Beyond the Favorites: Who Are the Dark Horses Galloping Towards the NFL Playoffs for Next Season?

The National Football League is coming to an end for Week 13. That means we have four weeks left in December, and a January week of action left. Five weeks left to make the push for the postseason. The postseason picture is starting to form, but we want to talk about a couple sleeper teams that could break into the 2023 NFL Playoffs:

There are some obvious favorites, as well as a handful of teams that are destined to be cellar dwellers, but there are also a bunch of teams in the middle who could go either way. With that in mind, we are going to pick 5 teams that might rise up and odds to make the NFL playoffs this season.

Any Sleeper Teams left to Break Into the 2023 NFL Playoffs | MyBookie Playoff Betting Preview

2023/24 NFL Playoffs | Three wild-card games played in each conference
Wild Card Weekend: January 13, 2024

Buffalo Bills | 6-6

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes +420 / No -599

While the Buffalo Bills were one of the contenders to win the AFC at the start of the season, the Bills are not a sleeper team, because they have been on the outside looking in for most of the season. Frankly, the Bills have played miserable football for much of the season. While the schedule is far from easy, if they can get hot, this is going to be a team that busts down the doors of the postseason. The Bills will need to do damage in back to back games at the Chiefs and at home against the Cowboys to get the streak going.

Bet Bills to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Houston Texans | 7-5

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs:

Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud has been the talk of the league. The Texans are one of those teams fighting in the AFC for those three wildcard spots. Houston has a good quarterback, can run the football, and the defense continues to get better week after week. This is a team that will be a tough out if they can slide in.

Bet Texans to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Los Angeles Chargers | 5-7

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs:

Much like the Buffalo Bills, this is going to be a team that if they can get into the postseason, and going to be dangerous. It’s been a tough season for the Chargers, with just five wins on the season, but this is still a very talented team. The Chargers in the AFC West have a tough road of it, and will first need to catch the 6-6 Broncos. It’s probably going to take 6 straight to get in, but this team has the talent.

Bet Chargers to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Los Angeles Rams | 6-6

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes +152 / No -189

This is a team no one is going to want to face in the postseason. This team still has some guys that know how to win in the postseason. Matthew Stafford is playing good football. They have some talented receivers, and Kyron Williams has emerged as a complete game breaker as a runner back. Rams’ defense has formed into a good one. Out of the NFC, this is going to be a really fun team to watch.

Bet Rams to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Green Bay Packers | 6-6

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes -232 / No +185

The final team to watch is a hot one. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 13, they are 6-6 on the season. The Packers have caught the Vikings in the NFC North, and are now battling for wildcard playoff positioning. A relatively soft schedule should help them out as the season goes along, but Jordan Love will need to continue his strong play to get them there.

Bet Packers to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Enjoy the final five weeks of the season. It is going to be a fun finish to see what 14 teams make the postseason. Then, the playoffs, which should see some great action. Best of luck!

Bet NFL Lines
MyBookie Odds for the Games

Sleeper Teams Poised to Break Into the 2023 NFL Playoffs | MyBookie Playoff Betting Preview

With training camps starting to open and the preseason not that far off, it’s time to get serious when talking about the NFL. Most football fans and bettors have already started thinking about how they are going to spend their wagering dollars in the coming season, with division winners, conference winners, and win totals all things that we can wager on right now. Before doing that, it’s worth taking a look at every team to see how they might perform this season.

There are some obvious favorites, as well as a handful of teams that are destined to be cellar dwellers, but there are also a bunch of teams in the middle who could go either way. With that in mind, we are going to pick 4 teams that might rise up and odds to make the NFL playoffs this season.

2023/24 NFL Playoffs | Three wild-card games played in each conference
Wild Card Weekend: January 13, 2024

Pittsburgh Steelers

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes -429 / No +320

Last season was very much considered to be a transition year for the Steelers, who went in search of a QB to replace Big Ben, while also dealing with cap issues. They may well have found their man in Kenny Pickett, and while his numbers were not spectacular, he did seem to get more comfortable as the season went on. The Pittsburgh Steelers got him some weapons via an outstanding draft and have also added some veteran pieces through free agency. If they had a winning record in a transition season, what can they do this time around? A Wild Card spot does not seem out of the question.

Bet Steelers to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Denver Broncos

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes +183 / No -229

The feeling was that the addition of Russell Wilson as their starting QB last offseason would be the move that took the Broncos to the next level. It ended up being a disastrous season, though, with the Denver Broncos stumbling to a 5-12 record, a run that cost head coach Nathaniel Hackett his job after just 1 season. While that may seem a little unfair, the chance to nab Sean Payton as the new sideline boss was too much for the Broncos to pass up. This team has the pieces and now has a Super Bowl winning coach in place. No more excuses in the Mile High City.

Bet Broncos to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Carolina Panthers

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes +199 / No -250

It has been a rough few years for the Panthers, who have struggled to find themselves an elite QB, with the likes of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield failing to make any type of meaningful impact under center. The Carolina Panthers went in big in the Draft and moved up to secure the services of Bryce Young, who had a stellar career with the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s always a bit of a risk to put a rookie in at QB and see success, but the Panthers are willing to take that risk. It could blow up in their face, but there is also a chance it might prove to be an inspired move.

Bet Panthers to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season

Detroit Lions

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs: Yes -166 / No +135

It has been 31 years since we saw the Detroit Lions win a playoff game, but this is a team that got hot in the second half of last season and came really close to nabbing a postseason spot. The front office seems to be well aware that they might be on the brink of taking a big forward step, as they have been active this offseason, filling several big holes on both sides of the football. The big question mark here is Jared Goff, but if he can put it all together, I would not be surprised to see the Lions in the playoffs.

Bet Lions to Make Playoffs
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Season