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5 betting tips for the NFL playoffs

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Need some help spotting situational edges with the 2018 NFL playoffs fast approaching? We've got you covered.

Here are five betting tips as you do your homework for the postseason.

Brees, Saints rack up points at home

For the fourth straight season, the New Orleans Saints finished in the top two in points per game at home with 34.1. They also defied the notion they can't score on the road by putting up 28.9 per contest. But perhaps no other team in the playoffs will benefit more from home cooking than New Orleans, which has home-field advantage through the postseason.

Since Drew Brees came to the franchise in 2006, the Saints have played five playoff games at home and five on the road. In games played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the Saints are averaging 35.8 points per contest; in the five true road games, the number dips to 24.6.

Patriots score at will in divisional round

Is it extra preparation in creating a game plan? Is it Foxboro in January? Is it just a small sample size? Whatever it is, the New England Patriots have scored in bunches and taken care of business with ease in their playoff openers.

Over the previous seven divisional-round games, the Patriots' team total (the number of points projected for a team in a given game) is 7-0 to the over, as New England is averaging a whopping 37.1 points per game in those situations. Meanwhile, the over itself is 7-0 and the Patriots are 6-1 against the spread during the current run.

Bears excel against spread at home

The Bears finished the year on a high note for bettors - Chicago's 12-4 straight-up record this season matched its record against the spread thanks to a 9-1 run to close out the campaign. The Bears were also the best at covering the number at home in 2018, going 7-1 against the spread and allowing just two of their eight opponents to score more than 20 points. Next up on the docket are the Philadelphia Eagles and backup quarterback Nick Foles, who are six-point underdogs at Soldier Field.

Home field aids Chiefs' defense

No defense in the NFL needs to play on its own turf more than the Kansas City Chiefs', which had the biggest discrepancy in home-road scoring defense this season (18.0 points per game allowed at home, 34.6 on the road). Six opponents went over the team total when the Chiefs played on the road compared to just three at Arrowhead Stadium. Patrick Mahomes can outduel anyone, but any sort of help on the other side of the ball will morph Kansas City into the team to beat ... if it isn't already.

Jackson, Ravens look to buck trend

In a 2018 NFL Draft class filled with franchise quarterbacks, only Lamar Jackson has the opportunity to make waves in the postseason. Rookie QBs haven't fared well in recent memory, as the previous five have all lost outright since 2010. As CBS Sports notes, first-year signal-callers are 2-7 since then, but both wins came against opposing rookie quarterbacks, meaning one had to win. Jackson and the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens are giving 2.5 points to the Los Angeles Chargers, a team they beat in L.A. in Week 16.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from 'Rounders' and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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