NFL Playoff Odds 2021: Early Lines for Wild-Card Games and Super Bowl

The road to the Super Bowl is officially paved as the wild-card matchups are set and the oddsmakers are already coming out with lines for the postseason's most action-packed weekend. 

The addition of a seventh seed in each conference means an extra two games for the weekend and even more chances for bettors to get in on the action. 

The Cleveland Browns are making their first appearance in the playoffs since 2002, while the Buffalo Bills are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 1996. It's set up to be a postseason for the ages.

Here's a look at the lines for those two crucial games and the rest of the schedule. 

Wild-Card Game Lines

No. 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 4 Washington Football Team (+7)

No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Seattle Seahawks (-4.5)

No. 7 Chicago Bears at No. 2 New Orleans Saints (-8.5)

No. 5 Baltimore Ravens at No. 4 Tennessee Titans (+3.5)

No. 6 Cleveland Browns at No. 3 Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5)

No. 7 Indianapolis Colts at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (-6.5)

Lines via FanDuel Sportsbook

Super Bowl Odds

• Chiefs +220
• Packers +450
• Saints +800
• Bills +800
• Buccaneers +1000
• Ravens +1100
• Seahawks +1200
• Steelers +2200
• Rams +2800
• Titans +2800
• Colts +3000
• Browns +4000
• Bears +6000
• Washington +7000

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Wild-Card Matchup to Watch: Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Highlighting the wild-card slate is a rematch of the 2019 divisional championship game between the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. 

In 2019, the Titans defense shut down the Ravens offense in a 28-12 win that sent Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game. On offense, the Titans rode a 195-yard performance from Derrick Henry to the win as Ryan Tannehill had to throw just 14 times. 

The two met again in the regular season in one of the better games this season. Henry was again the deciding factor as he scored from 29 yards out for a walk-off touchdown in overtime. 

That was the second defeat in a three-game losing streak for the Ravens, but they've since won five straight and are averaging 37.2 points per game in that stretch. The emergence of J.K. Dobbins has been instrumental in that run. 

The rookie has scored at least one touchdown on the ground in each of the last six games. He ripped off a season-high 160 yards in the season finale against the Bengals to clinch a playoff spot. 

Henry looks ready to be the difference once again, though. He came into the final week of the season with a second consecutive rushing title all but wrapped up. At 1,777 yards, he was 200 ahead of Dalvin Cook. He proceeded to net an additional 250 yards to top 2,000 on the season. 

The X-factor this time could be the Titans' defense or lack thereof. In 2019, the unit was ranked 15th in efficiency and played even better in the postseason. In 2020, it ranks 26th. Even if it improves somewhat in the postseason, it's an unrealistic expectation to hold this offense in check like it did last year. 

Storylines to Watch

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

After 18 years of watching the playoffs from home, the Browns are set to play a familiar foe. It's already been a historic season for Cleveland, but quarterback Baker Mayfield expects this to become the new normal for the franchise. 

"There's a new standard here, and it needs to keep that way," he told NFL on CBS after clinching a playoff spot with a 24-22 win over Pittsburgh. 

Beating Pittsburgh two weeks in a row will be a daunting task, though. The Steelers rested Ben Roethlisberger and went with a combination of Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. They also rested key starters Maurkice Pouncey, T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward in the Week 17 matchup. 

The Steelers won the first matchup 38-7, but Cleveland was without leading rusher Nick Chubb and Pittsburgh is backing into the playoffs with a 1-4 record in their last five games. 

In the NFC, the Saints could be down to their last ride with Drew Brees. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that most expect the soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback will retire at the end of the season. 

The veteran has not had much luck in the playoffs with the Saints recently. They've been eliminated in the last three years by an average of 4.6 points per game.

A changing of the guard in the league's hierarchy of quarterbacks could be a theme for the whole postseason. Brees is joined by Tom Brady (43), Philip Rivers (39) and Roethlisberger (38) as signal-callers who are chasing titles in the twilight of their career. 

However, they'll have to get through quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes (25) and Josh Allen (24) to do it. 

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