Sunday's NFL Wild Card Weekend Parlay Picks

Kenny Ducey

Last Updated: January 15, 2022 6:19 AM EST • 2 min 46 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 14: Trevon Diggs #7 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates his third quarter interception against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium on November 14, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by TOM PENNINGTON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

There are three games on Sunday's Wild Card Weekend slate, so why not get a little nuts and pick a three-team NFL parlay?

Let's face it, when you make it to the NFL playoffs, betting lines are going to be sharp. You may love the Dallas Cowboys, for example, but could be wary of laying points. You may like a total, but find it one point too high for your liking.

That's where parlays can be incredibly useful. You can combine some juicier lines to get yourself into plus money territory with some components which you feel much better about together as opposed to paying up for alternative lines or moneylines individually.

Here are my top parlay picks for Sunday's Wild Card Weekend matchups (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Sunday NFL Wild Card Weekend Parlay Picks

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers alternate spread -7 (-140) ????San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys (-155) ?????Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs Over 45.5 (-110) ????

Sunday NFL Wild Card Weekend Parlay Predictions

Buccaneers -7 (-140)

As I alluded to above, when concocting NFL parlay picks, you don't always need to take the lines that are offered to you. While I love the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover the eight points against Philly, I love the security of buying a point here even more. Seven is a key number in NFL betting, for obvious reasons.

While you might immediately think of the Buccaneers as a team that can't cover spreads, a closer examination is required. Sure, Tampa Bay struggled against the spread last year and failed to cover as the favorites for most of the first half, but this has been a different team since mid-November.

The Buccaneers are 7-1 straight up since losing to Washington outright as a 10-point favorite and have gone 6-2 against the spread. During that time, they never failed to cover as a favorite of 11 or fewer points.

Tampa Bay should gash a Philly defense ranked 26th in weighted DVOA.

Cowboys ML (-155)

I just think the Cowboys are the flat-out better team in this situation. Their defense has been nothing short of stunning, ranking atop the league in weighted DVOA, and now they have the pleasure of facing volatile (and mediocre) San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

That's the biggest edge in this game, for me. The Cowboys' pass defense has been - for my money - the best in the league, considering Tre'Davious White is now out for the season for Buffalo. It should turn the ball over here and limit the weapon known as Deebo Samuel.

Furthermore, San Francisco is ranked 16th against the pass, according to Football Outsiders, and has to contest with a Cowboys team that finished the season with more than 316 yards per game through the air in their last three. This has all the makings of a blowout in my eyes.

Steelers-Chiefs Over 45.5 (-110)

I took this number at 46, so I'd happily grab it at 45.5 as well for NFL parlay picks. The fact of the matter is, both of these teams are going to throw the ball. Pittsburgh ranked third in pass play rate this year and Kansas City was fifth. On top of that, both secondaries are bad.

The Chiefs have allowed 251.4 yards per game through the air, which ranks 27th, and while Pittsburgh has been better against the pass, it will have to contend with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.

That's my ultimate point here. I think we all know the Chiefs offense, ranked fourth in points per game, will find ways to score. What the public is likely unsure of is how Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will have any sort of success passing the ball. This seems to break perfectly for him, and I'll also remind everyone that both teams are in the top 10 in seconds per play this year. I think this game should be frantic and filled with passing.

Combined Odds: Buccaneers +7 (-140) + Cowboys (-155) + Steelers-Chiefs Over 45.5 (-110) = +438

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com's community forums and betting tools.

NFL parlay picks made 1/15/2022 at 10:34 a.m. ET

Written By:
Kenny Ducey

Kenny is a contributor for DraftKings and a former member of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He's covered Tennis, Football, Basketball, and Baseball dating back to his time at Sports Illustrated. He's based out of New York, where sports have taken a turn for the worst, yet somehow his support for the Jets and Knicks has not wavered in the slightest.