Henry Roldán
The 2023 NFL postseason begins this coming weekend with six stellar matchups, three of which are AFC Wild Card games.
While the Kansas City Chiefs will be off this week having qualified as the top seed in the American Conference with a 14-3 record, there is no doubt that we will enjoy three great clashes in the face of the divisional round. Here, at JefeBet, we’ve prepared for you the best previews and predictions for these games.
All odds shown are courtesy of BetMGM.
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Predictions, Odds and Betting Previews for the 2023 NFL Playoffs AFC Wild Card Games on January 14-15, 2023
Los Angeles Chargers (-115) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (-105) / Saturday, January 14 / 8:15 PM E.T.
- Chargers Spread: -1.0.
- Jaguars Spread: +1.0.
- Over/Under: 47.5
The Chargers qualified for the postseason as the first American Conference wild card after a regular round close in which they won five of their last seven games. Ultimately, the Los Angeles team finished with a 10-7 record and thus returned to the playoffs after three seasons of absence.
While on defense they are one of the weakest teams in the league at stopping the ground attack (so they’ll have to be careful of Jacksonville), their offense is built around the abilities of quarterback Justin Herbert.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in recent years after winning seven of their last nine games to take the AFC South; this is something that at mid-season seemed impossible to snatch from the Titans. Jacksonville was crowned with a 9-8 record and, in addition to breaking several historic records, they did it after four consecutive seasons at the bottom of the division.
Their offense is extremely dangerous because of their ability to throw the ball and run with it, and the defense is one of the best in the league at forcing turnovers and getting them into the end zone.
Prediction: Jaguars to win.
[Chargers vs Jaguars AFC Wild Card Game full betting preview here]
Miami Dolphins (+400) vs Buffalo Bills (-550) / Sunday, January 15 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Dolphins Spread: +10.5.
- Bills Spread: -10.5.
- Over/Under: 43.5
Thanks to an agonizing 6-11 win over the Jets and the Patriots’ loss to the Bills, the Dolphins managed to sneak into the third wild card of the American Conference despite dropping five consecutive games prior to their win over New York. This is the first time in five seasons that Miami has returned to the postseason and they did so with a 9-8 record.
For this AFC Wild Card game, the Dolphins have several issues, including questions about whether Tua Tagovailoa will be able to come out of concussion protocol and whether their secondary, one of the worst in the league, will be able to stop Buffalo’s passes.
The Bills qualified as AFC East champions and second in the American Conference after the NFL decided not to reschedule their game against the Bengals, which could have given them first place in the conference. Buffalo finished with seven wins in a row and easily clinched the division lead with a 13-3 record.
This Bills team is one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl due to the balance they have in each of their areas, which places them among the best offenses and defenses in the circuit.
Prediction: Bills spread.
[Dolphins vs Bills AFC Wild Card Game betting preview here]
Baltimore Ravens (+240) vs Cincinnati Bengals (-300) / Sunday, January 15 / 8:15 PM E.T.
- Ravens Spread: +6.5.
- Bengals Spread: -6.5.
- Over/Under: 43.5
The Ravens qualified for the postseason for the fourth time in the last five championships after getting into the American Conference as the second wild card with a 10-7 record. After leading the AFC North for several weeks, Baltimore could not withstand the pressure of the Bengals, a team they faced last weekend and will meet again this Sunday.
The situation is far from straightforward for the Ravens without their starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose ability to play again due to a knee injury is seriously questioned. Jackson’s absence was the primary factor in Baltimore’s failure to maintain the division lead. The Ravens’ defense is good, but without their best man on offense, things have been very difficult for them.
The Bengals finished the season with eight straight victories, and had it not been for Damar Hamlin’s unfortunate incident, which caused the NFL to decide against rescheduling the game against the Bills, the Cincinnati team would have finished the season not only as the AFC North champion with a 12-4 record, but also with the best record in the American Conference.
Cincinnati is the reigning AFC champion and has a fairly balanced roster to try to repeat the feat. Their passing game with Joe Burrow is among the best in the league, while their ground defense is virtually impossible to beat .
Prediction: Bengals Spread.
[Ravens vs Bengals AFC Wild Card game full betting preview here]
