DraftKings Sportsbook promo for NFL Wild Card Weekend: What to know before you bet

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The NFL playoffs have arrived, and the road to the Super Bowl begins with six games on Wild Card Weekend. The action kicks off on Saturday with the Los Angeles Chargers visiting the AFC South champion Houston Texans. That night, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers renew the league’s best rivalry in Baltimore.

Sunday’s slate features a tripleheader. In the first matchup, Josh Allen and the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills host the upstart Denver Broncos. That game will be followed by Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers visiting the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. The day’s action concludes with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders squaring off in Tampa, Fla.

Wild Card Weekend comes to a close with a Monday Night Football matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif. Baltimore (-9.5) and Buffalo (-8.5) are big favorites, while the Texans (+2.5) and Rams (+1.5) are small home underdogs.

Anyone who finds one side of these NFL spreads attractive, would like to try betting on the NFL and does not already have a DraftKings account can take advantage of a welcome bonus for new users. The DraftKings Sportsbook welcome offer, which does not require a promo code, offers new users $200 in bonus bets instantly.

The DraftKings Sportsbook sign-up offer is one of several sportsbook promotions being offered for the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend. 

The DraftKings welcome bonus gives users the opportunity to build up their bankroll quickly with a relatively modest initial investment. However, the bonus is not unique in the industry; FanDuel, for example, offers the same bonus. Other online sportsbooks offer arguably even better promotions.  

Chargers at Texans (Saturday)

  • Kickoff time 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Chargers -2.5
  • Money line Chargers -158, Texans +133
  • Total 42.5

Picks and more to know

Two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks will face off when C.J. Stroud and Houston host Justin Herbert and Los Angeles. Stroud, 23, and Texans coach DeMeco Ryans are looking to become just the third quarterback-head coach duo to win playoff games in each of their first two seasons. They beat the Browns last year en route to the AFC Divisional Round. Meanwhile Herbert, 26, is looking to earn his first career playoff victory. He lost his only other playoff start, in the 2022 season.

The Chargers allowed an NFL-best 17.7 points per game during the regular season and were one of four AFC teams to win at least six road games this season. Meanwhile the Texans’ defensive end duo of Will Anderson Jr. (11 sacks) and Danielle Hunter (12) were the only pair of AFC teammates to rack up at least 11 sacks each this season and helped Houston generate 49 sacks (fourth-best in the league). 

SportsLine experts Larry Hartstein, Sia Nejad, Mike Tierney and Jason La Canfora are all on the same side of the spread in this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in more than 50% of simulations.

Steelers at Ravens (Saturday)

  • Kickoff time 8 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Ravens -9.5
  • Money line Ravens -529, Steelers +395
  • Total 43.5

Picks and more to know

The Ravens and Steelers take their rivalry to a new level when they collide on Saturday night. The AFC North rivals split their two meetings during the regular season, with the home team winning both times. Pittsburgh won 18-16 in Week 11, and Baltimore prevailed 34-17 in Week 16.

The Ravens are just the third team since 2000 to lead the league in both rushing offense (187.6 yards per game) and rushing defense (80.1 yards per game allowed), joining the ’01 Steelers and ’07 Vikings. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is coming off a historic regular season in which he became the first player in league history with 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards. However, he is just 2-4 in his career in the playoffs and also 2-4 in his career against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is looking for its first playoff win since the 2016 season. The Steelers have lost five straight postseason games and haven’t won a playoff game since a divisional-round victory over the Chiefs in January 2017.

SportsLine experts Matt Severance, Jimmie Kaylor, R.J. White, Mike Tierney and Jason La Canfora have all entered spread picks for this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in 50% of simulations.

Broncos at Bills (Sunday)

  • Kickoff time 1 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Bills -8.5
  • Money line Bills -446, Broncos +346
  • Total 47

Picks and more to know

Buffalo’s quest to end the franchise’s Super Bowl title drought begins on Sunday when the Bills host Denver. Buffalo, which has tied the record for most wins (13) in franchise history, has been led all season by running-and-passing wizard Josh Allen. The favorite to win the NFL MVP award, Allen is one of just two players with at least 40 total touchdowns and fewer than 10 turnovers this season. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is the other.

Allen will face a Broncos defense that led the NFL with 63 sacks and ranked third in scoring defense (18.3 points per game allowed). The Bills, though, allowed the fewest sacks (14) during the regular season and ranked second in scoring offense (30.9 points per game).

On the other side, Bo Nix is set to become the first rookie quarterback to start a playoff game in Broncos history. He is one of just two rookies in NFL history with at least 10 wins, 4,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns in a season.

SportsLine experts R.J. White and Jason La Canfora have both entered picks for this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in more than 50% of simulations.

Packers at Eagles (Sunday)

  • Kickoff time 4:30 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Eagles -4.5
  • Money line Eagles -230, Packers +189
  • Total 45.5

Picks and more to know

This is a rematch of the second contest of the NFL’s 2024 regular season, a game in which Philadelphia beat Green Bay 34-29 in Brazil. In that game, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley had 132 scrimmage yards (109 rushing, 23 receiving) and three touchdowns to kickstart a season in which he ran for 2,005 yards, the eighth-most rushing yards in a season in league history. 

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts competed 20-of-34 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions in that Week 1 win. Hurts has not played since entering the league’s concussion protocol during a Week 16 loss to the Commanders. However, he returned to practice on Wednesday and all signs point to him being available on Sunday. Led by Barkley and Hurts, the Eagles own the second-best running attack in the league, averaging 179.3 yards on the ground per game.

The Packers will be looking to prove they belong among the NFL’s elite. They have played five games against teams that finished with at least 11 wins and lost all five games. Five of the team’s six losses this season have come by five points or fewer.

Green Bay will be missing two major pieces on Sunday. No. 1 cornerback Jaire Alexander is out for the rest of the season with a PCL injury to his knee, and top deep threat Christian Watson also is out for the season with a torn ACL.

SportsLine experts R.J. White, Jason La Canfora and Alex Selesnick have entered picks for this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in 50% of simulations.

Commanders at Buccaneers (Sunday)

  • Kickoff time 8 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Buccaneers -3
  • Money line Buccaneers -167, Commanders +141
  • Total 50.5

Picks and more to know

Like the Eagles-Packers matchup, the Tampa Bay-Washington game is a rematch of a Week 1 game as well. Back in September, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 24-of-30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over the Commanders at Raymond James Stadium. That started a season in which he became just the third quarterback in NFL history with at least 4,500 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and a 70.0 completion percentage. He leads an offense that ranked fourth in the league in scoring (29.5 points per game) during the regular season.

Mayfield and Tampa Bay will face a Commanders team looking to end a lengthy playoff drought. Washington has not won a postseason game since beating the Buccaneers in a wild-card game during the 2005 season. The franchise has since lost five straight playoff games.

The Commanders have had one of their best seasons in decades, as their 12 wins are the franchise’s most since the Super Bowl-winning season of 1991. They’re led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is the overwhelming favorite to be named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Washington put up 28.5 points per game during the regular season, which ranked fifth in the league. Daniels broke rookie quarterback records for completion percentage (69.0) and rushing yards (891) this season and became the only rookie with 10-plus wins, 4,000-plus combined passing and rushing yards, and 30-plus combined passing and rushing touchdowns.

SportsLine experts R.J. White, Jason La Canfora, Micah Roberts and Jeff Hochman have all entered picks for this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in almost 50% of simulations.

Vikings at Rams (Monday)

  • Kickoff time 8 p.m. ET
  • Point spread Vikings -1.5
  • Money line Vikings -116, Rams -103
  • Total 48

Picks and more to know

Two head coaches with close ties will match wits when Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings battle Sean McVay and the Rams in the final wild-card game on Monday Night Football. O’Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Rams under McVay in 2020-21 and helped the team win Super Bowl LVI before becoming head coach at Minnesota ahead of the 2022 season. This year, O’Connell has directed the Vikings (14-3) to their second-most wins in franchise history.

Minnesota’s success this season can be credited, in part, to quarterback Sam Darnold. A former journeyman quarterback, Darnold has largely avoided the interceptions that plagued him for most of his career. This season, he has passed for 4,319 yards (fifth in the league) and 35 touchdowns (also fifth) against just 12 interceptions. 

However, Darnold and the rest of the Vikings offense struggled in the big Week 18 showdown against the Lions. Facing a beat-up Detroit defense, he completed just 18-of-41 passes for 166 yards as Minnesota was blown out 31-9.

Monday’s game will be a rematch of a Week 8 contest, which the Rams won 30-20. In that matchup, Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 25-of-34 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Stafford enters the postseason on a roll, having thrown 11 touchdowns against only one interception in his last seven games. Like many key L.A. players, Stafford did not play in Week 18 in preparation for the playoffs.

SportsLine experts R.J. White and Jason La Canfora have entered picks for this matchup, and the SportsLine Projection Model says one team covers in more than 50% of simulations.

DraftKings Sportsbook promo

The DraftKings welcome promo comes with a few terms and conditions. First, you must be a new DraftKings customer who has never signed up for the platform anywhere. For example, if you previously signed up in Michigan, you wouldn’t be eligible to sign up for a new account and claim the welcome bonus in Pennsylvania or any other state. You also must be at least 21 years old to sign up and claim the DraftKings promo, unless you’re in Kentucky and Wyoming which are both 18+. 

After your first bet is placed, $200 in bonus bets will be credited in the form of eight $25 bonus bet tokens. All of the bonus bet tokens will expire seven days after reaching your account. 

Lastly, bonus bets are not included in any returns or winnings, nor are they redeemable for cash, transferable or refundable.

How to sign up for the DraftKings Sportsbook promo

New DraftKings users who are interested in claiming the sportsbook’s latest welcome offer can do so by following these steps:

  1. Claim the DraftKings promo via this link.
  2. Click on the orange SIGN UP button.
  3. Enter the requested information, including email, username, password and phone number.
  4. Along the rest of the registration process, new sign-ups will be asked to provide the last four digits of their social security number and have their location confirmed to ensure they are in an area in which DraftKings operates.
  5. Agree to the terms and conditions of DraftKings Sportsbook.
  6. Make a first deposit of at least $5.
  7. Place a first bet of at least $5.

Upon completion of the promotion requirements, qualified customers will receive $200 in Bonus Bets instantly, in the form of eight $25 bonus bets.

Responsible gambling

DraftKings is dedicated to promoting responsible gambling. The sportsbook offers a Responsible Gaming Center where users can find resources and tools to help them avoid problem gambling. Those include deposit limits, time limits, wagering limits, personalized stats to track wins and losses and the ability to take a break from DraftKings from three days to five years. 

There are additional resources available too, such as:

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