The NFL Wild Card Weekend betting trends are one of the best ways to get a sense on where the public stands regarding the games for the opening week of the NFL postseason. As we examine the NFL betting trends for this week, we’ll look at all of the ways the public is influencing the behavior of the sportsbooks and the behavior of other bettors.

Luckily for us, Pikkit tracks all of the bets placed in their community, and we don’t have to go far to find out the latest trends of the betting public across all of the different sportsbook apps. That feature is one of the reasons we’ve named Pikkit the best bet-tracking app on the market.

NFL Betting Trends for Wild Card Weekend

There is a lot of action, as expected, in the NFL’s postseason. Three games stick out as games the public is rather split on. No surprise, as they are the games with the slimmest spreads. All three also involve rematches from earlier in the season between non-divisional opponents.

A top offense is going on the road as a favorite to play a division winner with a losing record. There is a question about whether they should be a favorite and if Tom Brady is going to keep his undefeated streak against the Dallas Cowboys alive.

The Los Angeles Chargers are going to be without star wide receiver Mike Williams, who broke his back in a meaningless Week 18 game. The Jacksonville Jaguars are home dogs, for now. What does the public think now that Justin Herbert will be without a top weapon?

And finally, the New York Giants take on the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Does the public view the Minnesota Vikings as truly the second-best team in the conference? Or is an upset brewing in the land of a thousand lakes?

Let’s dive deeper into the NFL Wild Card Weekend betting trends.

Public Trusts Tom Brady’s Mythology

This is a Week 1 rematch when both teams seemingly had two completely different destinies, which has caught the public’s eye as one of the more interesting trends of the weekend. The Cowboys are road favorites against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who sport a losing record but are hosting the game.

Trey Wingo believes the Cowboys should be worried this weekend, and apparently, so does the public. On the moneyline, 75% of the money is coming in on the Buccaneers to win this game. That comprises 68% of all bets placed.

It’s possible last week’s Week 18 debacle has reignited the public’s distrust of the Cowboys, causing them to believe that not only will the Buccaneers cover the 2.5-point spread, but they’ll also win outright.

That said, the bets on the spread are even more lopsided. Of bets placed, 77.4% see the Buccaneers covering, with 82.5% of the money finding its way onto Tampa Bay. It stands to reason that if you believe Tampa will win outright, you should grab your value when they are underdogs against the spread, too, according to the NFL Wild Card Weekend betting trends.

Brandon Staley Has the Public’s Trust

A week after playing his starters in a meaningless Week 18 game, to only pull them in the fourth quarter of a game they lost, could present some real problems for Brandon Staley and the Chargers. They will be without Williams, who was one of the starters to be injured in that game.

The public hasn’t given up on them just yet. Despite being on the road, the Chargers are the favorite, and the public is bolting up. Of the bets on the moneyline, 57% have been placed on the Chargers, accounting for a whopping 77% of all money being wagered. That doesn’t mean they believe this game will be a blowout, however, according to these NFL betting trends.

52.5% of the bets have come in for the Chargers to cover the 1.5-2.5-point spread range, depending on the sportsbook. Those bets make up the identical 52.5% of money being wagered. Almost 50/50 on who covers but still in favor of LA.

A Giant Upset in Minnesota

The Vikings have largely been underappreciated this season. While achieving the two seed in the NFC, they’ve rarely looked like the second best at anything. There are significant flaws in Minnesota’s defense, and they have what many would argue is an unsustainable record in one-score games.

These two teams faced off earlier this year, and it can be reasoned that the Giants should have won. This has the feel of the closest matchup of the weekend, and the public feels that way too. Of the bets placed, 48% have come in on the Giants to pull off the upset on the road as three-point underdogs.

Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of people pick them to cover that three-point spread; 65% of the bets have them covering, making up 73% of the money being wagered. Personally, my Behavior Bets sports betting model has the Giants winning this game outright, and I was able to get them +3 against the spread.

If the NFL Wild Card Weekend betting trends continue, expect that line to move closer to game time.