots by a 13-3 count in Super Bowl LIII. This will be the first home game at SoFi Stadium for the Rams. Their last home game overall came at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Stadium on Jan. 12, 2019, a 30-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

This is the first appearance for the Cardinals in the playoffs since losing 49-15 to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 24, 2016. Their last playoff home game was also that season, a 26-20 victory in overtime in the NFC Divisional Round. The Cardinals failed to cover in either of those games, and they're 0-4 ATS in their past four playoff contests dating back to a cover on Jan. 10, 2010 in the NFC wild-card round.

Where to place a bet this NFL Season?

• Use our exclusive BetMGM Bonus Code VIBONUS1500 to unlock BetMGM’s welcome offer for new sportsbook users!
• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
• Check out the North Carolina Sportsbooks just before they launch legal online sports betting.

Kevin Rogers

Kevin has been handicapping professionally since 2007 at VegasInsider before shifting to ScoresAndOdds. He focuses on MLB, NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, and NHL and mainly uses trends, systems, and situations as his top handicapping angles. More from Kevin Rogers