2015-16 NFL Playoffs: Opening Line Report
The 2015-16 NFL Playoff field has been set with Kansas City kicking off this weekend’s Wild Card action in Houston at 4:35 pm ET on Saturday. Below shows a snippet of our Live Odds page for Pro members and we’ll explain how and why the opening odds and betting trends for each matchup have changed. You can also keep up with all the latest line moves and market info at our Free Live Odds page.
Chiefs (-3) at Texans: Despite 5Dimes listing this lookahead line KC -6 during the week, the entire market including Pinnacle opened KC -3. Early bettors are confident in the Chiefs who have won 10 straight games, and 74% of early bets on KC has moved the juice from -110 to -120 at Pinnacle, and from -110 to -130 at CRIS.
Steelers (-3) at Bengals: Some people were surprised to see the Steelers opening as favorites in Cincinnati but this was largely due to the status of Bengals QB Andy Dalton (questionable with a thumb injury). However, the line has dropped to Pittsburgh -2.5 around the market despite the Steelers getting 71% of early bets, so there’s speculation that Dalton could be back in time.
Even with Dalton’s status up in the air, bettors aren’t waiting to place their wagers as this is the most bet playoff game so far.
Seahawks (-4.5) at Vikings: Both Seattle and Minnesota are coming off impressive Week 17 wins, but oddsmakers have clearly been very high on Seattle throughout the second half of the season. Seattle opened -4.5 for this one and are getting over 80% of early spread bets, pushing the line to Seattle -5.5 around most of the market. Squarer offshores like Sportsbook.ag actually list the Seahawks a point higher at -6.5 so they’re hoping they’ll attract bets on Minnesota.
Packers at Redskins (-2): Perhaps the most intriguing game of the Wild Card round comes on 4:45 pm ET on Sunday afternoon in Washington. Pinnacle actually opened Washington -2 while most of the market opened this game at a pick ’em. This game will likely see a lot of line moves until game time and could see Green Bay close as favorites. However, 60% of early bets are actually taking the Redskins at home, which we found surprising since Green Bay is usually a public darling.
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