This past weekend’s divisional round of the NFL playoffs was one of the most exciting in the history of the league. Road teams won three of the four matchups and would have had the sweep if Buffalo had not given up two huge pass plays in nine seconds to let Kansas City get in field goal range and tie the game…and then had not lost the coin toss, as the Chiefs took the kickoff in overtime and marched to an easy touchdown. Home teams had dominated over the past 20 years in the divisional round, making this year a definite outlier. What can we expect out of the AFC and NFC Championship games?
Here are the first NFL betting odds on the two games, as Cincinnati will visit Kansas City, and San Francisco will visit the Rams.
NFL News: Early Conference Championship Odds
Cincinnati Bengals (+7) at Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, January 30 | 3:00 pm ET, CBS
These two teams met in Week 17 up at Paul Brown Stadium, and Kansas City ran up an early 14-0 lead. However, the Bengals stormed back to take the 34-31 win. Cincinnati went to Tennessee in the divisional round and moved out to a 16-6 lead in the fourth quarter before the Titans came back to tie the game. A late Ryan Tannehill interception (his third of the game) set the Bengals up close to field goal range, and after a short drive, rookie kicker Evan McPherson nailed the game-winning kick as time expired.
McPherson also had the winning kick in Week 17. Against the Chiefs, Joe Burrow threw for 446 yards and four scores in the game, going 30 of 39 on the day. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had 266 receiving yards all by himself, catching 11 balls and scoring three times. The Chiefs’ pass defense was not much better against Buffalo in the divisional round, as Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes, but the speed of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce undid the Bills in the late moments. Can Cincinnati fare any better? I’m not sure I see Kansas City winning this game by a touchdown, so for now, I’m holding off to see if the line moves. If I had to pick today, I’d take the Bengals to cover, because I don’t see Joe Burrow blinking in the moment.
Bengals to cover: Bet the Game Today
San Francisco 49ers (+3.5) at L.A. Rams
Sunday, January 30 | 6:30 pm ET, FOX
San Francisco swept the Rams during the regular season, including a 27-24 win in Week 18 that got the 49ers into the playoffs – after coming back from a 17-0 deficit. The Rams could not stop Deebo Samuel in either game; in Week 10, Samuel touched the ball eight times for 133 yards and two scores in a 31-10 Niners’ romp. In Week 18, he had a dozen touches for 140 total yards and a touchdown. Elijah Mitchell ran for 176 yards combined in the two games, in 48 attempts. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was steady in both matchups.
Matthew Stafford had a 4:4 TD:INT ratio for the Rams in those games combined. He had an early pick-six in the Week 10 loss, and he took seven sacks in the two games. The 49ers do not have a solution or Cooper Kupp, who caught 18 passes on 20 targets for 240 yards and a score in the regular season. However, San Francisco did hold the Rams to 3.12 yards per rush in the two games. The 49ers edged the Packers on Saturday, becoming just the ninth team ever to win an NFL playoff game without an offensive touchdown, with their lone score coming on a blocked punt recovery in a 13-10 win. The Rams also won on a last-second field goal, as they let a 27-3 lead get away, as the Buccaneers tied the game at 27 with 42 seconds left thanks to multiple Ram turnovers. However, the Buccaneers decided to run a slot blitz and leave Cooper Kupp uncovered, and he caught a bomb from Stafford that took the Rams down to the Tampa Bay 13, where Matt Gay preserved the win with a game-ending field goal. Can the Rams finally solve the 49ers after losing to them twice already this season? At this point, I’m taking San Francisco to cover.
San Francisco to cover: Bet the Game Today
NFL Betting Odds
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