The start of the NFL playoffs this weekend with the four games that make up the Wild Card Round marks the beginning of the end for betting on your favorite pastime at an offshore sportsbook taking NFL action online. With just 11 games left to play in the 2017 season including Super Bowl LII on Sunday, Feb 4, it is time to raise the bar on your weekly betting activity in an effort to provide that one final boost to your overall betting bankroll.

One of the best ways to up your game between now and the first Sunday in February is to look for opportunities to go with a two-team parlay on a single game. The return on a two-team parlay for a $100 bet is 13/5 or $260 so the value is there if you know how and when to bet the games. Since there are only a handful of games in both the Wild Card Round and next week’s Divisional Round followed by the AFC and NFC Championship Games, all of these contests are going to be heavily bet.

The early action coming in for this weekend’s Wild Card Round has already led to some movement from the original betting lines. The general betting consensus leans towards the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints as favorites, while sliding the other way slightly for Tennessee and Buffalo as underdogs. Moving on to next week’s Divisional Round when New England and Pittsburgh will be hosting games in the AFC and Philadelphia and Minnesota will be hosting games in the NFC, you could expect to see a stronger lean towards all the favorites this time around.

Coming up with a winning parlay play in the NFL playoffs all comes down to your individual handicapping efforts. You have to resist being swayed by popular opinion by breaking down each individual matchup on its own merits. If you are leaning towards the underdog covering, then you might want to take a closer look at the UNDER on the total line. This is especially true with teams such as Tennessee and Buffalo, which are well down the list when it comes to scoring points. If you think that the Rams and the Saints are going to roll in the opening round, then the OVER might come into play as a potential parlay play.

While there are exceptions to every rule, tighter games tend to be lower scoring affairs that can turn into real grinders if defense starts to rule the day. Outdoor venues in January tend to feature rougher conditions, especially in a place like Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Turning to next week’s games, with the exception of Minnesota’s dome, the other three games will be played in cold weather climates. To find that perfect blend between a play on the side parlayed with a play on the total line, all the external factors surrounding that matchup need to be taken into consideration.

Confidence in your handicapping efforts should be the ultimate guide for any individual game bet and even more so with a parlay play on the spread and the total line for that single game. Buffalo has not been in the playoffs since 1999 and it needed a miracle to get there this season. This could mean one of two things. One, the Bills are just happy to be there and they will go quietly into the night against Jacksonville. Or two, they are going to make the most of this unexpected opportunity.

Past success in postseason play does not guarantee future playoff victories, but with teams such as New England and Pittsburgh, you already know that they are going to try and make short work against any team they face in the Divisional Round. Recent betting trends are another one of those important external factors that need to be taken into consideration.