NFL Playoff Picture 2019: AFC, NFC Brackets, Scenarios and Championship Odds

The elite teams in the NFL playoffs get a week off at the start of the playoffs, but eight teams are in action during Wild Card Weekend.

The Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans get the NFL postseason started Saturday afternoon in Houston, and the Texans are a one-point favorite over the Colts, per OddsShark.

The Texans won the AFC South title, clinching the division title in Week 17 with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts clinched their playoff opportunity in Week 17 with a win over the Tennessee Titans.

The Colts are the No. 2 wild-card team and the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs, but they should not be taken lightly, as they have won nine of their past 10 games.

If they win on the road, they will travel to face the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs for a divisional playoff game. If the Texans win, they would go on the road to face the second-seeded New England Patriots.

Wild Card Weekend Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 5

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 4:35 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC 

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. ET on Fox 

Sunday, Jan. 6

Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens, 1:05 p.m. ET on CBS 

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears, 4:40 p.m. ET on NBC 

Where to Watch: The NFL postseason and all NFL broadcasts are available through fuboTV.

The Los Angeles Chargers travel East to take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and going cross-country to play the early game is a difficult assignment for any West Coast or Mountain Time Zone team. Since 2002, those teams have been outscored 202-56 in the first half of playoff games.

The Chargers finished with a 12-4 record, the same as the AFC West-winning Chiefs. However, they had to settle for the No. 1 wild-card spot and the No. 5 seed because they lost one more divisional game than Kansas City.

The Ravens surged to the AFC North title after inserting rookie Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback. Jackson is a much more productive runner than passer, but the team has won six of his seven starts. The Ravens have the No. 1 defense in the league, and they are favored by three points.

If Houston beats Indianapolis, the winner of this game will go to Kansas City in the divisional playoffs. If the Colts win, the winner will play at New England.

The fourth-seeded Dallas Cowboys will host the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night in the first NFC wild-card game. The Cowboys overcame a lackluster start to the season and seized control of the NFC East behind the solid one-two punch of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Dallas offense also became more dangerous once the Cowboys added Amari Cooper prior to the trade deadline. Dallas is a two-point favorite in the game.

Seattle was expected to be little more than the third- or fourth-place team in the NFC West because of the changes in their once-formidable Legion of Boom defense. However, they still have middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, and he is a dangerous hitter and the leader of a defense that can still cause havoc.

The offense has also been better than expected. Quarterback Russell Wilson has had a sensational year and could be a dark-horse contender for the MVP award as a result of his 35-7 TD-interception ratio. He has gotten quite a big assist from the power running of Chris Carson, who has rushed for 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns.

If the third-seeded Chicago Bears beat the No. 6 seed, defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the Seattle-Dallas winner will travel to face the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round. If the Eagles upset the Bears, the Seahawks or Cowboys will play the Los Angeles Rams in California.

The Bears are 6.5-point favorites over the Eagles after winning the NFC North title. They have become a creative offensive team under head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. While Trubisky has had some ups and downs with his passing accuracy, he has made big plays running the ball. 

The Chicago defense has been dominant, with stars like Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks leading the way. That unit will likely make it quite difficult for the Eagles.

Nick Foles is a proven postseason winner, and the quarterback has two excellent receivers in Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Ertz.

The Eagles struggled for much of the season, but they turned things around by winning five of their last six regular-season games to make the playoffs.

Chicago will go to Los Angeles if the Bears beat the Eagles, while Philadelphia will go to New Orleans if it comes up with the upset.

Super Bowl Odds

Saints +250 (wager $100 to win $250)
Rams +400
Chiefs +470
Patriots +650
Bears +700
Ravens +1,300
Chargers +1,500
Cowboys +2,500
Texans +2,500
Seahawks +2,800
Colts +3,000
Eagles +3,500