Once the regular season comes to an end, the NFL Playoffs really steal the show when it comes to sports during the winter months. If we learned anything from the last few years, it’s that some teams you might not have expected to make big moves can certainly do so. There will also be major favorites who will be expected to push for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. So, what are the best NFL Playoff betting strategies?
We preview that and more in this piece:
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For NFL postseason action, you’ll have dozens and dozens of odds to look over throughout the entire thing. That includes game lines, prop bets and futures bets. With so many studs being featured in the playoffs, a popular futures best of course is to predict the Super Bowl winner before the postseason gets underway.
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As much fun as the 18 weeks of the NFL’s regular season are, things really get going during the playoffs. We see 14 teams in the postseason each year, which was changed a few years back, with 7 teams from each conference advancing.
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Though more teams have been added to the NFL Playoffs, the matchups still feature higher seeds facing lower seeds. According to most NFL playoff predictors, only one team from each conference now gets a first-round bye, creating six games during the Wild Card round. That change reshaped the NFL playoffs bracket and is built into the official NFL playoff schedule.
In past years, two teams per conference would get a bye, but that’s no longer the case. For the No. 1 seed in both the AFC and NFC, this is a huge advantage—they rest during the Wild Card round while everyone else battles. The No. 2 seed, however, now faces an extra game, which can change the way NFL odds make playoffs lines look at sportsbooks.
Given the format, a No. 1 seed is often a smart Super Bowl pick. They earn the top spot in the standings, face one less round of play, and enter the NFL playoff schedule with fresher legs than their competition.
With the new NFL Playoffs format, it will always be wise to expect either a No. 1 or No. 2 seed to have a serious chance of playing for the Super Bowl. Yes, there could be some upsets, as we’ve seen over the years, but seeing a No. 6 or No. 7 seed string off a series of those upsets doesn’t seem unlikely.
For example, a No. 7 seed would have to take down the No. 2 seed (in either conference) in the Wild Card round. After that, they’d have to then take down probably a No. 3 seed (if No. 3 didn’t lose in the first round). Those odds won’t be too high.
With the No. 1 seed, say the Kansas City Chiefs earn that honor in the AFC for this postseason. Not only will they have a first-round bye, but Patrick Mahomes would have extra time to rest his rocket for an arm in preparation for the Divisional Round.
The same can be said for the NFC, if the Packers or 49ers reach that No. 1 slot. It’s only going to be a major benefit for a team to have that time off. This is something you must consider before making any kind of postseason wager.
There’s really no limit to what you can bet on during the NFL postseason. For each round, you’ll have all kinds of bets and odds at your disposal. Whether it’s placing a wager on your favorite team or a hated rival, your options will be endless, especially with these kinds of options:
This is a bet fans love, especially if they have high confidence in their team winning it all. A futures bet is when you are wagering on something to happen in advance.
So for the NFL, a great futures bet to make is on who will win it all. If you think the Seattle Seahawks and their outstanding defense will take home the trophy, why not get a bet in?
Even before the postseason starts, and before the regular season, you can get this futures bet in. You can also place a futures bet on who you think will advance to the Super Bowl from each conference, on who you think will be named the MVP of the Super Bowl and so much more.
Prop bets are the most fun and intriguing bets you can lay down. During the NFL postseason, these are extra awesome. You can bet on how long the National Anthem will be, who will win the coin toss, how long the first commercial will last and other cool bets.
Each year, the National Anthem is a popular bet. Fans time it themselves and take either the over or under on how long it will last. The coin toss is also big too as you essentially have a 50% chance. Will it be heads or tails? You’ll have to wait to find out.
The over/under bets are most commonly used for the final score of a postseason game. If the over/under is set at 65 points for a showdown between the LA Rams and Minnesota Vikings, they’ll need to combine for more than 65 points for you to win you bet, with 65 being a push.
In that case, if the Vikings were to take down the Rams in a high-scoring 38-31 affair, and you decide on the over, you’d win your bet because the total for the two teams is 69 points. You can also bet on the over/under by quarter or for a half.
The key thing to take a look at will be the seeds for the team during the playoffs. As we said above, going with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed will make much more sense than picking a No. 6 or No. 7 seed.
In addition, always monitor an injury situation. The last thing you’d want to do is place a bet on a team who has an injured quarterback, running back or playmaker on defense. That could majorly change a team’s odds in winning and advancing in the playoffs.
Each season, the top teams in the AFC and NFC will duke it out in their respective conferences until a champion on each side is crowned. Then, those two champs will meet in the biggest game of the year.
The norm used to be 12 teams in the postseason, but starting a few years back that number jumped to 14. In the first round, two teams (the No. 1 seeds in each conference) will have a bye, while the other 12 teams will battle it out. Then, six teams will be eliminated, leaving four teams in each conference.
After the Wild Card round comes the Divisional round. After that, you’ll have the conference championships and then the Super Bowl. The playoffs always start in January, with the Super Bowl coming in February. It’s an exciting time, with the best superstars on the planet doing everything they can to help their teams advance for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
You want to know how important a first-round bye is? Super Bowl 59 was another reminder. The Philadelphia Eagles, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, used their week off to recharge and went on to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. That bye week advantage has proven pivotal time and time again in the NFL postseason.
Being a top seed dramatically boosts the odds of advancing. From 1990–2019, 51.7% of No. 1 seeds reached the Super Bowl, and history continues to back up that trend. Even No. 2 seeds have had success, with 27.6% advancing over that span. But with the new format reducing byes to just one per conference, holding the top seed has never been more valuable.
When it comes to NFL playoff betting, a few simple truths can give you an edge before you place your bets.
Upsets happen, but history shows that the No. 1 seeds are most likely to reach the big game. The playoff format rewards top records, and betting on the strongest seeds is usually the safest play. Keep an eye on seeding, the latest lines, and injury reports before locking in your wagers.
The postseason takes football betting to another level. Every drive matters, and a single play can swing both the game and your bet. Whether it’s a last-second touchdown pushing the over or a field goal covering the spread, these moments are what make NFL best bets so exciting.
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Yes, you can definitely make a nice shiny buck off of betting on the NFL playoffs.
You can bet on the NFL Playoffs all year-round, but the options really multiply in December and January.
There are lots of options here, but one thing to keep in mind is to be careful about betting on your favorite team. Bet with your head!
Yes, the best NFL playoffs betting sites will have fun betting props.
Several top NFL betting sites are recommended here, all offering sharp lines, promos, and coverage of every playoff game.
It can be, especially if you shop around for the best lines and focus on smart NFL best bets rather than emotional plays.
You can place football bets on playoff futures year-round, with more markets available as the NFL playoff schedule 2026 gets closer.
Stick to bankroll discipline, avoid bias toward your favorite team, and look for mismatches in spreads, totals, and props.
Yes—beyond spreads and moneylines, you’ll find unique props like player milestones, game specials, and even Super Bowl novelty bets.
About the Author
Trent’s your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent’s got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
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