NFL Picks Against the Spread: 2020 Wild Card Playoff Games

Before the wild card round of the 2020 NFL playoffs kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for these games. You can CLICK HERE for straight up NFL picks without regard to the spread. You can find all of the NFL betting lines via DraftKings SportsBook.

My regular season recorded finished at 124-124-8 after going 10-5-1 last week. Perfectly .500. I just beat out the collective BGN community, which finished 122-126-8. Let’s see how we do against each other now in the playoffs.

WILD CARD GAMES

BUFFALO BILLS at HOUSTON TEXANS (-3): It may be tempting to give the edge to Houston by boiling this down to Deshaun Watson versus Josh Allen. But Watson didn’t even look so good in the final three weeks of the season with three touchdown passes to five interceptions and two fumbles. Moreover, the Texans are just a worse overall team on paper. Houston ranks 19th in DVOA and 15th in point differential while Buffalo is 13th and 10th, respectively. Sean McDermott warrants more faith than Bill O’Brien does. The points are the play here. PICK: Bills +3

TENNESSEE TITANS at NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-5): People are too fast to abandon ship on the Patriots. They haven’t looked great and they just lost to Miami at home, yeah, but it’s still the Pats we’re talking about here. They’re typically at their most dangerous when people count them out and claim that Bill Belichick and/or Tom Brady are done. This is a team that’s made it to EIGHT straight AFC Championship Games. And they’re suddenly going to get bounced in the first round? I don’t see it. I do see the Titans keeping this game close, however. Ryan Tannehill is playing at a very high level; he has a 117.7 passer rating in 10 starts this year. I also think Mike Vrabel is a quality coach. It looks like there will be snow in this game so that could help keep scoring down. All the more reason to take the points, though I still think the Pats win the game. PICK: Titans +5

MINNESOTA VIKINGS at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-7.5): Really no need to overthink this one. Have you seen how Kirk Cousins performs in really big games against quality opponents? It never goes well for him. There’s every reason to believe that a Saints team averaging 36.3 points over their last seven games can comfortably beat the Vikings in the Superdome. And you just know Sean Payton is going to want a statement win in this game after the Minneapolis Miracle two years ago. Zero chance he hasn’t forced his player to watch that clip repeatedly leading up to this rematch. PICK: Saints -7.5

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (-2) at PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Why would you doubt the Eagles at this point? They have their issues, for sure, but they’re defined by their remarkable resilience more so than their flaws. The Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson combination is looking pretty strong right now considering the Eagles have gone four straight games of 400+ yards while working with a skeleton crew. Jim Schwartz’s defense inspires confidence after only allowing 17 points or fewer in seven of their last nine games ... and just under 17 points per game at home in 2019. Make no mistake: Russell Wilson’s presence will make the Eagles sweat this game out. But the Seahawks’ stubborn insistence on running the ball will be to their detriment as they limit Wilson’s passing attempts. I feel very confident that the underdog Eagles are winning this game outright. PICK: Eagles +2