With week 18 of the NFL season coming up, NFL fans may be feeling a little sad knowing the season is just about over. It seems like we wait forever for the NFL season to start, and with a blink of an eye, it’s already gone. But with the NFL Playoffs upon us, NFL fans and sports bettors get another few weeks to watch the greatest sport in the world as well as try to make a few extra bucks before it’s all over.
If you are new to the gambling world and are looking into betting on the NFL playoffs, you have come to the right place. Below we have outlined the best ways to bet the NFL playoffs
Playoff Betting Basics
Betting an NFL playoff game works like any regular-season NFL game. You can place bets on the spread, game totals, team totals, money line, and much more. The rules and odds for a playoff game will look pretty much the same as they would if it was a regular-season game, but the odds/lines may change quickly because there will be more money coming in on these games since there are fewer games to bet on. Typically, there will be about 14-16 games you can bet on during the regular season, which will drop down to six games come Wild-Card Weekend.
Betting On The NFL Playoff Games
Betting on NFL playoff games of NFL games, in general, is one of the easiest sports to bet on. As I mentioned earlier, the basics are betting a team against the spread, taking them on the money line, or betting the game total. Those three bets are the most popular when betting an NFL Game.
For example, let’s look at a potential NFC playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. The odds would look something like this
| Philadelphia Eagles | +7 (-110) | O47 | +260 |
| Los Angeles Rams | -7
(-110) |
U47 | -300 |
If you were looking to place a bet on this game and think the Rams are going to blowout the Eagles or beat them by more than a touchdown then you would consider betting Rams -7. If you are a long-time Eagles fan and think the Eagles somehow keep this game within seven points or have a chance to upset the Rams, then you can either bet Eagels +7 or take the Eagles on the money line at +260 for a bigger payout.
Now, if you don’t read on either team, you can just bet the total, which is pretty straightforward. If you think this will be a defensive battle and the total amount of points will be fewer than 47 points, bet the under, and if you think it will be a high-scoring game that goes over 47 points bet the over.
Tips To Consider
- Don’t Overreact
Everyone is either watching or betting on the NFL playoffs, so overreactions can be a bit extreme week-to-week, especially after a blowout wins. Per Action Network, since 1980, teams are 6-25-1 ATS after scoring 40 more points the previous week during the playoffs.
- Analyze Matchups
This is very important come playoff time. Most of what happened on the regular season no longer matters when teams face off in the postseason. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine whether one team is actually “better” than the other. This is why matchups become even more critical than usual. Compare offenses/defense, special teams, red zone offense/defense, and even coaching.
Experience should also come into play, so make sure you consider when analyzing matchups. Another trend given to us by Action Network, quarterbacks making their playoff debut against a quarterback with at least one previous postseason start under their belt has gone 14-30 straight up and 12-31-1 ATS since 2002. Guys with zero playoffs start in this year’s playoffs, including Mac Jones, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow.
- Don’t Blindly Bet Favorites
The general public likes backing favorites in the regular season as well as the postseason, but that’s not always the best bet. Since 2003, regular-season underdogs have gone 2121-2086-131 ATS for a -1.4% Return on Investment (ROI), while postseason dogs have gone 95-76-4 ATS for a +8.6% ROI.
- Shop For Best Line/Odds
Always try to find the best number to bet on. Whether checking multiple sportsbooks or trying to get the best number before line movement happens, let’s look at last year’s playoff match-up between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Opening Line
| Cleveland Browns | -3 | O46.5 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +3 | U46.5 |
Closing Line
| Cleveland Browns | -5.5 | O47 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +5.5 | U47 |
You can see that the line changed 2.5 points from when the odds were first put out to the time the game started.
If you wanted to bet the Browns, you would have liked to get the early number -3; ultimately, the Browns won 48-37, so they covered the spread either way, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Let’s say Pittsburg was able to score one more last-second touchdown, which would have made the final score 48-44. Now the Browns would have failed to cover that 5.5 point spread, but if you could get the Browns -3 early enough, you would have collected your money, unlike the people who waited and bet the Browns -5.5.
Four Top NFL Sportsbooks
- BetUS – 125% Deposit Bonus up $2,500
- Bovada – $750 Welcome Bonus to New Bettors
- MyBookie – 100% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000
- BetOnline – 50% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus to New Bettors
There are sites like Safest Betting Sites that provide the most trusted online sportsbooks for betting the NFL Playoffs, make sure you take advantage of the bonuses and promotions that most of the sportsbooks have.
One last note when it comes to betting on the NFL playoffs, after going through all the research and tips/trends, you cannot find an edge on a game, don’t bet it. Don’t feel like you have to bet every single playoff game. Sometimes the best bet is the bet you don’t make. Enjoy the 2022 NFL Playoffs.
Kurt Blakeway – Sporting Betting Analyst
Kurt is a Sports Betting Analyst for Safest Betting Sites. He enjoys all things MLB, NFL, CFB, and CBB. While he is a fan first, he is always trying to gain an edge on the books to make money.
