The AFC’s playoff bracket is set, and it is difficult to imagine a more intriguing last couple of weeks. The entire AFC schedule for the wild card round had to wait until the last game ended, as the L.A. Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders dueled in prime time on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Steelers would take the seventh seed unless the Chargers and Raiders finished with a tie. Of course, the Chargers and Raiders went to overtime, and each team added a field goal. The Raiders had a drive going but looked content to run the ball three times and drain the clock, until the Chargers called a time-out with 38 seconds left. Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who has made a number of controversial game-management decisions, defended the decision so that he could get the right personnel grouping on the field, but Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said, after the game, that the decision changed the Raiders’ mindset, as they instead worked to nail a game-winning field goal.
Now we have three fascinating NFL betting matchups to open the wild card weekend, so let’s take a look.
NFL News: Betting Projections for the Postseason (AFC)
AFC Playoff Bracket
Tennessee Titans (bye)
(7) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, January 16, 8:15 pm ET, NBC
(6) New England Patriots at (3) Buffalo Bills
Saturday, January 15, 8:15 pm ET, CBS
(5) Las Vegas Raiders at (4) Cincinnati Bengals
Saturday, January 15, 4:30 pm ET, NBC
Of the seven AFC teams, which one has the greatest likelihood of getting to the Super Bowl? The Kansas City Chiefs had a rough opening to 2021, but their second half of the season has shown them to be the class of the league, that loss in Cincinnati notwithstanding. The Chiefs lost to Tennessee and Buffalo as well during the regular season, but the Chiefs’ defense has improved, and the running game is also better. It is difficult to win a conference title three straight seasons, but this year’s team has a defense that is on par with the unit that helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV. Mahomes had an interception problem in the first half of the season, but he has a 15:0 TD:INT ratio in his last six postseason games in the AFC – and none of the other starting quarterbacks among the AFC playoff field has appeared in a Super Bowl.
After the Chiefs, the next team that comes to mind is the Tennessee Titans. Yes, the Titans lost at home in the divisional round to Baltimore last year, but this year’s team feels like more of a finisher than last year’s squad. The team could get Derrick Henry back for the postseason, and nothing is scarier on this side of the bracket than a fresh Henry pounding the ball, over and over again. The Titans’ defense plays a physical brand of football, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill can get on a hot streak.
What about the Cincinnati Bengals? With Joe Burrow throwing the ball to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals have the hottest passing game in the AFC right now. Joe Mixon returns from the COVID-19 list as well, giving Burrow more of a balanced offense. The defense has its inconsistent moments, but the unit was able to shut down Kansas City in the fourth quarter when the Bengals pulled off the home upset. Could they put lightning in a bottle again?
One final team to consider – the New England Patriots. No coach has more postseason success than Bill Belichick, and while Mac Jones has not emerged as an offensive guru yet, he has played much better than the typical rookie in his first season learning the Patriot Way. If the Patriots can pull off the upset at Buffalo and then head to Tennessee with some momentum, it’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that the Patriots could reverse the upset from a few seasons ago, when the Titans ended Tom Brady’s time in New England in the divisional round in Foxborough.
AFC Playoff Bracket : Bet the Game Today
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