NFL Wild Card Individual Props: Burrow, Two Vikings Favored For Most Yardage

There are four active franchises never to play in a Super Bowl. That drought will continue for the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the fourth, but they are in the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

The Jags are one of 12 teams in action on Wild Card Weekend as they host the Los Angeles Chargers in a terrific matchup of young quarterbacks making their playoff debut: LA’s Justin Herbert and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence. Herbert, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 draft, will be 24 years and 310 days old Saturday when the teams meet. Lawrence will be 23 years and 100 days old.

Their combined age of 48 years and 45 days will be the sixth-youngest combined age of opposing starting quarterbacks in a playoff game in NFL history. Lawrence looks to become the fifth QB selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft to win his first career postseason start since 2000.

To lead all QBs in passing yards on Wild Card Weekend, Herbert is a +600 third favorite in NFL betting odds with Lawrence at +1000. When the teams met in LA in Week 3, the Jags rolled with Lawrence throwing for 262 yards and Herbert 297. Herbert was second in the NFL with 4,739 passing yards during the year.

The betting favorite for the most passing yards is Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow at +300 as he faces the Baltimore Ravens for the third time this season. In four career postseason starts, Burrow has 1,105 passing yards (276.3 per game).

Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins is next at +450 against the Giants. In a Week 16 win over New York, Cousins had 299 yards through the air. He was fourth in the league in passing with 4,547 yards.

Vikes’ Jefferson Coming Off Stellar Season

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) talk during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

The betting favorites to lead all Wild Card players in rushing and receiving yards are Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook (+500) and Justin Jefferson (+450), respectively.

Cook was sixth in the NFL in rushing during the regular season with 1,173 yards and had 64 in the first meeting with the Giants. Jefferson led the NFL with 1,809 receiving yards, a franchise record and the sixth most all-time. The expected NFL Offensive Player of the Year had 10 games of at least 100 yards, including 133 in the first meeting with the Giants.

New York’s Saquon Barkley and San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey are both +550 second favorites at sports betting sites to lead in rushing yards – both are also NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidates. Barkley was fourth in the NFL with 1,312 yards and McCaffrey eighth with 1,139 split with the Panthers and 49ers due to a trade. One issue with McCaffrey is that he likely will share carries with Elijah Mitchell against Seattle and perhaps, be used more as a receiver out of the backfield.

Behind Jefferson for most receiving yards are Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase and Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs, both at +650. Diggs was fifth in the league with 1,429 yards. The Bills face Miami on Sunday and split with the Dolphins during the regular season. Diggs had a high of 74 yards.

Chase’s Bengals host Baltimore and those teams split in the regular season. Chase, who had 1,046 yards during the season despite missing five games, had a high total of 86 yards against the Ravens.