Super Bowl 2019: Updated Odds and Predictions for NFL Championship Game

The real NFL season begins for the 12 teams that are participating in the playoffs. For the other 20 teams, it's about taking a deep breath and starting to prepare for the 2019 season.

That's all they can do, but the six AFC and NFC teams that are still competing have a chance to go for the glory.

The goal, of course, is getting to Super Bowl LIII and winning it.

Wild-card weekend schedule and point spread

Jan. 5 (all times ET)

4:35: Indianapolis at Houston (-2.5), ESPN/ABC

8:15 Seattle at Dallas (-2.5), Fox

Jan. 6

1:05 Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore (-2.5), CBS

4:40: Philadelphia at Chicago (-5.5), NBC

Point spreads courtesy of OddsShark; predicted winners in bold.

Wild-card weekend will deliver doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday for NFL fans.

The Indianapolis Colts go to Houston at 4:35 p.m. ET Saturday to take on the Texans, which will be televised by ESPN/ABC. The Seattle Seahawks go to Dallas for a game against the Cowboys Saturday night at 8:15 p.m., and that game will be broadcast by Fox.

The Los Angeles Chargers, who had the second-best record in the AFC, qualified for the playoffs as the No. 1 wild-card team. They play the Baltimore Ravens on the road at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, which will be shown on CBS.

The defending Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles qualified for the playoffs by beating the Washington Redskins in Week 17, while the Chicago Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings. Philadelphia gets to go to Chicago for the late Sunday game at 4:40 p.m., and NBC will broadcast that game.

Super Bowl odds

Saints +225
Chiefs +400
Rams +500
Patriots +600
Bears +900
Chargers +1600
Ravens +2000
Cowboys +2500
Texans +2500
Seahawks +2500
Colts +2500
Eagles +3000

The New Orleans Saints earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they are favored to win the Super Bowl. They come into the tournament with odds of +225, per OddsShark.

A $100 wager on the Saints will return a profit of $225 to the bettor.

The Chiefs are the second choice at +400, while the Rams are +500. New England, which has had a first-round bye in nine straight seasons, is +600. The Eagles are the longest shot on the board at +3000.

Playoff breakdown

We see the red-hot Colts going on the road and handing the Texans another playoff defeat, while the Cowboys will hold off the Seahawks Saturday night.

The Ravens went on the road and defeated the Chargers in Week 16, so they should be able to get the best of Los Angeles at home. The Ravens defense will keep Los Angeles quarterback Philip Rivers from having a big game.

The Bears have had a phenomenal year, and they appear to be getting better. They will dethrone the defending Super Bowl champions and advance to the divisional playoffs.

The Chiefs are the top seed, and if our wild-card weekend predictions hold, they will meet the sixth-seeded Colts. Kansas City has often struggled at home in the playoffs, but the Chiefs will survive a tough game and advance to the AFC title game.

The Ravens may be the only team in the AFC that is unafraid of the Patriots. Baltimore has won at Gillette Stadium in the past, and they will do it again here.

Chicago will go to the Los Angeles Coliseum and beat the Rams in the divisional playoff, while the Saints will get revenge on the Cowboys after losing a regular-season game in Dallas.

That will set up a thrilling matchup between the Chiefs and Saints in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta. This will be a high-scoring back-and-forth game, and the Chiefs will emerge with the Lombardi Trophy and win the Super Bowl for the second time in team history.

Head coach Andy Reid finally gets his Super Bowl triumph, and he has Patrick Mahomes to thank for it.