Our NFL picks against the spread for NFL Wild Card Weekend are now live. A total of 12 teams will take to the field in six games during a three-day span this coming weekend.
Things start with the Houston Texans hosting the Cleveland Browns at 4:30 PM ET on Saturday. Saturday night’s matchup will consist of the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Miami Dolphins at 8:00 PM ET.
A tripleheader will be the name of the game on Sunday, starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers visiting the Buffalo Bills (1:00 PM ET). The Dallas Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers at 4:30 PM ET while the Los Angeles Rams head to Detroit for an affair with the Lions at 8:00 PM ET.
Finally, Monday night will see a struggling Philadelphia Eagles team visit the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Without further ado, here are our NFL picks against the spread for the wild card round.
Related: Expert picks for NFL Wild Card Weekend
NFL picks against the spread: NFL Wild Card Weekend edition
| Game | Date, time |
| Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans (+2.5) | Jan. 13, 4:30 PM ET |
| Green Bay Packers (+7.5) at Dallas Cowboys | Jan. 14, 4:30 PM ET |
| Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.0) | Jan. 15, 8:15 PM ET |
Houston Texans keep momentum going
Houston was blown out by Cleveland at home back on Christmas Eve by the score of 36-22. But it must be noted that Davis Mills and Case Keenum were in at quarterback replacing an injured C.J. Stroud (concussion). That game is not indicative of what we’ve seen from Stroud and his Texans at home when he’s been on the field.
Stroud threw 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in eight home starts. Houston went 6-2 in those outings, including wins over fellow playoff teams in that of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As for Cleveland, the team was 3-5 on the road during the regular season. That includes ugly losses to the aforementioned Steelers as well as the Denver Broncos.
Home-field advantage should matter in the NFL Playoffs. Houston has it. Expect the team’s fans to make this incredibly difficult on Joe Flacco and Co., helping the Texans pull off a minor home upset.
Related: NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Green Bay Packers put scare into Dallas Cowboys
Jordan Love has his Green Bay Packers playing stellar football. They won six of their final eight during the regular season, including victories over playoff teams in that of the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs. For his part, Love has been on an absolute roll during this eight-game span.
| Comp % | Yards | Total TD | INT | QB rating |
| .703 | 2,150 | 20 | 1 | 112.7 |
We’re certainly not expecting a young Packers team to lay down once they head into Big D Sunday afternoon. That has not been their MO over the past two months.
We’re also still not picking Green Bay to win outright. Dallas was undefeated at home during the regular season, winning by an average of north of 21 points per outing. Dak Prescott and Co. will do just enough to avoid the upset while enabling Mike McCarthy to save his job for at least one more week.
Related: Sportsnaut expert picks for NFL Wild Card Weekend
Philadelphia Eagles season ends in Tampa (NFL picks lock)
We’re still not sure why Philadelphia finds itself as three-point road favorites heading into NFL Wild Card Weekend. Simply put, the Buccaneers have been a better team over the past several weeks.
Tampa heads into this game having won five of six. Baker Mayfield is playing darn good football during this span, too (11 TD, 3 INT). That includes a Week 14 win over the aforementioned Packers.
The same thing can’t be said for an Eagles team that heads into the postseason having lost five of six since a 10-1 start to the season. Losing to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys is one thing. Falling to the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals is another thing.
We also like Mayfield’s matchup against Philadelphia’s defense compared to Jalen Hurts going up against Tampa’s D. Hurts has accounted for five touchdown passes with as many interceptions over the past six games. He’s taking on a Buccaneers defense that has yielded 23 passing touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions. Mayfield? Philly’s defense has given up a whopping 35 touchdowns through the air with just nine interceptions.
NFL picks against the spread results
- Week 1: 4-1
- Week 2: 2-3
- Week 3: 1-3
- Week 4: 1-3
- Week 5: 2-2
- Week 6: 3-1
- Week 7: 3-1
- Week 8: 3-1
- Week 9: 0-4
- Week 10: 3-1
- Week 11: 3-1
- Week 12: 2-2
- Week 13: 3-1
- Week 14: 3-1
- Week 15: 1-2
- Week 16: 2-2
- Week 17: 1-3
- Total: 37-32