Wild Card Odds: Lions-Seahawks, Raiders-Texans Line Movement, Betting Percentages Established
Saturday marks the beginning of NFL playoff betting with the Oakland Raiders vs. Houston Texans at 4:35 ET. That game will be followed by the Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks at 8:15. Keep in mind, that Oakland will be starting rookie Connor Cook at QB. He will be making his first ever NFL start. Houston’s QB situation has been murky as Houston gives the job back to free agent bust Brock Osweiler. He lost his job to Tom Savage, who is out with an injury.
Houston is -3.5 with a total of 36.5. The line is as high as four at limited sportsbooks. The game opened at -3 but +100 and 37.5. A modest majority of 59 percent of bets are on Houston with 58 percent on the under, the only playoff game in which most bets expect to see it fail to reach the total.
Seattle is -8 but with juice as low as even money. Line trackers see a total ranging from 43 to 43.5. The game debuted Seahawks -7 -105 and 42.5. Detroit has gotten 61 percent of wagers so far. Though the public prefers betting on favorites, most bets being on the underdog is not-so-uncommon in postseason in all sports. A clear-cut preponderance of 74 percent is favoring the over.
The early AFC contest will be on ABC/ESPN with the nightcap from the NFC on NBC. Here is the official betting picks preview from the official sports handicapping podcast.
Joe Duffy’s Picks has hit 10-of-12 in football and has three NFL playoffs sides (more picks probable), plus the Alabama-Clemson side and total at OffshoreInsiders.com
