{"id":391037,"date":"2026-01-05T13:06:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/?p=391037"},"modified":"2026-01-05T13:06:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:06:54","slug":"nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL wild-card matchups, schedule and betting odds: Bills, Texans among playoff road favourites"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>More than half of the NFL is in offseason mode now, and a six-pack of wild-card playoff games awaits this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The latest:<\/strong> All six NFL playoff games will take place outdoors, making the weather forecasts a key thing to track this week. The action kicks off with two games on Saturday before a tripleheader on Sunday, featuring reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills vs. the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the NFL wild-card schedule and our odds for the first-round matchups, concluding with a Monday nighter between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"acq_only\"><strong>-&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/online.northstarbets.ca\/page?key=ej0xMzUyNDU3MiZsPTEzNjY1NzMyJnA9MzExMjU%3D\">Join NorthStar Bets to place your bets the NFL playoffs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NFL wild-card schedule and odds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers: <\/strong>Saturday, Jan. 10 (4:30 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122595\">Embed: #122595<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The heaviest favourite of wild-card weekend is a road team that&#8217;s travelling across the country on short rest. Interesting, isn&#8217;t it? Especially considering the Panthers have already beaten the Rams straight up \u2014 as 10-point home dogs \u2014 this season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Still, there are some clear ways to see how the Rams have the edge. Led by MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford, L.A. had the second-best point differential in the NFL this season (+172). Carolina (-69) is the only playoff team with a negative point differential.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overs have cashed in six straight Rams games, while unders are 5-1 in the Panthers&#8217; past six.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears<\/strong>: Saturday, Jan. 10 (8 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122596\">Embed: #122596<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Saturday marks the third meeting between the historic rivals, with both teams winning and covering at home in the two prior matchups (both played in December).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In their most recent matchup, Green Bay blew a 10-point lead in the final few minutes, which included coughing up an onside kick, in an overtime loss. The Packers had a significant time-of-possession advantage (+12:44) but failed to convert any of their five red zone trips into touchdowns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Since the start of December, Green Bay ranks 28th in the EPA per play on defence, according to RBSDM.com. The team&#8217;s top pass-rusher (Micah Parsons) and run-stopper (Devonte Wyatt) both suffered season-ending injuries last month.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"acq_only\"><strong>-&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/online.northstarbets.ca\/page?key=ej0xMzUyNDU3MiZsPTEzNjY1NzMyJnA9MzExMjU%3D\">At NorthStar Bets: Full betting markets for the NFL playoffs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sunday&#8217;s NFL wild-card schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>: Sunday, Jan. 11 (1 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122597\">Embed: #122597<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Jaguars&#8217; freight train keeps on rolling. With a 34-point win in the regular season finale, Jacksonville is riding an eight-game win streak (SU and ATS) that includes a +153 point differential.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>At 12-5-0 ATS, the Jaguars were tied for the best ATS record in the NFL this season. Jacksonville is 7-1-0 ATS at home.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Buffalo&#8217;s Allen had some notable home\/road splits this season. At home, he had a 16:4 TD-to-INT ratio and a 114.8 passer rating. On the road, he had a 9:6 TD-to-INT ratio and an 87.7 passer rating.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"acq_only\"><strong>-&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/online.northstarbets.ca\/page?key=ej0xMzUyNDU3MiZsPTEzNjY1NzMyJnA9MzExMjU%3D\">Don&#8217;t miss out \u2014 bet on the NFL wild-card round now<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles<\/strong>: Sunday, Jan. 11 (4:30 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122598\">Embed: #122598<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Philadelphia did earn a resume-building win in Buffalo a couple of weeks ago, but things have still been fairly grim down the stretch. The defending champs lost four of their final seven games outright as favourites.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 12-win Niners nearly nabbed the top seed in the NFC, but instead, they&#8217;ll have to survive their toughest road test in months. San Francisco has won four straight road games by 10+ points, but none of those opponents made the playoffs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Los Angeles Chargers vs. New England Patriots<\/strong>: Sunday, Jan. 11 (8 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122600\">Embed: #122600<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rookie-year Drake Maye really struggled vs. the Chargers in 2024 (12-of-22 passing, 117 yards), but things are different now. As a second-year player, Maye is in the MVP hunt after leading NFL passers in yards per attempt and completion percentage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unders are 6-1-1 in the Chargers&#8217; past eight games. QB Justin Herbert did get a Pro Bowl nod, but his supporting cast is extremely limited. The Chargers are the only playoff team without either a 700-yard rusher or an 800-yard receiver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"acq_only\"><strong>-&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/online.northstarbets.ca\/page?key=ej0xMzUyNDU3MiZsPTEzNjY1NzMyJnA9MzExMjU%3D\">See player prop markets for the first round of the NFL playoffs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NFL playoffs: Monday Night Football matchup<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers<\/strong>: Monday, Jan. 12 (8:15 p.m. ET)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"cacheembed:122601\">Embed: #122601<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The last game of wild-card weekend is expected to be a rock fight. Unders are 6-2 when the Texans are on the road, where C.J. Stroud has an 81.3 passer rating this season (compared to a 107.4 passer rating at home).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Houston&#8217;s defence is also arguably the best in the NFL and should travel well. Will Anderson, Danielle Hunter and Co. rank second in points allowed and first in yards allowed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After a two-game suspension, DK Metcalf will return to give the Steelers some much-needed life in the passing game. Aaron Rodgers averages just 6.1 yards per target (sixth percentile, per RotoWire), and served up a heavy dose of running back check-downs in Week 18.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Historically, the Steelers have thrived as home underdogs. They&#8217;re 12-6-1 ATS in that situation since 2021.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"acq_only\"><strong>-&gt; <a href=\"https:\/\/online.northstarbets.ca\/page?key=ej0xMzUyNDU3MiZsPTEzNjY1NzMyJnA9MzExMjU%3D\">Sign up to NorthStar Bets today<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than half of the NFL is in offseason mode now, and a six-pack of wild-card playoff games awaits this weekend. The latest: All six NFL playoff games will take place outdoors, making the weather forecasts a key thing to track this week. The action kicks off with two games on Saturday before a tripleheader [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":391097,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sidebar_plugin_meta_block_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[181],"class_list":["post-391037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-nfl"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>NFL wild-card schedule: 2026 playoff matchups &amp; odds | The Boost<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Check out the 2026 NFL wild-card schedule. Playoff matchups and betting odds for all six games in the first round of the NFL postseason.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NFL wild-card schedule: 2026 playoff matchups &amp; odds | The Boost\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Check out the 2026 NFL wild-card schedule. Playoff matchups and betting odds for all six games in the first round of the NFL postseason.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Boost\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-05T18:06:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nsb-news.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/imgs\/2026\/01\/joshallen_jan52026.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"766\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jordan Horrobin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JordanHorrobin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jordan Horrobin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/nfl-wild-card-schedule-playoff-matchups-and-betting-odds-2026\/\",\"name\":\"NFL wild-card schedule: 2026 playoff matchups & odds | The Boost\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-05T18:06:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-05T18:06:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cms.northstargaming.ca\/admin\/nsgcms\/#\/schema\/person\/8e0d7302b14f65be7f61f221a134fc9f\"},\"description\":\"Check out the 2026 NFL wild-card schedule. 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