The NFL Playoffs are finally here, and the postseason looks much different from those of recent years. For the better part of a decade, the AFC has run through Kansas City, with Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs to at least the Conference Championships in each of his seven seasons as a starter, winning five of them and converting three of those Super Bowl appearances into Lombardi Trophies. However, a dismal 6-11 campaign leaves KC on the outside looking in, with its long-standing dynasty engulfed in flames.
Without the Chiefs, online betting sites now consider the AFC more wide open than ever before. The latest online sports betting at Bovada odds make the top seed Broncos the +245 favourites to win the Conference and punch their tickets to Santa Clara’s Super Bowl LX, with the +425 Patriots expected to push them all the way. But while those two head into the playoffs under pressure to deliver, some teams are flying under the radar as the postseason nears.
So, with that being said, which teams are under the least pressure to succeed this winter? Let’s take a look.
Wild Card Weekend matchups are set, and so are the odds 👀
🏈 Rams -10
🏈 Panthers +10🏈 Packers +1
🏈 Bears -1🏈 Bills -1.5
🏈 Jaguars +1.5🏈 49ers +3.5
🏈 Eagles -3.5🏈 Chargers +4
🏈 Patriots -4🏈 Texans -3
🏈 Steelers +3 https://t.co/QiHveFnS3P— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) January 5, 2026
The Carolina Panthers are the ultimate playoff party crashers heading into the 2026 NFL playoffs. The Charlotte outfit managed just seven wins throughout the last two seasons combined and was considered a team to fade in 2025. Instead, they managed to take full advantage of consistent collapses from both the Buccaneers and the Falcons to snag the NFC South title, despite finishing below .500 with a modest 8-9 record. As such, they may well feel like they’ve wandered into the wrong penthouse, with the latest power rankings slotting them dead last among the 14 postseason squads.
The Panthers have claimed their first divisional crown since 2015 and their first playoff appearance since 2017. Their reward? Welcoming the Super Bowl second-favourite Rams to Bank of America Stadium as whopping ten-point underdogs. No one’s pencilling them into a Big Game appearance, with their whopping +14000 odds screaming “cute story, now go home.”
Bryce Young’s growing pains over his first two years in the NFL have seemingly been tempered throughout this year’s miracle run. He has led the Panthers to eight wins as dogs, the most in the league. That Week 13 upset over the Rams? It’s the blueprint for chaos if their big WRs can feast while containing the pass rush. A point differential of minus-69, the fourth-worst ever for a playoff team, hands coach Dave Canales pure freedom—no rebuild excuses needed.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers? Total playoff interlopers, stealing the AFC North on Baltimore’s walk-off shank in their week 18 postseason decider. Tyler Loop’s missed field goal attempt handed the black-and-gold a 10-7 regular season record and the AFC’s number four seed, but oddsmakers are spitting in their face with +4500 Super Bowl tags and a 3.5-point home dog line versus the Texans. Nine years without a postseason win since Big Ben’s era, they’re the AFC’s awkward uncles at the family reunion.
Mike Tomlin’s “ugly wins” machine grinds via the league’s No. 3 sacks and takeaways tally, but the offence is a snooze-fest, absent of chaos gifts. Aaron Rodgers at 42 brings playoff sage vibes with more postseason wins than the rest of the AFC QBs combined, yet this roster’s a band-aid job ranked low across the board. A 4-1 finish gives real momentum, but with experts yawning at deep-run talk, The Steel Curtain is able to scrap guilt-free.
Those +1700 AFC odds are laughable—perfect for snapping the skid without title pressure breathing down their necks. Run-heavy, D-first grit shines in the muck. And with bags of experience from the likes of A-Rod, DK Metcalf, T. J. Watt, and Jalen Ramsey, write off the Steelers at your peril.
Houston Texans
Hands up, who thought the Houston Texans would reach the playoffs after their 0-3 start to the season? It’s surely a short list. An even shorter list when you remember that the Lone Star State outfit sat at 3-5 after a week nine loss at home to the Denver Broncos. Demeco Ryans’ side hasn’t lost since, reeling off nine straight victories, ensuring that they roll into the playoffs at 12-5 as the No. 5 seed. They are now somehow road favourites in Pittsburgh despite zero road playoff triumphs in franchise history (0-5 all-time).
The Texans are the hottest heater heading into wild-card weekend, boasting the NFL’s second-best defence, stingiest yards allowed, and top-five in stops against both the rush and pass. But no one’s crowning DeMeco Ryans king just yet.
C.J. Stroud’s a fourth-quarter wizard with elite QBR on third downs and outside the pocket, dragging a trash O-line ranked 30th in pass block win rate to relevance. Nico Collins and rookie Jayden Higgins are lighting it up, while Dalton Schultz is one of the most reliable tight ends in the league. The run game’s merely meh at 22nd in yards per game, but the defence devours in zone-heavy schemes.
Resilience forged in comebacks and 20+ point explosions late season screams road warrior poetry. With that staunch defence already battle-tested, a shock run to a maiden Super Bowl appearance could well come to fruition, despite the lowly expectations.
