NFL betting: Opening lines for the NFC wild-card games includes Cowboys as slight favorites over Bucs
The NFC playoff field is set and the only packing Green Bay will be doing is for Cancun. A wild fourth quarter in the NFL's regular season finale on Sunday night featured a Quay Walker ejection for shoving a Detroit Lions trainer, yet another Jamaal Williams 1-yard touchdown, and a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder to set up a game-clinching first down conversion that kneecapped the Packers' postseason hopes and sent the Seattle Seahawks flying into the playoffs.
Here are BetMGM's opening lines for the NFC wild-card round:
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-10)
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan entered this year with a 2-8 career record versus Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, but San Francisco swept the season series with a 27-7 home win in Week 2 and an impressive 21-13 road victory helmed by rookie QB Brock Purdy in Week 15.
Both teams have unlikely heroes under center. Seahawks QB Geno Smith entered this season with just five starts to his name since 2015. After beating Drew Lock out as Russell Wilson's successor, Carroll let Smith cook up a playoff berth and a possible Comeback Player of the Year trophy.
Purdy was this year's "Mr. Irrelevant," a title bestowed upon the last pick in the NFL draft. He's won all five of his starts in the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo's broken foot. The Niners have won 10 in a row and are heavy favorites to notch their 11th consecutive victory against a Seattle defense that's given up the third-most rushing yards. San Francisco ran for a combined 359 yards against the Seahawks this season.
New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings (-3)
Only two teams in the playoffs are ranked outside of the top 20 in DVOA and they'll be playing each other in a rematch from Week 16, when Greg Joseph kicked a career-long 61-yard field goal as time expired to walk the Giants off, 27-24.
Minnesota is the first team in NFL history to win at least 13 games and finish the season with a negative scoring differential. The baker's dozen they put up in the win column is 7.2 more victories than their 5.8 estimated wins on Football Outsiders.
Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Learning from your mistakes is a sign of growth, and the Cowboys have a lot of room to grow after their Week 1 performance versus the visiting Bucs, who held them to a field goal in an embarrassing 19-3 loss. Dak Prescott has a 1-3 record in the playoffs and is coming off one of the worst outings of his career, completing just 14 of 37 pass attempts for 128 yards against the Commanders.
It hasn't been all roses for Tom Brady this season, either. This is the first time in his 23-year career he's recorded a losing season as a starter. Brady's 2022 campaign saw him throw for the lowest touchdown percentage of his career (3.4%) and the fewest yards per attempt in two decades (6.4). His 52.0 QBR is the worst he's ever ended a season with since ESPN debuted the stat in 2006.
Stats provided by Pro Football Reference, teamrankings.com, StatMuse, and Football Outsiders.
