The NFL playoffs for the 2024 season begin this weekend with the wild card round. All three NFC games are rematches from earlier this season, including a couple of Week 1 games this Sunday like Packers-Eagles and Commanders-Buccaneers. Then Monday night will conclude the week with the Rams trying to pull off a sweep of the Minnesota Vikings, who lost badly in Detroit when trying to claim the top seed and avoid this round.

The Vikings and Commanders are certainly the surprise teams playing this weekend after they had some of the lowest Super Bowl odds coming into 2024. But we’ll see if Jayden Daniels can get a road win in his playoff debut after one of the greatest rookie seasons ever. We’ll also see if Sam Darnold, a potential winner for Comeback Player of the Year, can win his first playoff game and bounce back from his worst game of the season last Sunday night.

As for the quarterbacks in the other game, it’s an injury watch for Jordan Love (elbow) and Jalen Hurts (concussion), but it sounds optimistic that both will be good to go Sunday afternoon.

We have another jumbo-sized preview with all the stats, injury notes, matchups, betting advice, and predictions you need for each NFC wild card game.

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5, O/U 45.5)

The No. 7 Green Bay Packers (11-6) will take on the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) this Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Packers already became the first No. 7 seed to win a playoff game last year when they dominated the Cowboys, but the Eagles have only lost one of their last 13 games since the bye week.

We are going to assume that Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts will be fine to play this game.

The Last Matchup

2024, Week 1: Eagles 34, Packers 29

It’s back to the beginning of the season for these teams. But that game was a Friday night in Brazil on a field that was less than optimal for an NFL game to say the least. Despite the poor field conditions that saw players slipping, the teams combined for 63 points.

But it was definitely a sloppy game. The Eagles had three turnovers, and Hurts could have easily had more in that game if the Packers capitalized. Still, Hurts threw for 278 yards and Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his Philadelphia debut, months before he’d clinch a 2,000-yard rushing season.

Jordan Love and the Packers won the turnover battle, but they still didn’t play great with just a field goal on their final five drives. On the last drive of the game, Love was injured on a low hit and wound up missing the next two games, which may have contributed to a slow start this year.

It’s probably not a good game to draw conclusions from given the field conditions, the first game for new coordinators on both sides, the first game for Saquon and Josh Jacobs in their new offenses, etc.

But the Eagles winning despite a season-high in giveaways should also not be discounted as you’ll see why below.

Injury Watch

Like we said, Jalen Hurts suffered a concussion on December 22 and hasn’t played since. He hasn’t been cleared from the concussion protocol as of Tuesday night, but it sounds promising that he’ll be good to go for this game. It never looked like a really bad concussion, but the Eagles are probably just being cautious as they knew they could rest starters in Week 18 and be ready for this game.

The Eagles were able to rest a lot of their key starters in Week 18 as Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Carter, Darius Slay, Lane Johnson, etc. did not play.

The Packers were trying to beat Chicago to avoid the No. 7 seed, but they lost Jordan Love to an elbow injury. It looked like he might have been able to get back into the game if they really wanted him to, but they too took the cautious approach after that scare.

However, wide receiver Christian Watson was most unfortunate as he tore his ACL and that will put his 2025 season in jeopardy too. He has been injured frequently in his career, but this is the most serious yet. That will take away a deep threat for the Packers, though in Week 1, he caught 3-of-5 targets for 13 yards and a short touchdown against the Eagles. The Packers are used to having other players step up in Watson’s absence.

Green Bay has been playing without top corner Jaire Alexander since November, and you won’t see him again this season after the team placed him on injured reserve.

Stats to Know

Here are some relevant and informative statistics for these teams heading into this matchup:

• Since 2002, home teams favored by 3.5-to-5.5 points in the playoffs are 22-21 ATS and 28-15 SU (65.1%).
• Since 2021, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is 11-5-1 ATS (67.6%) in home games against teams that make the playoffs, including a 10-2-1 record since 2022.
• Philadelphia’s only loss at home to a playoff team since 2022 was against the 2023 49ers. Otherwise, they are 12-1 SU, including Week 1’s game on a neutral field against these Packers.
• Since 2019, Green Bay under Matt LaFleur is 18-8 ATS (69.2%) as a road underdog, the third-best record in that time.
• Since 2021, the over is 21-14 (60.0%) in Philadelphia home games under Sirianni.
• Jalen Hurts is 13-10 (.565) at game-winning drive opportunities, the second-best record among active starters.
• The 2024 Eagles are 8-2 in close games with eight holds on defense of a one-score lead in the fourth quarter.
• The Eagles are 3-2 at 4QC opportunities and 4-2 at game-winning drive opportunities.
• Jordan Love is 5-9 (.357) at game-winning drive opportunities in his career.
• The 2024 Packers are 5-3 in close games with three holds on defense of a one-score lead in the fourth quarter.
• The Packers are 2-3 at 4QC opportunities and 3-3 at game-winning drive opportunities.
• The Eagles and Packers have both lost two games after leading in the fourth quarter this season.
• Vic Fangio Settling in Effect? The Eagles have only allowed more than 23 points in a game once since October, and that was the 36-33 loss to Washington.
• The Eagles have rushed for at least 113 yards in every game this season except for the Week 18 finale when they rested starters against the Giants.
• Throw to Win? The Eagles are 1-3 when they allow at least 225 net passing yards and 13-0 when they hold teams under that mark.
• According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles (-0.17) and Packers (-0.13) are No. 2 and No. 3 in EPA per pass allowed on defense this season. The Eagles are also No. 5 against the run while the Packers are No. 8.
• Quarterbacks have the third-shortest time to throw (2.69 seconds) against the Philadelphia defense.
• Philadelphia’s defense is No. 3 on third down and No. 5 in the red zone at stopping touchdowns.
• Coverage over Pressure: No matter if you use Pro Football Reference or Next Gen Stats, the Eagles have the fifth-lowest pass pressure rate this season, suggesting their success has been more about their coverage of receivers.
• In Philadelphia’s three losses, A.J. Brown was inactive for the first two and Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the last one (Washington) with an early concussion. The Eagles are 12-0 when Brown and Hurts finish a game together.
• Green Bay’s Jayden Reed scored a 70-yard touchdown against the Eagles in Brazil – the only offensive touchdown of 50-plus yards the Eagles have allowed this season.
• The Packers are 1-6 when they allow more than 22 points this season.
• Philadelphia’s 144 rushing yards in Week 1 were the second most the Packers have allowed in a game this season.
• The Packers are No. 4 with 31 takeaways under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, but they have still lost two games while allowing 31-plus points in games they produced three turnovers, including Week 1 in Brazil.

The Fatal Flaw

What is the factor most likely to lead to each team’s downfall this postseason and in this matchup in particular?

Packers – Beating Contenders  

Compared to last season when the young Packers snuck in as the No. 7 seed with a 9-8 record, this year’s team is better on paper. It has a lot of top 10 rankings (or higher) on both offense and defense. But the reason the Packers were a hyped contender coming into 2024 and that hype has died down a lot going into this year’s playoffs is that this team just doesn’t have any real signature win this year.

Was it beating the Texans on a last-second field goal in a 24-22 game in Week 7? Was it stomping the Dolphins on Thanksgiving, a team that always folds on the road against good teams? Was it making Seattle look bad on Sunday night a few weeks later?

What made the Packers look so impressive last year is the way the team won in Detroit, the way it scored 27 points in a win over the Chiefs, and then that playoff run with the domination of the Cowboys and nearly upsetting the 49ers on the road in the divisional round.

You mix those quality wins with the way Love was playing like an MVP quarterback in the second half of the season, and that’s the kind of team some of us expected this year to take control of the NFC North and possibly be the team that ends the Kansas City three-peat in February.

But that’s not how things have played out and it goes back to Week 1 in Brazil when the Packers didn’t handle a very good Philadelphia team well. Beyond that, the Packers were swept by the Vikings and Lions. They damn near were swept by the Bears too had it not been for a blocked field goal, so that could have easily been 0-6 in the division, the greatest division in NFL history.

The way Green Bay started so slowly in Minnesota in Week 17, their latest big test, was also troubling. This team just hasn’t met the challenge of the best teams on the schedule this year, and that’s what they’re going to have to do by starting this playoff run in Philadelphia. If they win, they have to go to Detroit next week.

Good luck with that.

Eagles – Offensive Identity

Adding Saquon Barkley no doubt helped the Eagles get back to more of their identity that they had in 2022 when they reached the Super Bowl. Throw in some injuries to the wide receivers early in the season, and Barkley’s dominant rushing behind a great offensive line really became the new identity for this offense as he was on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record before settling with 2,005 yards in 16 games.

But there came a point where it felt like the Eagles were trying to get Saquon the rushing record at the expense of developing their passing game with Hurts, Brown, and Smith. Brown had a little media story when he said the offense needed to work on passing the ball after the team nearly lost to the lowly Panthers had Xavier Legette not dropped a go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute in Week 14. This came on the heels of a win over Baltimore where the offense, especially the passing game, didn’t impress.

The Eagles had just 195 net passing yards in Weeks 13-14 combined. But they attacked the Steelers through the air early and often in their next game and seemed to get back on track. Unfortunately, it was the next game where Hurts was concussed on a scramble against Washington.

So, with their stars healthy for the playoff run, the Eagles are going to have to show they can be smart with how they approach these teams and do the right thing offensively. You’re no longer chasing a rushing record in the playoffs. If you need to throw the ball against a damaged secondary like Detroit, you might need to go that route instead of focusing on Barkley’s touches. The Packers have struggled against some good passing games in some of their losses, so maybe that’s the focus this week.

But there should be a lot of attention on Hurts this postseason. He’s 2-3 as a playoff starter and has arguably been better in defeat than victory. He’s yet to win a playoff game when the Eagles allow more than 7 points, but he’s also yet to lose one where they allowed fewer than 31 points. Very feast or famine in that regard for the Sirianni-Hurts era.

Best Bets and Prediction

I checked the Sunday weather for Philadelphia and it sounds like it will be in the 30s and cloudy, so no big deal for these teams. Conventional wisdom might say go with the under in the playoffs between solid defenses with quarterbacks returning from injury. Fair point. But then you consider they played to a 34-29 game on a poor field in Brazil, and it wouldn’t be that crazy to see a 27-20 game that hits the over (45.5) here. Both teams have scored at least 20 points in all but two games each this year.

The unusual spread (Eagles -4.5) feels like a jab at Week 1 when the Eagles won 34-29. The Packers have lost only one other game by more than 3 points this year (24-14 vs. Lions), but the Eagles have the right stuff on both sides of the ball to frustrate Love, take advantage of his inaccurate throws, and then they should run the ball well with Barkley. Hurts is the wild card in the postseason, but he moved the ball against this defense in Week 1 and has protected the ball way better this year since that game.

The fact is the Eagles are 14-3 and are two dropped passes from Saquon (Atlanta) and DeVonta Smith (Washington) from a 16-1 record. This is a very good team that should win this game, but I haven’t forgotten that the Packers lit up the Cowboys like a Christmas tree in this spot a year ago.

It’s just that you’re used to seeing Dallas disappoint in the playoffs while the Eagles usually don’t go one-and-done, especially not in back-to-back years.

Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, O/U 50.5)

The No. 6 Washington Commanders (12-5) will take on the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) this Sunday night in Tampa Bay. The Commanders are having their greatest season since 1991, and the Buccaneers have won their division four years in a row. Washington has not won a playoff game since the 2005 season in a 17-10 game in Tampa.

You can expect more points this time between Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield. But the latter is 2-0 on wild card weekend, and we’ll see how the rookie fares for the Commanders in his first playoff game.

The Last Matchup

2024, Week 1: Buccaneers 37, Commanders 20

It’s another Week 1 rematch. When this game happened, no one was expecting that Washington would be a 12-win team. They really struggled on pass defense as Mayfield threw four touchdowns (two to Mike Evans), and Daniels was very curious as a runner with 16 carries where he could have protected himself better on a few of them.

But the Commanders learned quickly from that 17-point loss, the only game this year that they lost by more than one possession. You have to think they’ll be more confident offensively going into this one, but the defense is going to have to step up if they’re to win this game.

Injury Watch

The Commanders benched Daniels at halftime of Sunday’s game, but that was more about playoff rest than any injury. Most of the starters played through to the end, and someone like Austin Ekeler made his return to the backfield rotation. Overall, the Commanders should be relatively healthy.

The Buccaneers got a big game out of Chris Godwin in Week 1, but his season is over. Still, they’ve gotten production out of Jalen McMillan in recent weeks, so they’re still very potent on offense. That’s why the Commanders really need a corner like Marshon Lattimore who they acquired from New Orleans to try playing in this one. A hamstring injury has limited him to very few snaps for Washington.

Lattimore has a very documented history with Mike Evans as the two hate each other from their days of playing twice a year in the NFC South. That’s a name to watch out for to see if he’s playing as those hamstring injuries can be pesky.

The Buccaneers will be without safety Jordan Whitehead, who was involved in a car accident last week. He will be okay, but he just won’t be playing in this game.

Stats to Know

Here are some useful and informative statistics for these teams heading into this matchup:

• Spread records this year: Commanders (10-6-1) edge out Buccaneers (10-7) by one push.
• The over was 12-5 in Tampa games and 11-6 in Washington games, putting both teams in the top four percentages.
• The 2024 Commanders are 6-3 in close games with just one hold on defense of a one-score lead in the fourth quarter.
• The Commanders are 5-3 at 4QC/game-winning drive opportunities, tied with the Chiefs for the most comebacks this year.
• The 2024 Buccaneers are 5-5 in close games with four holds on defense of a one-score lead in the fourth quarter.
• The Buccaneers are 2-4 at 4QC opportunities and 2-5 at game-winning drive opportunities.
• The Buccaneers have blown three fourth-quarter leads this year and the Commanders have done so twice.
• The Buccaneers are the No. 1 offense at converting third down, doing so 50.9% of the time. They also score a touchdown two-thirds of the time in the red zone (No. 4).
• Baker Mayfield finished second with 41 touchdown passes and second in passing success rate (53.9%) this season.
• Mayfield also led the NFL with 16 interceptions and 13 fumbles, so it’s a mixed bag with him on that front.
• Jayden Daniels led his team with 891 rushing yards while still throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns – numbers that only Lamar Jackson (2024) has hit in NFL history.
• Daniels threw five touchdown passes in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, the most in a single season in NFL history.
• The Commanders are the first team in NFL history to score at least 18 points in every game of a 17-game regular season.
• Only 15 teams had ever done it in all 16 games of a 16-game season.
• The Commanders are 1-4 against playoff teams this season (lone win vs. Eagles in the game where Jalen Hurts was concussed).
• The Commanders are 10-0 when they allow no more than 24 points this season.
• Daniels has yet to lose a game in which the Commanders didn’t allow at least 26 points.
• Terry McLaurin was held to 17 yards in Week 1, his third-lowest game this season.
• Washington is 20-of-23 (87.0%) on fourth down this year, the best rate in the NFL.

The Fatal Flaw

What is the factor most likely to lead to each team’s downfall this postseason and in this matchup in particular?

Both Teams – The Defense

This feels like déjà vu since I wrote the exact same thing in this spot a year ago when we previewed Rams-Lions in the wild card round. But it’s true that neither the Commanders nor the Buccaneers seem to have a good enough defense to expect them to get through this tournament to the Super Bowl and win it.

Washington has the added stigma that no rookie quarterback has ever started the Super Bowl, though Brock Purdy got closer than most just two years ago with the 49ers. Daniels has had an epic season, but let’s not forget that C.J. Stroud did the same last year for Houston, won a playoff game, then led his offense to a single field goal in Baltimore in the divisional round. That rookie tax is usually paid harshly in the playoffs, but Daniels is a gamer.

However, Washington’s defense ranks in the upper 20s in most key categories, and it hasn’t stepped up against better competition most of the year. A quality receiving corps like the Bucs have could be trouble for this secondary, and don’t forget the Bucs run it well with Bucky Irving too.

As for Tampa Bay, the defense is stuck in that 15-to-19 range for most key defensive stats except for run defense where you can say this is a top 10 unit led by Vita Vea. That’s why you might see Daniels lead his team in rushing again in this matchup, something Washington has been struggling with against better teams.

But we have seen the Buccaneers get shredded by the Falcons and Kirk Cousins twice this year, which was seemingly the only defense that Cousins solved in 2024. The Chiefs and Ravens also roughed up Tampa good, and even Spencer Rattler was having more success than you’d like to see for the Saints last week, requiring a fourth-quarter comeback from the offense.

But in facing each other, both offenses can score and should have a solid game here. It will come down to things like turnovers and who performs better in the red zone and on third down.

Best Bets and Prediction

The Buccaneers certainly blow the Commanders away in playoff experience, and the same can be said about how they’ve performed against playoff competition this year. We’ve already seen the Bucs win in Detroit, take the Chiefs to overtime without their top two wideouts, drop 40 points on the Chargers, and they crushed the Eagles at home early in the year.

Everything is on the table for Tampa Bay. They could lose this game or go the distance this year after giving the Lions a tough battle in the divisional round a season ago. Mayfield is playing better than ever, but he’ll have to be mindful of turnovers in games like this. Still, he’s been excellent in both career playoff openers in his career.

Rookies are usually not good in the playoffs, but Daniels is not your ordinary rookie. It just feels like the Bucs are going to stuff the run and force him to do too much, and mistakes will happen. Daniels also didn’t do well against Dallas in two games this year, so maybe the Bucs will study that tape as Dallas slowed him down the best of any defense.

I would take the Buccaneers to cover at home in this one, but Daniels is quickly becoming a quarterback you don’t want to see with the ball in his hands on the final drive. We’ll see if the game can get to that point as Week 1 was a rout, but Washington has come a long way since.

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams (+1.5, O/U 47.5)

The No. 5 Minnesota Vikings (14-3) will take on the No. 4 Los Angeles Rams (10-7) this Monday night in Los Angeles. This is history as we’ve never seen a 14-win team go on the road in the wild card round after the Vikings set the record for most wins by a second-place team in a division. That’s what happens when you lose to the 15-2 Lions.

But that’s also why the Rams are the only home underdog in the NFC playoffs this week. However, they already have a win in hand against the Vikings this year. We’ll see if Sean McVay and company can do it again after a weird finish to the season.

You’re probably wondering if there is any precedent for sweeping a team as a home underdog in both games, including a playoff game. The answer is yes. The 2015 Broncos were able to beat the Patriots twice as a home underdog in Denver. They did it on a Sunday Night Football game in overtime with Brock Osweiler at quarterback, and they did it again with Peyton Manning in the AFC Championship Game.

Lower stakes this time than a Manning-Brady legacy game, but we are about to see the biggest game of Sam Darnold’s career. We just saw the other biggest game Sunday night and it didn’t go well either. Now we’ll see if the Vikings end up going 0-4 against the Lions and Rams and 14-0 against the rest of the NFL.

The Last Matchup

2024, Week 8: Rams 30, Vikings 20

These teams met on a Thursday night in the middle of the season in a very entertaining shootout with both teams producing touchdowns on their first two drives. But the defenses settled down, the Vikings only added two more field goals, and the Rams scored two more touchdowns as Matthew Stafford had a big night with four scoring tosses in a 30-20 win.

But it was a controversial finish after a clear facemask penalty on the Rams was not called with the Vikings in possession of the ball and needing a 95-yard touchdown drive and 2-point conversion to tie. Darnold was pulled down for a sack in the end zone to produce a safety, but somehow the facemask was completely missed and that’s not reviewable. It should be for 2025 after this happened multiple times in prime time this year, including another play involving Darnold against the Colts.

How was this not a facemask call on Sam Darnold?! Just lost them the game pic.twitter.com/3yP7b1qC1a

— cade (@CadeBuffalow) October 25, 2024

That’s the play people remember most. But it was also an interesting night as Puka Nacua made his return to the lineup after he was injured in Week 1. The Vikings weren’t even sure he was going to play, and they looked unprepared as he shredded them for 106 yards. Nacua has been shredding teams all year now, but needless to say the Vikings should be better prepared this time.

Injury Watch

The Rams were able to rest key starters in Week 18 and should be fairly healthy. They got tight end Tyler Higbee back, who didn’t play in the Week 8 game.

The Week 8 matchup was when the Vikings lost tackle Christian Darrisaw to a season-ending injury, which had an effect on their performance for the rest of that game. They’ve been able to get their new starter ready since that game, so that’s another plus for the Vikings as they look to avenge this loss.

Stats to Know

Here are some useful and informative statistics for these teams heading into this matchup:

• The 2024 Vikings are the first team in the 17-game era to force a takeaway in every game. The last team to do it in a 16-game season was Miami in 2020, a team that was also coached by Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
• The 2024 Rams are the first team since the 2006 Broncos to go on a 3-game winning streak where they didn’t score 20 points or allow 10 points. The streak ended in Week 18 after they rested starters for a 30-25 loss against Seattle.
• Matthew Stafford has passed for under 200 yards in three consecutive games (unrelated to injury) for the first time in his career.
• Since scoring 44 points in an upset win against Buffalo, the Rams scored 44 points combined in Stafford’s next three starts.
• After starting 1-4, the Rams were 9-2 in their next 11 starts before resting last week.
• Sam Darnold doubled his career totals this season with 3 fourth-quarter comebacks and 5 game-winning drives.
• Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell is 15-11 (.577) at game-winning drive opportunities in his career, the best record among active head coaches.
• The 2024 Vikings are 7-2 in close games with five defensive holds and one blown lead in the fourth quarter this season.
• The Vikings are 3-2 at 4QC opportunities and 5-2 at game-winning drive opportunities.
• The 2024 Rams are 9-4 in close games with eight defensive holds and two blown leads in the fourth quarter.
• The Rams are 3-4 at 4QC opportunities and 5-4 at game-winning drive opportunities.
• In Week 8, the Rams pressured Darnold a season-high 37.9% of the time, but he also threw a first down on 50% of his pass attempts, a season high for him.

The Fatal Flaw

What is the factor most likely to lead to each team’s downfall this postseason and in this matchup in particular?

Vikings – Samiam What I Am

It was the concern all season and Darnold lived up to expectations (finally) in Week 18 in Detroit with the top seed on the line. He flat out bombed, throwing a season-high 13 off-target passes, struggling immensely in the red zone, and he just couldn’t figure out how to beat the man coverage played by Detroit, a defense that had been struggling.

Everyone was waiting for the shoe to drop on Darnold’s breakout season all year, and while it took until the final game of the season, it happened. He passed so many tests this year, but the big one was the one he failed the worst.

Now, we’ll just have to see how much of a genius Kevin O’Connell is and if he can fix this in a week with the Rams having some intimate knowledge of things here after already beating the Vikings and O’Connell being apart of the McVay coaching tree. He is going to have to make things easier on Darnold, but if the Rams get pressure like last time, that could be difficult.

Rams – Not Enough Juice?

You could argue the Rams have some of the best wins this season after taking down the Vikings and Bills already. They also took Detroit to overtime on opening night. But the Eagles crushed them with Saquon Barkley’s monster game, and it’s hard to see this team doing well at all if it had to go to Philly in a title game.

Frankly, the offense has turned into a Puka Nacua stat-padding machine in the last few weeks as Stafford isn’t getting the ball to other receivers and the Rams aren’t scoring 20 points. That’s going to have to change if they want to get past any of these playoff opponents, but it’s also a fact that the Rams are 31st in rushing yards per carry, 24th on third down, and 25th in the red zone. It’s just not one of the strongest offenses we’ve seen from McVay despite some high-profile wins.

Best Bets and Prediction

This game could be the toughest prediction of the whole wild card weekend. On the one hand, you like the lack of surprise elements for the Vikings who shouldn’t be done in by a left tackle injury (hopefully) and the return of Nacua this time around. Maybe the refs will even call a facemask penalty that Ray Charles saw from his grave.

Then, you like the reliability of the Minnesota defense to take the ball away. You like how the Rams haven’t been scoring many points and the hope you can keep the score down to something easier this time.

But Darnold was so bad last week in Detroit that it’s going to take a big performance from him to get people back on his side. The good news is the season continues and he got to experience a trial run of what a big game feels like. He gets a do-over this Monday night, and if you were going to back a road favorite this week, Minnesota at this small of a spread might be the best route.

But home underdogs are on a 9-2 ATS run in the playoffs going back almost a decade. After last week, proceed with caution with this Minnesota team in the playoffs.

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