NFL picks: NFL Wild Card Round

Here's a look at our NFL Wild Card Round picks against the spread as of Tuesday, Jan. 1. Lines are from Pinnacle Sports.

Week 17 picks went 9-7 and 129-122-4 overall during the regular season.

Texans -1.0 vs. Colts

After the line opened at -2.5 for Houston, it's already moved quickly in Indy's favor. The AFC South rivals split the season series, with the Colts winning most recently in Week 14 at Houston. Key to that victory for Indianapolis was the offensive line's ability to protect Andrew Luck, allowing only two sacks as Luck threw for 399 yards and two scores. While Houston is shorthanded at wideout again, now without Will Fuller and Demaryius Thomas, DeAndre Hopkins has been on fire lately with three straight 100-yard games. Deshaun Watson also hasn't thrown a pick over the last six games, which could make the difference in a game that's effectively a toss-up.

Seahawks +1.0 at Cowboys

Seattle has exceeded expectations all year, finishing the regular season with the second best against-the-spread (ATS) record (9-5-2) against a Cowboys squad that also fared well ATS at 9-6-1. Pete Carroll is 9-5 during his playoff career with Seattle vs. 1-2 for Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. It's worth noting that Seattle had a losing record on the road this season, but the Seahawks were able to beat Dallas 24-13 in Week 3 at home. The line has already moved from 2.5 points to just a point, so the early money is on Seattle's side.

Ravens -2.5 vs. Chargers

Baltimore took down Los Angeles 22-10 on the road just two weeks ago and now gets to host Philip Rivers and Co. The Ravens defense really held Rivers in check during that contest, as he threw for 181 yards and two interceptions. John Ewing of the The Action Network made a very interesting note: Since 2003, teams with a better record have gone 13-27-1 against the spread on the road or at a neutral site. While the sample size is very small, that trend certainly doesn't favor the visiting Chargers.

Eagles +6.0 at Bears

Vegas seems unimpressed with Philadelphia's late emergence, winning five of its last six games and getting some help from the Bears in Week 17 to make the playoffs. This is an interesting matchup between the playoff-tested Eagles and the inexperienced Bears, though it's worth noting Chicago's defense hasn't allowed more than 17 points in the last four games and could get safety Eddie Jackson back for this contest. While the Bears were the top team in the NFL against the spread this year (12-4), Philly's defense is finally coming around lately, and the Eagles have won four of their last five against the spread.