Wild Card Spots Up for Grabs Today – December 24

Wild card spots in both the AFC and NFC are up for grabs today as the NFL continues Week 16 play on this Christmas Eve. It all started with the Los Angeles Rams win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. The Rams (8-7) have won five of their last six games to move into the No. 6 spot in the NFC, a solid wild card position. They are just ahead of the 7-7 Minnesota Vikings who currently hold the seventh and final wild card spot in the NFC.

The wild card race continued yesterday as the Pittsburgh Steelers finally found some offense behind backup quarterback Mason Rudolph in a win over Cincinnati. The Steelers put up their highest point total of the season in a 34-11 victory. The win puts Pittsburgh back on the wild card bubble and removes the Bengals from the top-7 in the AFC. 

The Saturday NFL games also included a Bills win – their third straight – to propel Buffalo right back into the thick of the wild card picture. At 9-6, the Bills are now the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoff race. There will be even more movement today with ten games on the NFL schedule. Buckle up. It’s about to get crazy.

Crucial Games in Wild Card Race Today

The Detroit Lions (10-4) are in the midst of the team’s best season since the 1950s. With a win over Minnesota today, the Lions would clinch the NFC North Division title. That means they would automatically earn a playoff berth. The Vikings need a win to keep their wild card hopes alive. As mentioned, Minnesota owns the last playoff spot in the NFC.

Who would have thought a Week 16 game between Cleveland and Houston would have a huge impact on the wild card race. The Browns are 9-5 and in fifth in the AFC standings. Cleveland is second in the AFC North Division behind Baltimore, which has secured a playoff berth and can win the division with a victory over San Francisco tomorrow night and a Cleveland loss today. Houston (8-6) is on the wild card bubble in eighth place in the division.

Jacksonville (8-6) plays Tampa Bay (7-7) in a battle of two division leaders. The loser could lose their grip on their respective division title and put themselves in a bad spot as far as a wild card berth. Seattle (7-7) can keep its wild card hopes alive with a win at Tennessee today. The same goes for Green Bay (6-8) and Atlanta (6-8). The Falcons are currently 10th in the NFC wild card standings. They play Indianapolis (8-6) at home today. The Packers are 11th in the NFC and play at Carolina today.

Another Day, Another Sports Hub Win

On a Saturday full of both NFL and college football, Sports Hub expert handicappers rose to the top once again. Gino De Luca and Ben Miller topped the leaderboard yesterday with perfect records. Two more Sports Hub experts were also in the top-5. The top 37 cappers that made picks yesterday all won at least $100. That’s not a bad day.

Let’s look at yesterday’s leaderboard.

• Gino: Gino De Luca went 3-0 yesterday and won $300. Lately, he’s been focused on basketball picks and yesterday hit two NBA picks and one NCAAB pick. Over the last 30 days, Gino is up $1029.

• Tied with Gino: Ben Miller also went 3-0 yesterday and took home winnings of $300. Ben hit three NBA picks and is now up $1753 for the month. He has two NFL picks already in the system, one of which is the Colts-Falcons game that will affect the wild card race in both conferences.
• The outsider: The only member of yesterday’s top-5 that was not a Sports Hub exclusive handicapper was Scott’s Picks. Scott went 6-2 and won $285 yesterday. Scott is 15-10 over the last three days and is up $419 and has earned $745 over the last seven days. You’ll find seven NFL picks in the database from Scott for games today and tomorrow.
• Frankie: Frankie the Fan has been tearing it up recently. Yesterday, he went 5-2 and won $280. Over the last three days, that makes it $480 in winnings. For the month, Frankie is now up $1179. Frankie has three NFL picks today with one on that crucial Colts-Falcons game that will affect the wild card race in the AFC and NFC.
• Al & SWJ: Rounding out the top-5 were a pair of Sports Hub experts – Al Grant and SWJ Sports. Both went 2-0 and won $200 yesterday. Both have been enjoying success recently too. Over the last three days, SWJ Sports has gone 5-0 and won $500. Al has done even better, going 8-0 over the last three days to earn $800. Over the last 30 days, Al is up $1518. Our Sports Hub cappers just continue to win.

The Streak Continues

The Detroit Pistons have been trending recently for all the wrong reasons. They are in the midst of an NBA-record losing streak. Detroit played Brooklyn yesterday. How’d that turn out? Keep reading to find out.

The Bills and Steelers are trending in an opposite direction and there is some more NFL quarterback news that could affect the NFL’s wild card races.

Let’s see what’s happening.

• Pistons lose 26th: Detroit dropped yet another NBA game. It was the 26th straight loss for the Pistons, who lost 126-115 to Brooklyn yesterday. The Nets, a 9.5-point favorite, covered the spread too. Detroit plays Brooklyn again on Tuesday in the Motor City.

• Bills back in wild card race: With their third straight win, the Buffalo Bills are now 9-6 and own the No. 6 spot in the AFC playoff race. With two games left, Buffalo could still win the AFC East Division title.
• Rudolph the QB: He’s not a reindeer with a shiny nose, but he did give the Pittsburgh Steelers some offensive life. Mason Rudolph went 17-for-27 for 290 yards and two touchdowns yesterday to lead the Steelers to a 34-11 win over Cincinnati. The win keeps Pittsburgh’s wild card hopes alive.
• QB situation: With C.J. Stroud out again today, it will be Case Keenum once again for the Houston Texans. They have a very important game against Cleveland today. The Texans are on the wild card bubble right now. Ryan Tannehill will start for Tennessee in place of Will Levis. The Titans host Seattle, which needs a win to keep its wild card hopes alive.

The Christmas Eve Sports Schedule

It’s a wonderful Christmas present when Sunday NFL falls on Christmas Eve. There are 10 games on the schedule and several of them will have an impact on the wild card races in each conference. 

It’s an interesting day in sports. The NBA and NHL are both off. The NBA, of course, will play five games tomorrow on Christmas Day. The NHL will be back on Tuesday. There are a handful of soccer matches around the world and only four college basketball games. The NFL should keep you busy though.

Here’s today’s schedule. It’s a short one.

1. NFL: Watch the wild card races unfold with 10 games today. Dallas plays at Miami in a late afternoon game. New England and Denver end a beautiful Christmas Eve with the Sunday night game. Stay on top of everything with our NFL Week 16 picks page.

2. Soccer: The Premier League match between Wolverhampton and Chelsea is already underway. There are a handful of matches around the world today.
3. College basketball: The only CBB games today are coming at you all on ESPN2. All four games are part of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

That’s the shortest schedule we’ve had since we went live with Sports Hub. There’s enough NFL action to keep bettors busy all day long. There are over 80 NFL picks in the database already and plenty more to come. Keep it tuned here to Sports Hub all day long. We’ve got your back. Have a wonderful day as we get ready to celebrate the Christmas holiday tomorrow. Until then…