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How Far Could These NFC Wild Card Teams Go?

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How Far Could These NFC Wild Card Teams Go?

It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year, the NFL Playoffs are underway! We’ve got some incredible teams filling up the NFL stats and preparing to face off this weekend. As always, we’ve got a few favorites in the NFC, but we aren’t talking about them just yet. Instead, we’re going to go over the Wild Card teams playing on the road this weekend. 

This is a tough task for any team to take on, but what kind of chance do they have? Is it a scenario where they make an early exit? Maybe they’ll stick around longer and play through the divisional round for a title. Perhaps, mixed in the Wild Card race is a team that could win the Super Bowl this year? Let’s take a look at each of them and assess just how far they’ll go.

Seventh Seed: The Philadelphia Eagles Could be One-and-Done

The Philadelphia Eagles are in the Wild Card, but just narrowly made it through. Their offense is rather forgettable, averaging just 23.37 points per game. Their defense also gives up a ton of points, 20.26 points per game to be exact. Their QB, Jalen Hurts, is their leading rusher, amassing 784 yards on the ground. They just don’t have enough firepower for their opponent.

We might’ve forgotten to mention that they’re playing the No.2 seed, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We don’t need to remind you who Tampa Bay is, but we will say they’re 8.5-point favorites. Until the Eagles defense can shut down the passing game, they’ll be stuck at mediocre. Mediocre doesn’t do it in the playoffs, which is why we think the Eagles will be out.

Sixth Seed: The 49ers Have a Chance to Make a Real Push

Between the Eagles and the 49ers, San Francisco has a much better chance at a run. They aren’t a high-scoring offense, but they’re definitely an efficient one. They’ve also found innovative ways to get their playmakers the ball this year. Deebo Samuel has even played running back a few times, showcasing the 49ers creativity. They also have a better matchup than the Eagles.

The 49ers are set to face the No.1 scoring offense in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys. The good news for San Francisco is they have a pretty tough defense. Now, we don’t see the 49ers getting much further than the divisional round, but they might surprise us. Jimmy Garoppolo has been fighting for a playoff spot for a while. Let’s see what he does with it during the postseason.

Fifth seed: The Cardinals Could Win It All, With the Right Conditions

The Arizona Cardinals rank among the NFL’s best offensive and defensive combos. They’re also fortunate enough to face a division rival, the Los Angeles Rams. Their familiarity with the Rams will definitely help them, even if they are playing on the road. Arizona’s stingy defense will need to be on full display this weekend. If they slip up, the Rams will run away with this game.

The Cardinals also have a generational talent at the quarterback position. Kyler Murray has proven time and time again that he’s more than just a scrambler. He creates opportunities and has the arm to back it up. It’ll be interesting to see how they perform against the Rams during Wild Card weekend. However, out of these three, Arizona has the best chance to win it all. 

The Betting Outlook for Wild Card Weekend

If you’re wondering what the betting odds for the Wild Card games we mentioned above are, we’ll detail them here. For our first game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in -8.5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Keep in mind, the Buccaneers are at home in that game and the total is set at 49. In our second game, the 49ers are +3 against the Dallas Cowboys, the No.3 seed.

Finally, the Arizona Cardinals head to Los Angeles as +4 underdogs. Although we think the spread should be smaller, it’s not that surprising. The Cardinals split the regular-season series against the Rams and will be on the road this weekend. The total is set at 49.5 and the Cardinals are 10-7 against the spread this season.

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