The NFL playoff field is set, and while it’s sad to see the regular season go, we’ve got some exciting football ahead. The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are on bye, leaving us with 12 teams and six games this weekend to parse through. Each offers intriguing betting value on first glance, and stick around here at Yardbarker all week as we break these games down.
Cleveland Browns @ Houston Texans
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, 4:30 p.m. ET
Spread: Cleveland -2.5 Over/under: 44 points
Candidly, we were hoping these two teams would draw different opponents, as we’re high on both Cleveland and Houston. C.J. Stroud has had a remarkable rookie season and looks the part as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. However, defense wins championships, and no team has a better unit on that side of the ball than the Browns. Amari Cooper and Joe Flacco torched this secondary just a few weeks ago, and a repeat performance could be in store.
Bet: Cleveland -2.5
Miami Dolphins @ Kansas City Chiefs
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, 8 p.m. ET
Spread: Kansas City -3.5 Over/under: 43.5 points
On one hand, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are dealing with a ton of injuries and haven’t often found wins against strong teams. On the other, Kansas City has not looked right for the past month. We are going to have to back the playoff experience of Patrick Mahomes and co. at home, especially with them rested up after sitting in Week 18.
Bet: Kansas City -3.5
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Buffalo Bills
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, 1 p.m. ET
Spread: Buffalo -9.5 Over/under: 37.5 points
Good for the Steelers for clinching a playoff spot, but they are probably the worst team in the field, especially with T.J. Watt expected out. This is the largest spread of the weekend, but it does feel hard to back a Buffalo team to win by 10+, something they’ve done only once over their past five wins. Consider the under instead. Mason Rudolph should have a difficult time against this defense, and Josh Allen’s turnovers continue to keep points off the board.
Bet: Under 37.5 points
