NFC underdog report: Wild-card round

Six NFC teams are about to meet in the playoffs. Here’s how three can score an upset over favored opponents.

Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys (-7.5)

With a true workhorse running back on the roster, Green Bay could give the Cowboys trouble and even win Sunday’s game. Packers running back Aaron Jones finished 2023 as the league’s 36th-leading rusher with 656 yards but impressed in the team’s final three games (all wins) with an average of 21 carries and 119.3 yards per contest. Even at 29 years old, Jones appears to have plenty left in the tank. 

Only four teams allow fewer points and yards than Dallas, but its rushing defense is fairly ordinary, giving up 112.4 yards per game on the ground. With Packers quarterback Jordan Love making his first playoff start, head coach Matt LaFleur should continue to feed Jones the ball and Keep Dallas’ high-powered offense on the sidelines.

Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions (-3)

Were the teams to meet at SoFi Stadium, this game would be a “pick ‘em.” To beat the Lions in Detroit, the Rams need only to do what they’ve done over their past eight games. L.A. went 7-1 after its Week 10 bye, averaging 28.2 points per game. It would have run the table if not for an overtime loss to Baltimore in Week 14 but still put up 31 points on a Ravens defense that allowed a league-low 16.5 points per game.