The 2022 NFL season is nearing an end with the start of the NFL Playoffs. Fourteen teams will compete to make it to Super Bowl LVII and lift the Lombardi Trophy. Here’s a look at the betting odds and the companies airing the games.
TV Schedule: The NFL Playoffs kick off Saturday, Jan. 14 with six games over the opening three days split between four companies, with the postseason culminating in the Super Bowl that will get top billing on Fox Corporation FOXFOXA.
The opening round television lineup is as follows:
Sat. Jan. 14, 4:30 p.m. ET: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers on Fox
Sat. Jan. 14, 8:15 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corporation CMCSA
Sun. Jan. 15, 1 p.m. ET: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills on CBS, a unit of Paramount Global Inc PARAPARAA
Sun. Jan. 15, 4:30 p.m. ET: New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings on Fox
Sun. Jan. 15, 8:15 p.m. ET: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals on NBC
Mon. Jan 16, 8:15 p.m. ET: Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ABC and ESPN, units of The Walt Disney Company DIS
The television schedule for the divisional rounds has not been announced, with games to be played on Jan. 21 and Jan. 22.
The NFC Championship will air at 3:05 pm ET on Jan. 29 on Fox. The AFC Championship will air at 6:40 pm ET on Jan. 29 on CBS.
Super Bowl LVII airs at 6:30 pm ET on Feb. 12 on Fox.
The companies above could all benefit from strong interest in the NFL Playoffs. NFL games represented 45 of the 50 most-watched sports contests in 2022. Of the top 100 television programs overall in 2022, the NFL represented 40.
NBC was a winner in 2022 with five of the top 10 television programs, including four NFL games and a night of Winter Olympics coverage. Fox and CBS each had two of the top 10 most-viewed television programs in 2022 with NFL games.
The Monday Night Football matchup between the Cowboys and Buccaneers could be one to watch for ratings, with the team from Dallas having a strong national fan base and Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady typically generating strong viewership.
Related Link: 5 Things You May Not Know About Tom Brady
Super Bowl LVII Odds: Heading into the NFL Playoffs, here’s a look at the current betting odds to win Super Bowl LVII from DraftKings Inc DKNG. The list includes current odds and preseason odds.
Kansas City Chiefs: +350, preseason +700
Buffalo Bills: +400, +800
San Francisco 49ers: +500, +1400
Philadelphia Eagles: +550, +4000
Cincinnati Bengals: +800, +1400
Dallas Cowboys: +1200, +1200
Los Angeles Chargers: +2000, +2200
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +2800, +1000
Baltimore Ravens: +3500, +1800
Minnesota Vikings: +3500, +5000
Jacksonville Jaguars: +5000, +8000
New York Giants: +5500, +6500
Miami Dolphins: +6000, +4000
Seattle Seahawks +7000, +3500
The Chiefs ranked as the top team in the AFC with a 14-3 record, followed by the Buffalo Bills at 13-3. On the NFC side, the Eagles ranked first with a 14-3 record, followed by both the Vikings and 49ers at 13-4.
Several teams come into the NFL Playoffs hot, with the 49ers on a 10-game win streak, the Bengals on an eight-game win streak and the Bills on a seven-game win streak.
It’s tough to pick an outright winner not knowing what the next-round matchups will look like, with the lowest seed playing the number one seeds (Eagles, Chiefs) and the other two winners matching up against each other.
In the AFC, the Chiefs and Bills will likely be heavy favorites, with each team having only three losses and two of the losses coming to playoff teams.
In the NFC, the 49ers are on a winning streak and are ranked as the team with the largest point differential overall and the sixth most points scored. The team had a couple early losses, but also made a splash, landing Christian McCaffrey and losing only one game with him on the roster (against the Chiefs).
The Eagles could be the bet to watch, but it comes with questions about injuries to its right tackle Lane Johnson and quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Eagles lost three games, including two to non-playoff teams, but those two losses also came without Hurts leading the team. With a first-round bye, and getting the fourth-best betting odds, the Eagles could be a value play.
See Also: Top 10 NFL Salaries, How Do Patrick Mahomes And Josh Allen Stack Up?
Betting Odds, Storylines And Picks: Here’s a look at the first-round matchups, betting odds from DraftKings and some storylines to watch.
Seattle at San Francisco -9.5: The 49ers beat the Seahawks in both regular season matchups. The second-biggest spread of the first round comes with the 49ers playing some of the best football around. Pick: 49ers -9.5
Los Angeles Chargers -2.5 at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars had one of the best turnarounds in 2022 going from 3-14 to 9-8 and making the playoffs after having the second-worst Super Bowl odds to start the season. The Chargers will be looking for revenge for a regular season 38-10 loss. Pick: Chargers -2.5
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills -13.5: The big news for the Dolphins is that the team will be without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who will be out and backup Teddy Bridgewater will also be out, leaving third-string QB Skylar Thompson to start. In his two starts, Thompson threw for 166 yards and 152 yards and put up a total of 28 points. Those totals are likely not enough to keep up with the Bills. Pick: Bills -13.5
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings -3: The Giants were another turnaround story, going from 4-13 last year, to 9-8-1 in the NFC East that got three teams into the playoffs. The Giants were 1-4-1 in their highly competitive division and posted a 4-4 record away and come into the playoffs with a negative six-point differential, one of only three teams in the negative. The Vikings were 8-1 at home, losing only to the Cowboys on their own field. Pick: Vikings -3
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals -9: It’s hard to get a proper gauge on the game not knowing if Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will play and the line will likely adjust accordingly. The Ravens were 2-3 in games without Jackson. The teams split their two regular-season games, with the Bengals winning a game in which Jackson didn’t play. Pick: Bengals -9 if Jackson doesn’t play, BAL +9 (or up to +7 if Jackson plays)
Dallas Cowboys -2.5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The only road favorite in the first round are the Cowboys who finished 12-5 and take on the Buccaneers who won the NFC South with an 8-9 record. The Cowboys finished 8-1 at home, but were only 4-4 when they were away. While the Cowboys have the better record and likely the better team, sometimes you play trends and records with bets. Tom Brady is 7-0 all-time against the Cowboys. Pick: Buccaneers +2.5
Read Next: Rihanna Is Apple Music's Star Choice For Super Bowl Halftime Show
Photo: courtesy of All-Pro Reels on flickr.
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