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With just one weekend remaining in the NFL regular season, nine of the 14 playoff berths have been secured.
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) ensured the #1 seed with a victory last weekend, while the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams will also take part in postseason action.
In the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens (13-3) demolished the Miami Dolphins (11-5) to earn the #1 seed, with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns the other two representatives in the conference to have secured their playoff passage.
That leaves five spots left in the postseason tournament with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers battling for three places in the AFC.
In the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons are fighting it out for the final two spots.
We focus on the AFC Wildcard situation with betting previews of two crucial match-ups this weekend.
Houston (9-7) @ Indianapolis (9-7)
The Indianapolis Colts battle it out against the Houston Texans in an all-AFC South clash with a playoff spot on the line. The winners will also have an outside shot at securing a divisional title should the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to Tennessee.
Houston is a –1.0-point favourite away from home despite going 2-3 over their last five games. The Colts, meanwhile, are 6-2 in their last eight, but have lost to both Atlanta and Cincinnati in their last three outings.
The pair met in Week Two with the Colts coming out on top in 31-20. Since then, however, the Colts have lost starting quarterback Anthony Richardson and are relying on back-up Gardner Minshew the rest of the way.
Minshew has been an able replacement, throwing for over 241 passing yards in four of 14 match-ups this season. He has also thrown for multiple touchdowns in just four games. The Over/Under is set at 240.5 passing yards, so the Uder coupled with at least one touchdown pass is a solid 8/5 price.
It has been a tough year for all-pro running back Jonathon Taylor with injuries, and he is yet to top 100 rushing yards in a game this season. He has, however, reached 75 yards on four occasions in nine games. Against the fourth-ranked rush defense, an Under 75-yard performance should be in the offing.
For Houston, quarterback CJ Stroud has enjoyed a fantastic rookie campaign throwing for 3,844 yards, 21 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He has seven 280+ passing yard performances in 2023, with seven multi-touchdown outings. Against the middle-ranking pass defense of the Colts, a 250-yard passing day coupled with two touchdowns would pay at 31/20.
With rookie sensation wideout Tank Dell out injured, Nico Collins has produced solid numbers with over 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He has nine 50+ yard performances, with four games over 104+ receiving yards. He also has four touchdown receptions in his last seven starts.
Buffalo (10-6) @ Miami (11-5)
Sunday Night Football sees the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins square off for the AFC East crown in a winner-takes-all match. The Dolphins have already secured their postseason berth, while the Bills boast a 64% chance of earning a wildcard even if they lose.
Buffalo, who have won five of their last six contests, are a –3.0-point favourites on the road against a Miami outfit that has struggled to match playoff contending teams during the regular season with defeats to Baltimore, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Buffalo. That defeat to the Bills was by 28 points in Week Four.
In that contest, Bills' quarterback Josh Allen tossed 320 passing yards and four touchdowns with wide receiver Stefon Diggs catching six passes for 120 yards and three touchdown receptions.
Allen has been in fine form in recent weeks, rushing for eight touchdowns in his last five starts as the Bills' offense has relied heavily on the legs of the star quarterback. Passing-wise, Allen has thrown for under 237 passing yards in four successive meetings, with three passing touchdowns and three interceptions over the same time span.
Allen to throw Under 245.5 passing yards,Under 1.5 passing touchdowns, Over 0.5 interceptions and a rushing touchdown would pay at around 6/1. Diggs, meanwhile, has struggled in recent weeks, failing to catch more than six receptions in eight straight games. He has also tallied under 50 receiving yards in six of seven games.
Miami, meanwhile, hosts the leading receiver in the NFL in Tyreek Hill. The 29-year-old has over eight receptions in nine of 16 matches, 75+ receiving yards in 11 matches – including eight games over 100+ yards – but has failed to find the endzone in his last three starts.
