We’re headed to the NFL’s conference championships on the back of an electrifying divisional round that threw up what many consider to be the best playoff game ever. With four teams now vying for Super Bowl glory, we continue our playoffs and Super Bowl Betting Projections series.
NFC
- Los Angeles Rams (14-5), (+200 to win Super Bowl)
Wild Card Round Opponent – Defeated Arizona Cardinals 34-11
Divisional Round Opponent – Defeated Tampa Bay Bucs 30-27
Conference Round Opponent – San Francisco 49ers
The Rams were able to keep Tom Brady quiet enough to win this one 30-27 and ensure that neither Brady or Aaron Rodgers will be in the conference championships for the first time since 2009.
LA’s defense gave Brady no quarter in the first half and made it so that the legendary 44-year-old quarterback was running for his life throughout the first half, delivering as much panic as they served Arizona’s Kyler Murray the previous week. The Rams’ dynamic pass-rushing duo of Aaron Donald and Von Miller was relentless, limiting the Bucs to just a field goal in the first half.
However, Brady summoned the preternatural forces he routinely conjures in such dire circumstances and, with the help of several LA turnovers in the second half, brought his team back from a 27-3 deficit midway through the third quarter to tie the game at 27 apiece.
Matthew Stafford, though, only needed the 42 remaining seconds of the game to deliver his own brand of magic to bring the Los Angeles offense to within shouting distance of the Tampa Bay endzone where Matt Gay split the sticks from 30 yards away and gave the franchise one of its biggest postseason wins that sees them advance to the conference championship with a three-point victory.
The Rams now get a home date with the 49ers, a divisional rival to whom they lost twice during the regular season, and the best NFL sportsbooks have them favored to progress to the Super Bowl.
Los Angeles has been given odds of 10/17 for a victory while the gritty 49ers are 13/8 to triumph and move on.
- The Rams are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. NFC.
- The Rams are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
- The Rams are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
- San Francisco 49ers (12-7), (+450 to win Super Bowl)
Wild Card Round Opponent – Defeated Dallas Cowboys 23-17
Divisional Round Opponent – Defeated Green Bay Packers 13-10
Conference Round Opponent – Los Angeles Rams
The 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional round and will now meet their NFC West rivals, the aforementioned LA Rams, in the conference championship.
While many believed the high-flying Packers aerial offense, with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, would prove too much for Jimmy Garoppolo and company, that did not turn out to be the case. Garoppolo, who threw for 3,810 in the regular season, only threw for 131 yards against Green Bay, making 57 percent of his passes, but San Francisco managed to pull off a 13-10 win, with their defense coming up big.
The team finished things off via a 45-yard field goal with no time remaining off of the surefire foot of Robbie Gould to mark their fourth consecutive win and third straight as an underdog.
- The 49ers are 5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- The 49ers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog.
- The 49ers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
AFC
- Kansas City Chiefs (14-5), (+120 to win Super Bowl)
Wild Card Round Opponent – Defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 42-21
Divisional Round Opponent – Defeated Buffalo Bills 42-36
Conference Round Opponent – Cincinnati Bengals
The Chiefs and Bills combined for what was the most entertaining offensive display over the final two minutes of postseason football, in which a total of 25 points was scored, ending in a 36-36 tie at the end of regulation.
The only mistake Josh Allen made was calling tails at the coin flip before overtime, having played one of the most incredible games a quarterback has put on display in the postseason. The 25-year-old made four touchdown passes and threw for 329 yards off a remarkable 73 percent completion but would find that the defense would let him down.
Heads was the call and the Chiefs accepted the first possession, as one would expect, paving the way for an eight-play drive that took a little over four minutes, culminating in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to his trusted tight end, Travis Kelce, sealing the deal on the stunning 42-36 victory.
“It worked out well for us this time,” the Chiefs star QB told reporters after the win. “When you have two teams going back and forth, it stinks when you don’t get to see the other guy go. But all you can do is play the rules the way the rules are explained, and that’s what we did.”
The Chiefs will now welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to their Arrowhead Stadium next weekend. It’s worth noting that the Bengals beat the Chiefs at home in Week 17.
- The Chiefs are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games as a home favorite
- The Chiefs are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight-up win
- The Chiefs are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff home games
- Cincinnati Bengals (12-7), (+800 to win Super Bowl)
Wild Card Round Opponent – Defeated Las Vegas Raiders 26-19
Divisional Round Opponent – Defeated Tennessee Titans 19-16
Conference Round Opponent – Kansas City Chiefs
Much was expected from the Bengals this season but a trip to the AFC Championship game is undoubtedly more than even most ardent Cats’ fans could have hoped for. And although Cincinnati boasts an offense brimming with young stars such as quarterback Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, and Ja’Marr Chase, it was the rookie fifth-round draft pick, Evan McPherson who proved to be the team’s most lethal weapon in the Bengals’ 19-16 win over the No. 1 seeded Tennessee Titans.
Money McPherson, as he has become known, was 4-for-4 on field-goal attempts, with the final nail in the coffin coming when he struck true a 52-yard field goal with no time remaining that propelled Cincinnati to a visit to Arrowhead against the Chiefs this coming Sunday.
Joe Burrow had another game in which he passed for 300+ yards while Ja’Marr Chase had five catches for 109 yards. Burrow also repelled a staggering nine sacks by a swarming Titans’ pass rush that repeatedly overwhelmed his offensive line and still managed 348 passing yards without fumbling.
“We found a way all year,” he declared. “Man, crazy, crazy game. That’s a really, really good team. Unbelievable defensive line. They had a great plan on defense. Credit to them, we found a way at the end.”
The No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft added, “We’re here to make some noise, and teams are going to have to pay attention to us.
The Bengals will hope to get another one over Reid’s chiefs and make it to the SuperBowl for the first time since 1989. They rallied from a 28-17 first-half deficit to capture the win in their Week 17 fixture after Burrow lit up the KC secondary for 446 passing yards and four touchdown strikes. Ja’Marr Chase was the recipient of three of those touchdown passes and ended with a whopping 266 yards, catching 11 of his 12 targets.
- Bengals are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Bengals are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
- Bengals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog.