NFL WILD CARD: Our official predictions for who wins this weekend

Houston Texans* (-1.5) over Indianapolis Colts

The first game of the weekend is one of the most compelling, with division rivals Houston and Indianapolis meeting for the third time this season, both making the postseason after brutal starts to the year.

The Colts enter this game as one of the hottest teams in football, winning nine of their final 10 games to sneak into the playoffs, while the Texans rebounded from an 0-3 start to win the AFC South.

These two teams split their games this season, but we're backing the Texans to win the rubber match. Andrew Luck might be the hottest quarterback in football right now, but Deshaun Watson is no pushover, and the Texans should have the advantage in most other positional battles on the field.

If Houston's pass rush can give Luck enough trouble to make him uncomfortable, the Texans should be able to earn the win in front of their home crowd.

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T.Y. Hilton over 85.5 receiving yards (-130)

The Texans are our pick to win the game, but as far as player props go, there is no better bet in this game than T.Y. Hilton.

Hilton owns the Texans. In his past three games against Houston, Hilton has receiving totals of 115, 199, and 175 yards.

There's a bit of extra juice on the over for this bet, but with how well Hilton has played against the Texans secondary in recent matchups, it's worth the risk.

Bet $65 to win $50

Seattle Seahawks (+2) over Dallas Cowboys*

Dallas went 7-1 at home this season and finished the year strong, winning seven of their final eight games. But despite their hot streak heading into the playoffs, the Cowboys still feel like longshots to take down the Seahawks this weekend.

Pete Carroll has the coaching edge in big games over Jason Garrett, and Russell Wilson is the easy choice over Dak Prescott in a must-win game. Unless Ezekiel Elliott puts the team on his back with some sort of historic effort — not an impossibility — the Seahawks should be able to move on to the next round.

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Tyler Lockett over 56.5 receiving yards (-115)

Tyler Lockett might not be the flashiest receiver on the field on Saturday, but he's one of the most consistent. Russell Wilson reliably looks Lockett's way about five times a game, and he's capable of hitting this over with just one or two catches thanks to his place in the Seahawks offense.

Bet $57.50 to win $50

Baltimore Ravens* (-2.5) over Los Angeles Chargers

Had the Chargers been able to come back and win the AFC West, there's a chance they'd be favorites to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. But due to the Chiefs' dominance through the 2018 season, Los Angeles has to play on Wild Card Weekend, and faces a Ravens team that presents them with what's likely their worst possible matchup of any team that made the postseason.

The Chargers have been one of the most balanced team all season and proven themselves capable of keeping pace with the pass-first, high-octane style that has taken over the league.

Unfortunately for them, the Ravens postseason run has come thanks to Baltimore bucking the trend, doubling down on their defense and commitment to the run with the elevation of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson into the starting job.

It's not even a theoretical case — football fans saw this matchup just two weeks ago, with Baltimore effectively shutting down Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense in a 22-10 victory.

If the Chargers can win this game, they have a shot at making it all the way to a Super Bowl victory, but beating the Ravens will be no easy task.

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Longest made field goal over 44.5 yards (-130)

Justin Tucker is one of the greatest kickers to ever play the game, and with the Chargers and Ravens seemingly set for a low-scoring affair, expect Baltimore to lean on Tucker a good amount.

Tucker missed twice against Los Angeles when the two teams met in the regular season, and he doesn't strike me as the type to pass up a second chance to score on his opponents.

Even with some concerns about the wind, one of these teams will find a way to score a pretty long field goal before the final whistle blows.

Bet $65 to win $50

Philadelphia Eagles (+6) over Chicago Bears*

While the Eagles have a long way to go if they hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, it's almost impossible to bet against them with how they're playing right now.

After a rough year marked by injuries, the Philadelphia defense has finally found some of the consistency that made them such a threat all last season, and Nick Foles once again has the offense running with a looseness that makes you believe that anything is possible.

The Eagles will also be facing a Bears team that might be just a bit too eager for their first playoff game since 2010.

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There will be a defensive/special teams touchdown in the game (+210)

The odds on this bet should be a little better, but at just 2-to-1 I think this is a pretty solid wager given the two teams playing.

With Chicago, you have a Bears defense that led the league with 36 takeaways and six defensive touchdowns through the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, the Eagles front four offers one of the best pass-rushes the Bears have faced all season, and they'll be chasing down a young quarterback in Mitch Trubisky who is playing in his first career playoff game.

Whether it's Khalil Mack taking a strip sack to the house or Malcolm Jenkins finding a floater in space and switching fields, it feels like one of these defenses breaks through with a score.

Bet $50 to win $105

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