NFL Wild Card Weekend Odds and Guide - 01-05-12

January 5 - After a long and hard 2011-12 NFL Regular season, the teams that pulled out all the stops to make it to the playoffs can enjoy some well-deserved kudos. However, their post season journeys are only just beginning, as reflected by the latest NFL playoff odds.

With four games scheduled for the weekend - known as 'Wild Card Weekend' - there's plenty of betting action for NFL fans, and thanks to the safety, convenience and privacy of online sportsbooks like the US-friendly Bovada, betting has never been easier or safer.

Wild Card Weekend Odds for NFL Playoff Games

In fact, in anticipation of a big NFL playoffs betting weekend, Bovada has posted the most up-to-date odds, including for the highly anticipated Wild Card Weekend matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the visiting Detroit Lions on Saturday, which has the Saints as the overwhelming -11 point (O/U 59.5) favorites.

Perhaps this is not all that surprising considering the Saints will have the home advantage on the weekend, added to the fact they finished top of the NFC South division on 13-3, compared to the Lions who finished second in the NFC North division on 10-6.

Add to that a general consensus by NFL fans and pundits alike that New Orleans is the most likely team to make it to Super Bowl XLVI, and you have ample reason for NFL oddsmakers to post them as the betting favorites. Of course, that's not to say Detroit won't bring out their A-game, and give the home team a solid run for their money.

That said, devout NFL fans and statisticians alike will be aware that the Saints and Lions have played each other three times in the last four seasons, and in each case the Saints proved triumphant - by a combined score of 118-51. But it has to be said that in the early 2000s, the Lions enjoyed a three-game winning streak over the Lions.

The point is that these rivalries swing in roundabouts. The big NFL betting question is whether the Lions have what it takes to swing things their way this season? For our buck, the answer is a short sharp no. The New Orleans Saints have Super Bowl Champs written all over them.

Check out Bovada's NFL Playoff odds below for all four games scheduled for the weekend:

NFL Wild Card Weekend Odds at Bovada

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Team	Odds	Total
Cincinnati Bengals	+3 (EV)	38½ (-110)o
Houston Texans	-3 (-120)	38½ (-110)u
Detroit Lions	+11 (-105)	59½ (-110)o
New Orleans Saints	-11 (-115)	59½ (-110)u

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Team	Odds	Total
Atlanta Falcons	+3	47 (-110)o
New York Giants	-3	47 (-110)u
Pittsburgh Steelers	-9 (-115)	34 (-110)o
Denver Broncos	+9 (-105)	34 (-110)u