Are you planning to expand your sports betting portfolio and considering placing wagers on the NFL playoffs this season? Here is everything you need to know about placing winning bets on the NFL.
There’s nothing more exciting than placing wagers on the NFL playoffs. With football being the most popular betting sport in the US, NFL makes up for at least half of all those sports bets in total.
With 15 of 18 weeks already passed, some of the best NFL teams are now battling for their chances to reach the Super Bowl. This provides many interesting wagering opportunities for bettors as the NFL playoffs attract many people worldwide. About $19.5 million worth of online bets were placed during the NFL playoffs. This number is only expected to triple or quadruple for the finals.
If you’ve recently developed an interest in betting on the NFL series, it’s best to start by gaining some knowledge about the game itself to make some winning bets. Here is everything you need to know to make big winning bets on the NFL playoffs.
NFL Playoffs: The Basics
Before we plunge into the betting segment, it’s important to know the basics of NFL playoffs that help make a well-informed bet. For the 2021 playoffs, NFL has decided to increase the playoff layout to 14 teams. This provides bettors with thirteen NFL playoff matches to place wagers on.
Before the Super Bowl, there are 3 rounds of playoffs known as the Wild card Weekend, Divisional Round, and Conference Championship. Seven teams qualify based on their regular-season record from the AFC and NFC conferences.
NFC and AFC are broken into a division of four with four teams per division. The four teams having the best record in their division are automatically advanced to the playoffs, leaving three playoff spots in each AFC and NFC.
The three spots of the wild card are given to those teams that didn’t win the division but have the best record. Once all fourteen teams are chosen, they are ranked (seeded) from 1 to 7 in each conference.
Here is a sample of the seed for you to understand better. Just remember, the higher the record is, the better the seed.
| AFC Conference | NFC Conference |
| 1* – Winner from North Division (16 -) | 1* – Winner from South Division (14-2) |
| 2 – Winner from East Division (15-2) | 2 – Winner from North Division (13-1) |
| 3 –Winner from West Division (13-3-2) | 3 – Winner from West Division (12-4) |
| 4 – Winner from South Division (12-1) | 4 – Winner from East Division (10-4-2) |
| 5 – Wild card (10-4) | 5 – Wild card (10-5) |
| 6 – Wild card (9-5) | 6 – Wild card (9-9) |
| 7 – Wild card (7-7) | 7 – Wild card (7-7) |
The team that tops each conference is rewarded with a bye week, which is automatically advanced from the foremost elimination week of the playoff.
For the first week, the 2 seeds will confront the 7 seed whereas the 3 seed will confront the 6 seed, and lastly, the 4 seed will confront the 5 seed.
Unlike other games, NFL is a single-elimination game where you either win or go home; there’s no in-between. This is exactly what makes it so interesting to bet on NFL.
NFL Playoffs: Different Types of Bets You Can Make
The bets placed on the NFL playoffs are completely different from those made on the regular season. However, the stakes are insanely high, and the real-time spreads and lines are continuously updated as the game unfolds.
Here are some of the top bets you can make this season:
Moneyline Betting
Betting on the moneyline is as simple and straightforward as the name suggests. You have to predict the winner of the game irrespective of other factors such as player performance, the overall score, etc.
The moneyline odds are usually mentioned like so:
| Team name | Favorite or Underdog? | Moneyline Odds |
| Carolina Panthers | Underdog | +265 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Favorite | -180 |
The odds with a negative symbol, “- “show the betting favorite, whereas the numerical value depicts the exact amount you must wager to win $100. For example, the Bucs are preferred to win the game as per the odds listed above, and if you bet $180 on them, you’d walk away with a total of $270.
However, the positive sign next to the odd signifies that the team is an underdog, and the number shows the amount of money you will win if you wager $100. For example, the Panthers are expected to lose the game, and if you bet $100, you’d walk away with a total of $365.
Point Spread Betting
One of the most popular betting types on the NFL games is the point spread. Again, similar to moneyline betting, you have to predict who the winner of the game will be but only AFTER the extra points are subtracted or added to each team’s total score.
The system works as follows that the favored team gets the points subtracted for the final score and your task as the bettor is to evaluate whether they’ll still win after losing these points or not.
Whereas for the underdogs, the points are added to their total score. If you believe that the added points can help the underdog’s cumulative score go over the favorite team’s final score, you can bet on the underdog.
The odds of point spread betting look like so:
Ravens were favored to win the match by a widespread margin on the moneyline so that the point spread will deduct “X” points from the total score. This will shift the odds in the bettor’s favor.
If you think the Ravens still win games after losing those points, then place a wager on them.
Totals Betting
You might know betting on totals as over/under bets, which is used for other sports too. Here, it necessarily doesn’t matter who will win the game since you are instead betting on the cumulative points that will be scored throughout the game.
The role of the oddsmaker here is to create a betting line that offers bettors the chance to place a wager on the total points while predicting whether it’ll go over or under a certain number.
Prop Bets
Things get very interesting when you get to prop bets since the focus here is on aspects such as a wide range of statistics or individual player performance. Some of the players will always arise as postseason stars, which allow bettors to make prop bets on the playoff series.
These bets are only applicable through the Super Bowl, but there are numerous prop betting opportunities during the playoff schedule.
Some examples of prop bets are as follows:
- How many touchdowns will a particular player score in the postseason?
- Who will make the foremost touchdown in a game?
- What will the complete number of sacks be in a game?
- How many times will the announcer say a specific word?
Prop bets are very volatile since the odds can go all over the place. These bets are worthy of your consideration during playoff times, especially during high-stake games, as the most unpredictable instants can take place.
NFL Playoff Parlays
With so many more weeks to go until the NFL ends, there are many opportunities to make some parlay bets. Parlay bets connect two or more games together while tying each game’s outcome to the overall odds. The task here for the bettor is to pick the winner correctly in both the games to cash out the parlay bet.
Parlay bets are usually considered when there are two teams, and you can’t see any of them losing to another in a given week of the playoff. However, do remember that parlay bets can either be placed on point spreads or moneyline, but not both.
Future Betting
The most prevalent future bet for the NFL playoffs is usually related to winning the Super Bowl. Future bets are quite simple as you place the wager on the outcomes BEFORE a specific team is even determined.
For example, for the NFL playoffs, you can place a bet on which team will win the Super Bowl even before they have qualified for the final match.
Since the bets are super lucrative, the chances of nailing them can be slim to none. But always remember, higher the risk means higher the return.
Live Bets
Living betting can be an exciting experience during the postseason since the momentum can cause you to do the most unexpected things during the playoffs. Live betting consists of a simple system of betting on the game that is taking place. Since it’s live betting, the odds can change at any point, making the betting experience more exciting.
The bets remain the same, such as moneyline, over/under, or point spreads, but the odds constantly change as the game progresses.
Betting on NFL: Playoffs vs. Regular Season
The playoffs have a totally different level of liveliness about them in comparison to the regular season since every game possesses a do-or-die situation. But this means that the stakes are so high that the tension can be cut through a stick.
The first difference is that you’ll find many sportsbooks offering promotions and rewards during the playoffs than the regular season. This is due to the increased attention the game receives during the postseason. This is why they offer many bonuses, such as odds boosts, to attract new customers.
The second thing to note here is the bye week which is a big factor to consider when considering to wager on NFL playoff games. There’s only one team for each conference that has a bye week which offers the other teams a serious advantage of playing an additional game on touching the Super Bowl.
Similarity: Variables such as home-field benefits, weather, rest, team strength, and injuries are quite the same when it comes to the NFL regular season and the playoffs. These factors can have a huge impact on the overall result of the game, which is why it must be considered when you’re handicapping a team’s chance of winning.
Is Betting on NFL Playoffs Worth It?
Betting on the NFL playoffs is a great idea as bettors are presented with some amazing opportunities to win big.
When you’re betting on any sport, it’s hard to take your eyes off the game since you have money at stake. But in terms of the NFL, the game itself is so exciting that you generally don’t want to stop watching. Then why not make money off it while you’re watching it?
Best Sportsbook For Online Betting on NFL Playoffs
Whether you’re looking to bet on the NFL playoffs or any other game, it’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket. Always spread out your bets by keeping a few good sportsbooking websites at hand as each offers different promotions and odds.
As a bettor, it can be difficult to keep track of the promotions being offered and see who’s the best sportsbook website; that’s why we recommend visiting Betting Site Ranking.
Betting Site Ranking is an online sportsbook website reviewing and ranking website that aims to serve its customers with the top sportsbooks. They do it all from reviewing and ranking them to comparing their betting promotions and websites.
They rank each website based on the overall user experience, ease of betting, quick payout feasibility, and offered promotions. The current list of top betting sites for the NFL series is available on their website, where the list is updated every 45 days to keep customers up to date.
Betting Site Ranking also provides betting tips, predictions, top daily bets, and a quick guide on how to place winning bets. Bettors can also visit their blog section to know the latest progress of each game and learn tips to make winning bets every day.
Those interested can visit their website and skim through the list to find themselves a new and reliable sportsbook.
