After a blockbusting divisional round that had some pundits describing it as the most exciting ever, the NFL’s conference championships take place this weekend.
Underdog Bengals Making History
When Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals went 4-11-1 last season, not many would have tipped them to make this year’s AFC Championship but Burrow has upset the odds throughout.
The Bengals snapped the longest playoff drought in NFL history with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, their first postseason victory since 1990 before following that up with a win over the number one seed Tennessee Titans.
The young quarterback will be aware of his team’s status as underdogs, they are 27/10 on the money line and seven on the spread, but will be hoping to upset the apple cart once more.
Chiefs Looking for a Three-Peat
Standing in the Bengals’ way are the Kansas City Chiefs, who are looking to return to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row.
Patrick Mahomes was in dazzling form as the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in a pulsating divisional round encounter.
25 points were scored in the last two minutes as the two sides went toe to toe with Mahomes responsible for almost 450 yards and four touchdowns passing and rushing.
Kansas City have scored 42 points in both playoff games so far and their pass first offense has been in dominant fashion.
The Chiefs are 20/67 to win this one but punters may be better siding with the points line to go over 54.5. Both sides are pass first and their January regular season meeting was a 34-31 win to the Bengals and another high-scoring affair looks likely.
Rams Dreaming of Super Bowl Homecoming
The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to make a Super Bowl homecoming, as it is in their home stadium the SoFi Stadium.
The Rams knocked out the reigning Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wild divisional round game. Los Angeles were up 27-3 in the third quarter before a classic Tom Brady comeback levelled the game.
Rams kicker Matt Gay made a clutch late kick to send them to the NFC Championship game, where they are 10/17 to reach the Super Bowl and three point favourites on the spread.
49ers Aim to Repeat Regular Season Win
The San Francisco 49ers sneaked a win over the Los Angeles Rams on the final day of the season and will be looking to repeat the trick when the two meet in the NFC Championship game.
The 49ers have managed to progress past the Dallas Cowboys and number one seed Green Bay Packers despite not setting the world alight in an offensive sense.
San Francisco needed a game winning kick from Robbie Gould to get past the Packers and with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo still battling a hand injury, they look to be up against it against the Rams, even at 29/20 on the money line.
*All odds correct at time of writing.