NFL Playoff Odds 2016: Early Lines for Wild Card Games and Super Bowl

The NFL playoff picture is rounding into view, and betting lines are shifting accordingly with Wild Card Weekend on the horizon. 

And with this year's wild-card winners resembling some of the postseason's scariest teams, it's not surprising to see several road teams favored right off the bat. You can view the full playoff picture below:

Before breaking down the lines that have been released, here's a look at the latest Super Bowl odds: 

Super Bowl Odds 

Team	Odds
New England Patriots	+350
Arizona Cardinals	+350
Carolina Panthers	+500
Seattle Seahawks	+750
Denver Broncos	+1000
Kansas City Chiefs	+1400
Pittsburgh Steelers	+1600
Green Bay Packers	+1600
Cincinnati Bengals	+2000
Minnesota Vikings	+2800
Washington Redskins	+5000
Houston Texans	+6600

Note: Super Bowl odds current as of Dec. 29 and courtesy of OddsShark.com. Lines for wild-card matchups will be updated as they're made available. 

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Houston Texans

The Houston Texans are the No. 4 seed and will host a home playoff game next weekend, but a division crown doesn't mean they're favorites against the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs. 

According to Odds Shark, the Chiefs opened as three-point favorites for their first-round showdown against Houston. Of course, that makes complete sense when viewed through the prism of current trends.

Although the Texans won three straight to close out the regular season, the Chiefs are entering the playoffs on a league-best 10-game winning streak. 

However, historical trends point to a potential Houston upset. The Texans have hosted two home playoff games in franchise history, and they've won both of them. Houston defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 31-10, in the 2011 playoffs and followed that up by downing them again, 19-13, the following postseason, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. 

The Texans defense also allowed just 22 points over its last three games. 

"It is a good feeling, but you can't get complacent and hang your hat on that," Houston cornerback Johnathan Joseph said after clinching the AFC South, per Drew Dougherty of the team's official website. "We have plenty more football to play, you just have to take it one week at a time the way we did when we were back in that hole earlier in the season. You have to grind it out one week at a time."

But despite all the positive numbers and vibes emanating from Houston, the Chiefs are simply riding a bigger wave of momentum. And with a Week 1 win over the Texans to their name already, there's plenty of evidence to support the early spread tilting in their favor. 

Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

While the Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff hopes appeared to be in peril following a Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, they survived the scare and advanced thanks to a win over the Cleveland Browns and a New York Jets loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

And as if clinching a playoff spot wasn't sweet enough, the Steelers are actually 2.5-point favorites on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, per Odds Shark. 

If that seems strange, it shouldn't. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is still nursing a thumb injury, and his status would appear to be questionable at best for the Wild Card Round. AJ McCarron has filled in admirably in Dalton's stead, but he was picked off twice in the Bengals' 33-20 loss to the Steelers in Week 14. At this point, it's safe to say McCarron doesn't offer the same ceiling as Dalton. 

Conversely, the Steelers boast the AFC's most lethal offense, led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Unfortunately for the Black and Yellow, running back DeAngelo Williams was spotted wearing a walking boot on his injured ankle following Sunday's game, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly. 

Without the veteran running back, the Steelers could be in trouble against Cincinnati's 11th-ranked passing defense. 

"As good as Brown and Ben Roethlisberger have been, being predictable could be a formula for disaster if the Steelers can't mount a credible running game," USA Today's Nate Davis wrote. 

After splitting the season series, the Steelers and Bengals should put on a show that comes down to the wire as the division rivals fight for a spot among the AFC's final four.

Seattle Seahawks (-7) at Minnesota Vikings

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Winning a division title is always nice, but Deadspin's Drew Magary hit upon the apprehension many Minnesota Vikings fans are feeling at the moment:

"

Great season everyone! Let's just end it here and go out in a high note

— Drew Magary (@drewmagary) January 4, 2016"

Minnesota's reward for claiming the NFC North crown is a date with the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round. The Seahawks are arguably the hottest team in the league and enter the playoffs on the back of a dominant 36-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

The fact the Seahawks are favored by seven points, per Vegas Insider, tells you how uneven this contest looks on paper.

The Vikings will have their work cut out for themselves considering they lost 38-7 to Seattle earlier in the year. The Seahawks held them to 125 yards of total offense, with Adrian Peterson going for 18 yards on eight carries.

Even in perfect conditions, Minnesota would struggle to move the ball against Seattle's defense, which is among the league's best. Since the Vikings and Seahawks will be playing outdoors in Minneapolis, yards may be even harder to come by.

If this game proves to be a defensive struggle, though, it could benefit the Vikings. According to ESPN's Mike Sando, the Seahawks are at their worst this year in close games:

Plus, Minnesota won't want the game to turn into a track meet where it has to constantly keep pace with Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin and one of Marshawn Lynch or Thomas Rawls.

Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins (-2)

Before the season, if you had said Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins would be favored by two points, per Vegas Insider, over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, you would've been accused of dabbling in the kind of scorching hot takes ruining the general sports conversation.

Of course, history has shown somebody was bound to go from the outhouse to the penthouse in 2015, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano:

This is a matchup with teams of somewhat differing fortunes. The Packers have lost two games in a row while showing serious cracks in the foundation, none more so than at the offensive line. The Redskins, on the other hand, have won four games in a row.

In a 2012 article for Grantland, Bill Barnwell cast serious doubt about whether teams actually receive a tangible benefit by peaking later in the season.

Washington head coach Jay Gruden is happy with his team's play to close out the regular season and knows that that only goes so far.

"I would rather do that than losing a couple big games, you know?" said Gruden after Sunday's game, per Gabe Hiatt of the Washington Post. "But you know regardless of your winning streak or losing streak come Saturday or Sunday next week we’re going to have to come together and play a great football game against a quality team."

Cousins has already defied a number of critics this year, and a playoff win over Rodgers would only further validate Washington's faith in his talents. He'll also add a couple million dollars a year to his next contract when he hits free agency.