Kansas City and Los Angeles open as early favorites to win the AFC and NFC Championship games.
The NFL Championship matchups are set after road underdogs absolutely crushed the divisional round. Three of the four road teams won and covered the spread. The Chiefs were the only favorite to protect their home field and cover and in the process, became the first team in NFL history to host four consecutive AFC Championship games.
The Bengals opened the weekend with an upset victory as 4-point underdogs against the AFC’s No. 1 seed Titans. Cincinnati, +175 on the moneyline, earned their first road playoff win in team history beating the Titans 19-16 on a 52-yard field goal by rookie Evan McPherson as time expired. Joe Burrow and the Bengals are headed to Kansas City, where they are 6.5 point underdogs, to play in their first AFC Championship game since 1988.
In the primetime game on Saturday night, San Francisco posted a come-from-behind 13-10 win over the NFC’s top-seed Green Bay and not only covered as 6-point underdogs but also cashed for bettors on the moneyline (+210). For their efforts, the 49ers earned a trip to Los Angeles to face Matthew Stafford and the Rams.
The Packers, who closed as the biggest favorite of the weekend, joined the Titans in a disappointing trend for NFL top-seeds off the bye in the second round. Since 2003, No. 1 seeds in the divisional round have burned bettors posting a 13-24-1 ATS mark. Saturday also marked the first time since 2010 that both No. 1 seeds have been knocked out in the divisional round. On that weekend, the NFL postseason was turned upside down when the Mark Sanchez-led Jets (+9.5) beat the Patriots 28-21, while Green Bay (+1.5) eliminated Matt Ryan and the Falcons, 48-21.
The surprise upsets which commenced on Saturday continued into Sunday afternoon when Los Angeles held on to beat Tampa Bay after Matt Gay nailed a 30-yard walk-off field goal, 30-27. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 366 passing yards and two touchdowns. Los Angeles will now attempt to carry over that dominance into the third matchup with NFC West rival 49ers. San Francisco won both regular-season matchups and wreaked havoc for oddsmakers who listed them as 3.5-point underdogs twice.
For the NFC title game, the Rams have been installed as 3.5-point home favorites at SI Sportsbook. Los Angeles now has the opportunity to become the second consecutive NFL team to represent their conference in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. Tom Brady and Tampa Bay accomplished that feat last season and now with a victory, the Rams could potentially play Super Bowl LVI in the friendly confines of SoFi Stadium.
The final playoff team to punch their ticket to the Championship game was decided on Sunday night when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs won in a wild 42-36 overtime bout against the Bills. Mahomes once again performed magic, driving the team to a game-tying field goal with only 13 seconds remaining and no timeouts. The Chiefs have won 11 of their last 12 games this season and seven consecutive home playoff games dating back to 2018.
Let’s take a look at all the opening odds and totals as well as the futures odds for Super Bowl LVI at SI Sportsbook!
Colin E. Braley/AP Photo
NFL Championship Sunday
No. 4 Cincinnati (12-7 SU, 12-7 ATS) at No. 2 Kansas City (14-5 SU, 10-9 ATS)
Moneyline: Cincinnati (+240) | Kansas City (-300)
Spread: CIN +6.5 (-110) | KC -6.5 (-110)
Total: 53.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: 53.5 (-110)
Game Info: Jan. 30, 2022 3:30 pm ET | CBS
Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports
No. 6. San Francisco (12-7 SU, 11-8 ATS) at No. 4 LA Rams (14-5 SU, 10-9 ATS)
Moneyline: San Francisco: (+155) | Los Angeles (-188)
Spread: SF:+3.5 (-110) | LAR -3.5 (-110)
Total: – Over: 46.5 (-110) | Under: 46.5 (-110)
Game Info: Jan. 30, 2022 6:30 pm ET | FOX
For those looking to jump into the futures markets, here are the updated odds for Super Bowl LVI.
Kansas City Chiefs +140
Los Angeles Rams +210
San Francisco 49ers +375
Cincinnati Bengals +750