Regular NFL betting fans know that there are a variety of different ways to bet, some of which are “safer” than others. Those who like to try and maximize their earnings try to do so by playing parlays and buying points, while those who prefer the safer approach tend to stick to betting straight up. When you reach the point in the NFL season where there are only 4 teams left, even those straight up bets become tough, as these are all teams that are where they are for a reason.
Let’s start off by looking at the NFC Championship game, as this has all the makings of the safest bet of the weekend. You have a team in the Seattle Seahawks that simply doesn’t make a habit of losing at home very often. After knocking off the Carolina Panthers without really breaking much of a sweat, the Seahawks now see their home record sitting at 25-2 SU going back the past three seasons. Teams looking to go into the Pacific Northwest in hopes of coming out with a win had better be prepared to play near perfect ball in order to grab that prize.
Ordinarily, you might think that the Green Bay Packers are a team that have what it takes to play that type of game, but when you have your MVP QB trying to get around on one good leg, you are taking perhaps the most important ingredient out of the mix. Seattle straight up (-320) is really the only way to go here.
Over on the AFC side of things, you are looking at a trickier proposition. The Indianapolis Colts were given no chance versus the Broncos, yet they rolled into Denver and got the job done, albeit against a team that had a QB in Peyton Manning who was also operating at a lot less than 100%. The Patriots had to work very hard to knock off a stubborn Baltimore Ravens side over the weekend, but in doing so, they took their home record to 8-1 SU on the season. Go back over the past three seasons and you will see that record go to 24-4 SU at home. This one may be a little tighter than people are suggesting, but I think the Patriots (-290) ride that home field advantage to the Super Bowl.
