Spread ‘Em: Rory & Mal’s Best Bets for NFL Wild Card Weekend

Playoff football changes everything. At this point, it’s all about the spreads, the disrespect baked into the lines, and whether Vegas is daring you to believe what your eyes have already told you all season.

Neither of us is pretending to be emotionally invested anymore. The Giants are cooked, that’s over, and personal fandom takes a backseat. This is strictly business.

So let’s get right into it.

Patriots (-3.5) vs Chargers

The first matchup that jumps off the board is Patriots vs. Chargers. The line sitting at Patriots -3.5 feels light. That half-point hook matters, but even with that, this feels like a Patriots game through and through. Both of us have confidence this pick. Not only do we like the Patriots to win, we like them to cover comfortably.

There’s a larger belief baked into this pick too. This isn’t just about one game. There’s a real case for the Patriots making a deep run, possibly all the way to the Super Bowl. That doesn’t mean blind loyalty or nostalgia. It’s about how they’re playing, how disciplined they look, and how prepared they seem for this moment.

Rory & Mal: Patriots -3.5

Bills (-1) at Jaguars

Next up, Bills -1 vs the Jaguars. This is one of those lines that almost doesn’t make sense when you first see it.

This is Bills all day. There’s no overthinking this one.

Rory & Mal: Bills -1

49ers at Eagles (-3.5)

Then there’s Eagles vs 49ers, which opened at Eagles -3.5. This is where our opinions start to split.

For Rory, the Eagles spread feels disrespectful given how complete they’ve looked. They’ve been dominant, physical, and consistent. The argument here is simple: they should win, and they should win by more than a field goal.

On the other side, Mal has real belief in the 49ers. Not blind belief, not hype, but trust in how they show up in big moments. This feels like a game where the spread is begging you to overvalue regular season dominance without accounting for matchup specifics. The 49ers feel live here. Taking them against the spread, or even outright, doesn’t feel crazy at all.

This is one of those games where nobody should be shocked by either outcome. It’s a true playoff coin flip disguised as a favorite’s game.

Rory: Eagles -3.5

Mal: 49ers +3.5

Rams at Panthers (+10.5)

Rams vs. Panthers is where the line gets loud. Rams -10 immediately raises eyebrows. That’s a big number, especially in the playoffs, and it forces you to ask whether the Rams are really about to run away with this game or if this is just Vegas bait.

Mal is on the Rams. They’re the better team, they’re more experienced, and if things snowball early, 10 points won’t matter.

Rory, on the other hand, thinks the Panthers don’t need to win to cash this bet. They just need to hang around. This feels like a classic spot where the underdog keeps it ugly enough to cover, even if they never truly threaten to win.

If you believe in dominance, you ride with the Rams. If you believe in playoff weirdness, you take the points.

Rory: Panthers +10.5

Mal: Rams -10.5

Final Thoughts

There’s also a competitive element baked into this. These picks aren’t just for show. There’s a punishment looming, and the audience gets a say in what that punishment might be. No one is trying to lose. No one is trying to get cute. This is straight up spread against spread.

At the end of the weekend, someone is going to be right, someone is going to be wrong, and someone is going to have to answer for it publicly.

For now, we wait for the games to do the talking.