Experts Analyze Best Bets for NFL Championship Round

Experts Analyze Best Bets for NFL Championship Round

 

This is Best NFL Bets, a recurring series where football experts and oddsmakers give us their insights and picks on the most intriguing matchups for each week of the pro football season. 4,444 4,444 Best Bets of the Championship Round Thomas Gable, Director of Racing and Wagering at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, Atlantic City, Josh Appelbaum, Sports Betting Editor at VSiN, and Mike Golic Jr. of DraftKings shares his thoughts on this. win or go home games that will be played on Sunday and decide who goes to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February.

Four teams enter, two teams leave.You have places to go, people to see, and maybe bets to make, so let’s get down to business. Chiefs (+4, O/U 44.5) at Ravens 4,444 4,444 Appelbaum’s Rating: This line opened with the Ravens listed as a 3.5-point home favorite. We’ve seen that line drop as low as -3 for a while, and then in some trades, the Ravens have it go back up to -3.5 or even -4. The crowd supports Baltimore and 55% of bettors put points.

While Kansas City may not be “wrong,” they offer an excellent buy-low value. The Chiefs will only get 45% of the stakes in a tough playoff game. Patrick Mahomes is 9-1 against the spread (ATS) in his career as a Dog, including 3-1 against Lamar Jackson. The Playoff Dogs are 6-4 ATS (60%) and 49-34 ATS (59%) since 2017. Judge Shawn Smith historically owns 60% of the ATS team. I learned my lesson in the Super Bowl to never bet against Mahomes as a controversial dog. I shopped around and picked up the Leaders +4. Gable’s Guess: I think the Chiefs have some issues, but they played a pretty good game against Buffalo.

I still can’t get over some of the things we saw from this team in the regular season. The offense isn’t nearly as explosive as we’ve seen in years past, and the defense has carried them. We have seen Lamar Jackson blossom again this year and it is more than likely that he will win the MVP.

Being at home with things right now, I think the Ravens are a step ahead of the Chiefs. They have better receivers and can run the ball. I’ll put the points on the Ravens and push back because those are two pretty good defenses.Golic’s Gamble: This Ravens team is in rarefied air. The ’23 Ravens joined the ’85 Bears and ’72 Dolphins as the only teams in the Super Bowl era to score more than 25 PPG while leading the NFL in rushing offense and scoring defense. They are also tied with the ’07 Patriots as the only team in NFL history to have 100-plus points against a playoff team. They are talented, versatile on both sides of the ball and, perhaps most importantly, finally healthy. An injury to rookie Chiefs linebacker Joe Thuney threatens a big game that will be decided in the dugout. Forecasts call for rain and wind that could continue. I’ll put the points with the Ravens and go down..