And then there were only four teams left standing.
Last week we learned that Detroit is loud, the Kelce brothers are businessmen, Brock Purdy doesn’t like rain, and the Ravens D is real, real good. Now let’s throw all that out of the window and look at our two conference championship matchups. In the early game we have the Chiefs visiting the Ravens in Baltimore. Both teams are relatively healthy going into this one. The Ravens will have Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews back in the lineup after missing most of the second half of the season. It will be a nice boost for Lamar, but expecting a big game from him might be a tad unrealistic. On the Chiefs side of the ball, there is good news and bad news. Looks like versatile running back Isiah Pacheco will be on the field Sunday night, but All Pro offensive lineman, Joe Thuney, will be sidelined with a pectoral injury. Expect the change on the offensive line to have a significant impact on the game. The Ravens D is looking dominant at this point in the season and Lamar and the offense is clicking. While the Ravens might look like the more imposing team, statistical the Ravens offense and defense are both rated sixth best in the NFL, whereas Chiefs have the ninth best offense in the league and the second best defense. We expect a close game in Baltimore, but find it hard to bet against Andy Reid’s Chiefs in the playoffs, particularly when they’re getting 4.5 points. We know everyone was eager to crown Josh Allen last week and look what happened. Folks are even more excited about Lamar becoming the king of the AFC, but not so fast. We think Mahomes will have something to say about that come Sunday.
On Sunday night, we have America’s team travelling to California to bite some kneecaps and take on the 49ers. The Detroit Lions looked impressive against the Bucs for most of the game, but it was still a little bit surprising that the door was still open for Baker at the end of the game to tie it up on the final drive. Both teams have prolific offenses that can put up points fast, with lots of the speed at the skill positions and dominant lineman. It will be interesting to see how both QBs handle the pressure of the moment as they have both been susceptible to turnovers in bunches at inopportune times. The outcome of the game will likely come down to Detroit’s ability to contain the 49ers backfield. Christian McCaffrey played well last week, but suspect he’ll get an even bigger workload this week with Deebo Samuel questionable to play with a shoulder injury. Expect another closer game here, with America’s team punching their ticket to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
This week we are also including some props bets that we like below in bold.
- KC@BAL-4.5
- DET@SF-7.5
- Lamar Jackson – anytime TD scorer +100
- Clyde Edwards Helaire – over 7.5 yards rushing -100
- Rashee Rice – over 60.5 yards receiving -110
- Jahmyr Gibbs – anytime TD scorer +130
- Christian McCaffrey over 36.5 receiving yards -110
Divisional Round: 1-3
Regular Season Record: 124-122-11
Playoff Record: 4-6