Free NFL betting tips, picks and predictions: Wildcard Weekend best bets for Saturday

NFL betting tips: Wildcard Weekend

1pt Jonathan Taylor (Colts) 100+ rushing yards and to score a touchdown at 11/4

1pt Tyler Lockett (Seahawks) to score a touchdown at 7/4

1pt Terry McLaurin (Washington) 100+ receiving yards and to score a touchdown at 5/1

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Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills betting tips

• When: Saturday at 18:05 GMT
• TV: Sky Sports NFL/Free to watch on Sky Bet

It’s the first NFL playoff game in Buffalo for 24 years and – after a superb 13-3 season – the Bills are rightly favoured to get the win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Quarterback Josh Allen has dominated for large parts of the campaign, and his exciting offence is coming off their most explosive win of the season in Week 17.

Few teams have been able to stop Buffalo in their stride this year, but they do encounter one of their stiffest tasks this weekend in the shape of the unheralded Indianapolis Colts.

As the lowest seed in the AFC, the Colts are given little chance to progress to the Divisional Round, but the stage is set for Frank Reich’s side to give us a close game on Saturday. Indianapolis are the healthier of the two teams and – at least defensively – they match up pretty well with the Bills.

Although Stefon Diggs has understandably grabbed the headlines this season, it is fellow receiver Cole Beasley that has made much of the difference for Buffalo – performing well above his pay-grade with 82 catches and 967 yards on the year. However, both Diggs and Beasley will be playing through injuries this week, and in Kenny Moore the Colts possess one of the game’s best slot cornerbacks, more than capable of containing the production of the latter.

On the other side of the ball, Jonathan Taylor’s recent performances on the ground will be of great worry to the Buffalo defence. The Bills are mediocre against the run (17th in the NFL) and I fully expect the Colts to exploit that weakness, providing stand-out numbers for their rookie star yet again.

The real difference in this game though? The quarterbacks.

As is evident in this preview, I give the Colts more chance than many in this match-up (and I would seriously consider Colts (+6.0) at 10/11) but ultimately the battle between Allen and a 39-year-old Philip Rivers worries me. Josh Allen has been playing to a borderline MVP level this season, whereas Rivers has been nothing beyond steady, with the move to Indianapolis failing to remedy his habit for making unforced errors.

That’s what this game may come down to. The Colts should keep things tight and give themselves a shot in the fourth quarter, but in the icy cold of western New York, one characteristic Rivers mistake could make all the difference.

Prediction: Buffalo Bills at 4/11

Best Bet: Jonathan Taylor (Colts) 100+ rushing yards and to score a touchdown at 11/4

Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks betting tips

• When: Saturday at 21:40 GMT
• TV: Sky Sports NFL/Free to watch on Sky Bet

This is perhaps the hardest game of the entire weekend to predict, and much of that is due to Los Angeles’ quarterback situation.

As things stand, it appears we will not know until the night of the game whether it will be Jared Goff under centre for the Rams, or John Wolford – a man who made his NFL debut just a week ago.

Regardless, the wildcard games always throw up upsets and this is one I fancy this year. The Rams are three-point underdogs at the time of writing, but there is very little precedent for this. Los Angeles own the best defence in all of football, and I believe that anyone who ignores that fact does so at their own peril.

Although they did claim a win a fortnight ago, the Seattle Seahawks have only managed to put 36 points on the Rams this season in their two divisional contests. It’s tough to stop Russell Wilson, but it would appear Los Angeles have the remedy.

It’s also tough to stop D.K. Metcalf, but no team has been more effective than the Rams at doing so this year. Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey has hid him on lock so far this season and that will likely continue, meaning Tyler Lockett will be the focal point of Wilson’s aerial assaults.

The old adage in the NFL is that ‘defence wins championships’, and we will get a first-hand look on Saturday at whether that philosophy still washes in today’s league.

Jared Goff playing will be a massive boost for the Rams –both mentally and in practice – and after seeing him throwing the ball on Wednesday this week, I believe that will be the case and LA will do just enough to beat the Seahawks and progress.

Prediction: Los Angeles Rams (29/20)

Best Bet: Tyler Lockett (Seahawks) to score a touchdown at 7/4

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Football Team betting tips

• When: Sunday at 01:15 GMT
• TV: Sky Sports NFL/Free to watch on Sky Bet

This could be a die-on-my-sword moment, but I really like Washington’s chances here.

The odds certainly don’t reflect that, with Washington (+7.5) available at 5/6, but I can’t help but feel the defence of the Football Team is being massively disrespected.

Ron Rivera’s young outfit were the second-best defensive outfit in the entire NFL this season in both total yardage and passing yardage. Against the run, they’re not quite as great, but that doesn’t really play a part in a game against Bruce Arians – a man who simply loves his teams to air the ball out as much as possible.

Long story short, I believe Washington can stifle Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay offence way more than many people are expecting, and this opens the door for a remarkable upset.

It won’t be easy, as Tampa’s top-ranked front seven makes running the ball nigh on impossible. But, the Buccaneers are extremely vulnerable in the passing game. It’s one of the more obvious roster holes in the NFL, and it’s no secret that they can be exposed through the air.

If Alex Smith plays (and I’m extremely confident the Comeback Player of the Year-in waiting will) he should be able to hit his favourite targets all day long. Dependable tight end Logan Thomas is set for a big game, and so is Terry McLaurin, the undoubted star of the Washington defence.

McLaurin is currently questionable on the injury report, but that only appears to be a smokescreen as he played against the Eagles last Sunday while carrying the same injury. In that game, he caught seven passes and scored for the Football Team, providing a great platform for this one, where he should be healthier and even more involved.

Tom Brady is notoriously difficult to beat in January, but his final showing with the Patriots in the Playoffs last season was poor, and the record books show that – remarkably – Saturday will be the first time in his illustrious 21-year career that he’s been on the road in the Wildcard round.

Brady is in unfamiliar territory, and with a beast like Chase Young hunting him down all night, a big upset is on the cards.

Prediction: Washington Football Team (3/1)

Best Bet: Terry McLaurin (Washington) 100+ receiving yards and to score a touchdown at 5/1

Odds correct at 1800 GMT (08/01/21)

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