{"id":2272,"date":"2023-01-08T15:01:05","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T15:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?page_id=2272"},"modified":"2023-02-01T02:57:16","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T02:57:16","slug":"how-to-bet-on-the-nfl-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/how-to-bet-on-the-nfl-playoffs","title":{"rendered":"How to Bet on the NFL Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is there anything more exciting than betting on the NFL playoffs? After 16 grueling weeks on the gridiron, the best teams in the league battle it out for a chance to reach the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NFL playoffs attract a huge betting handle (or the total amount of money wagered) each year. The American Gaming Association estimated $6.8 billion in betting volume<\/strong> for the 2023 Super Bowl alone, an astronomical number for a single game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be hesitant to take the plunge on betting NFL playoff games, even with all that action. Not to fear, we\u2019re here to break down the details of wagering on the NFL postseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFL Playoffs Betting Guide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we start talking about betting, let\u2019s make sure we have the basics of the NFL playoffs covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The NFL decided to expand the playoff format to include 14 teams for the 2021 playoffs. That means there are a total of 13 NFL playoff games<\/strong> to bet on in 2022-23. There are three rounds of playoff competition before the Super Bowl. These rounds are known as Wild Card Weekend, the Divisional Round, and the Conference Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seven teams from each of the NFL\u2019s two conferences, the AFC and NFC, qualify for the playoffs based on their regular season record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The AFC and NFC are broken down into four divisions respectively, with four teams in each division. The four teams with the best records in their division automatically advance to the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That leaves three playoff spots in both the AFC and NFC. The three \u201cwild card\u201d spots are awarded to the teams with the best records who didn\u2019t win their division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once all 14 playoff teams have been determined, they are seeded (ranked) one through seven in each conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These rankings are based on each team\u2019s regular-season record. The better the record, the higher the seed. Here\u2019s an example with fictional win-loss records in brackets to help give you a better understanding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AFC Conference<\/td>NFC Conference<\/td><\/tr>
1*. Kansas City Chiefs<\/td>1*. Philadelphia Eagles<\/td><\/tr>
2. Buffalo Bills<\/td>2. San Francisco 49ers<\/td><\/tr>
3. Cincinnati Bengals<\/td>3. Minnesota Vikings<\/td><\/tr>
4. Jacksonville Jaguars<\/td>4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/td><\/tr>
5. Los Angeles Chargers<\/td>5. Dallas Cowboys<\/td><\/tr>
6. Baltimore Ravens<\/td>6. New York Giants<\/td><\/tr>
7. Miami Dolphins<\/td>7. Seattle Seahawks<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
*Indicates seed that earns a bye week<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The top team in each conference earns a bye week, or in other words, they automatically advance through the first elimination week of the NFL playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first week of the 2022 NFL playoffs, the 2 seed will face the 7 seed, the 3 seed will face the 6 seed, and the 4 seed will face the 5 seed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NFL playoff games are single elimination, so it\u2019s either win or go home. That\u2019s part of what makes betting on the NFL playoffs so exciting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teams continue to play each other in single-elimination games, with each game\u2019s winner advancing to the next round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matchups are determined by seed ranking throughout the playoffs. The last team standing in each conference advances to play in the Super Bowl for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that we have a better understanding of the new playoff format, let\u2019s dig a little bit deeper into betting on these games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Bets You Can Make on the NFL Playoffs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The bets you can make on NFL playoff games aren\u2019t a whole lot different from the ones you can make during the regular season. The stakes are admittedly higher, but we\u2019ll get to that in just a minute. Real-time NFL lines and spreads are continuously updated throughout the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s recap some of the bets you can place on NFL playoff games at one of our favorite sportsbooks, DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>NFL Playoffs Moneyline Betting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Betting the moneyline is straightforward. You\u2019re predicting who wins the game, regardless of the total score, player performance, or any other secondary factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a fictional round-one matchup with some moneyline odds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team<\/th>Favorite or Underdog?<\/th>Moneyline Odds<\/th><\/tr>
Washington Football Team<\/td>Underdog<\/td>+235<\/td><\/tr>
Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/td>Favorite<\/td>-150<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The odds with a \u201c-\u201c symbol indicate the betting favorite, and the numerical value lists how much money you would need to bet to win $100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the example above, the Bucs are favored to win the game. If you bet $150 on Tampa Bay and they end up winning, you would walk away with a total of $250.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The odds with a \u201c+\u201d symbol identify the underdog, and the numbers here depict how much money you\u2019d win if you placed a bet of $100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody would expect Washington to win this game in 2022, which is why they\u2019re listed as big underdogs at +235 odds. If you smell an upset and place $100 on a Washington win, you could walk away with a total of $335.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Point Spread Betting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Point spreads are one of the most popular ways to bet on NFL games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Betting on point spreads is another prediction of who will win the game, but only after additional points have been added or subtracted<\/strong> from each team\u2019s final score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The favored team will have points subtracted from their final score, and it\u2019s your job to bet on whether or not they would still win after having those points taken away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the underdog will have points added to their score. If you think these added points will push the underdog\u2019s total score above the favored team\u2019s final score, then you should bet the underdog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Point spread betting odds might look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buffalo was favored to win the game on the moneyline by a wide margin, so the point spread bet will subtract eight points from their total score. This shifts the odds in the bettor\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think Buffalo would still win the game even after losing those nine points, then you should place a bet on the Bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think New England would win after having eight points added to their final score, that\u2019s where you should put your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If New England pulls off the upset and wins outright, you still win your bet, but you would have made more money betting on the Patriots moneyline odds. Could have, would have, should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Totals Betting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Betting on totals, AKA the over\/under, during the NFL playoffs has nothing to do with predicting who wins the game. Instead, you\u2019re betting on the total number of points scored during the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oddsmakers will create betting lines that offer bettors a chance to wager on the points total going over or under a specific number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Totals are one of three key odds you\u2019ll see in a betting preview for a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You already know about the \u201cM\u201d moneyline column, and the same goes for the \u201cS\u201d point spread betting lines, but let\u2019s get into the details on the \u201cT\u201d totals section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our example above, you can bet the total amount of points scored by both teams will be over or under 44.5 points. The odds are even at -110 on either side, so the choice is yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you bet $100 on the game going over 44.5 points, and the final score is 30-15, you would walk away with $190.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Prop Bets<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prop bets are where things get interesting, as they focus on aspects like individual player performance or a wide range of statistics. Certain players always emerge as postseason heroes, so there\u2019s money to be made making prop bets on NFL playoff games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These bets are prevalent during the Super Bowl, but there are many prop bets to be won throughout the playoff schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few examples of some prop bets you could make:<\/p>\n\n\n\n