SI Gambling Insider Frankie Taddeo reviews the opening lines for the conference championship round of the NFL Playoffs.
The NFL conference championship matchups are set after an action-packed weekend of divisional round games. Three of the home teams - Green Bay, Buffalo and Kansas City - advanced to the AFC and NFC title games. The only underdog to advance to next weekend was Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who upset the Saints on Sunday night.
The Bills and Packers both advanced to their respective conference championship games after winning as home favorites on Saturday. Josh Allen and the Bills (-2.5) completely shut down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, holding Baltimore to only three points, in a defensively dominant 17-3 win. Buffalo has won eight in a row straight up (SU), while more impressively going 7-1 against the spread (ATS) in those games for bettors. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers continued to play like an MVP, leading Green Bay (-6.5) backers to easy cash in a 32-18 victory. The Packers have now won seven consecutive games SU while going 5-2 ATS over that span.
The biggest scare of the weekend came on Sunday afternoon when star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with 7:44 left in the third quarter with a concussion with the Chiefs leading 19-10 over the Cleveland Browns. Chad Henne came into the game in relief and the veteran made several big plays helping the club hang on for a 22-17 victory. However, the Chiefs (-8) - who have won 11 of their last 12 games SU- have now failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine games (1-8 ATS).
Arguably the biggest matchup of all four games involved Tom Brady facing off against Drew Brees for the right to play in the NFC Championship game with Brady emerging victorious, 30-20. Tampa Bay has won six straight games with an impressive 5-1 ATS mark over that stretch.
The sharp information, from Vegas which produced another profitable NFL betting campaign - finishing the regular season with a record of 68-47-1 ATS, struggled this past weekend and will look to bounce back in the Championship round! The betting plays, supplied by Frankie Taddeo - Sports Illustrated’s Gambling Vegas Insider, have continued to win against the sportsbooks in NFL, NCAA basketball and NCAA football wagering for all SI PRO members. Be sure to be on the look-out for the NFL conference championship sharp plays later this week!
NFL Conference Championship Playoff Odds
ALL ODDS COURTESY OF DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK
No. 2 Buffalo (15-3 SU, 12-6 ATS) at No. 1 Kansas City (15-2 SU, 7-10 ATS)
Moneyline: Buffalo: (+128) | Kansas City: (-155)
Spread: BUF: +2.5 (+102) | KC: -2.5 (-124)
Total: 54.5 – Over: (-113) | Under: 54.5 (-108)
Game Info: January 24, 2020 3:40 pm ET / 12:40 pm PT | CBS
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No. 5 Tampa Bay (13-5 SU, 10-8 ATS) at No. 1 Green Bay (14-3 SU, 11-6 ATS)
Moneyline: Tampa Bay (+150) | Green Bay: (-186)
Spread: TB:+4 (-110) | GB: -4 (-110)
Total: – Over: 52 (-110) | Under: 52 (-110)
Game Info: January 24, 2020 6:35 pm ET / 3:35 pm PT | FOX
For those looking to jump into the futures markets, here are the updated odds for Super Bowl LV at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Latest Super Bowl LV Odds
Kansas City Chiefs +200
Green Bay Packers +220
Buffalo Bills +325
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +425