NFL Conference Championship Betting Preview
The Super Bowl is getting ever closer, but we’ve still got some business to take care of before the big dance. The not-so-trivial matter of the NFL Conference Championships will be settled this coming weekend with the Chiefs taking on the Bengals in the AFC Championship game and the 49ers battling the Rams for the NFC title.
All four teams made it through in closely-fought games to earn their spots in the final showdowns before the Super Bowl. But now it’s all water under the bridge, with everything pinned on which teams come up for air this Sunday.
Here at Bodog Casino, we’ve got all your Super Bowl betting washed, powdered and parading in its Sunday best, and NFL Conference Championship betting is the lucky date. We’ve got odds for just about every AFC and NFC Championship market you could want. But before you lock any bet slips in place, let’s take a preview of the upcoming games.
FC Championship Game Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2022
Form
Bodog’s opening lines have the Kansas City Chiefs as the favourites to win the AFC Championship with -330 to the Bengals’ +265. You don’t have to look hard to see why, after all, the Chiefs won the AFC in both 2019 and 2020, and were victorious at the Super Bowl the season before last.
The Bengals, on the other hand, ended a six-year absence from the playoffs after finishing top of the AFC North. They last won the AFC Championship back in 1988 and are still yet to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Season so Far
That said, the Bengals did manage to overcome a 14-0 deficit against the Chiefs in their Week 17 game. Although, that was with home-side advantage, something the underdogs won’t have for the AFC game.
The Chiefs have a strong record when playing at home this season, winning seven of their nine games. The Bengals aren’t without their merits, and they have put in some decent away performances, tying for the second-best record in the conference.
Standout Players
Patrick Mahomes will be the biggest star on the field for the AFC Championship game, but the Chiefs quarterback won’t have it all his way: Joe Burrow upstaged him in the Week 17 game (Chiefs v Bengals), despite the fact that Mahomes has the better stats this season and more experience than
While the current odds show Burrow being slightly behind Mahomes in terms of performance in the regular and postseasons, he’s still on fire. He became the first NFL player ever to achieve 70% completed passes in his first two career playoff games.
Memorable Moments
The Bengals won their last game against the Chiefs in the final seconds, thanks to a field goal by Evan McPherson – something we’d seen in the divisional round against the Titans. Both of those games produced some of the most spectacular and memorable moments of the entire 2021 NFL season, and we’d be hard-pressed to match that level of breathlessness this Sunday.
NFC Championship Game San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2022
Form
The NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams is even tougher to call. Bodog’s spread for it is just 3.5, with the Rams the favourites. The lines are also much closer, with the Rams offered at -175 compared to the 49ers +150.
The two sides are more evenly matched in form than the Bengals and Chiefs, and we can expect to see a nail-biter of a match. Both have had two playoff appearances in the last three seasons and both have converted one of these into a conference championship.
It’s safe to say both teams are sporting plenty of experience on their side of the field.
Season so Far
The Rams have had a better season so far. The team finished top of the NFC West, with a 12-5 record, while the 49ers trailed them in third place with 10 wins to seven. That still secured them a wild card spot which they used to beat the Cowboys 23-17 and the Packers 13-10.
The 49ers have had the home-team advantage in both playoff games so far, a benefit they’ll enjoy again this Sunday. Playing away didn’t bother the Rams in the wild card game against the Cardinals, and they trounced them 34-11, continuing their strong on-the-road form from the regular season.
Standout Players
The Rams’ placekicker, Matt Gay, has enjoyed a strong season. He’s played more than twice as many games as last season and managed the second-highest field goal conversion rate in the entire NFL this season, making 94.1% of his attempts.
On the other side, 49ers’ Robbie Gould has gone the entire postseason without missing an attempt, managing a streak of 20 after the divisional weekend.
If this game is anything like what we saw last weekend, the NFC Championship could very well be decided by either of these men.
Memorable Moments
When these two sides faced off in November, the 49ers managed to dominate every quarter of the game, finishing with a score of 31-10. Just a couple of weeks ago, the pair met again, this time at the SoFi stadium. The 49ers won again, albeit with a much smaller margin of 27-24. In both games, wide receiver Deebo Samuel ran circles around the Rams, getting eight touches for 133 yards in the first game and 12 touches for 140 yards in the second.
The NFC Championship game will be the third time these teams have met in three months, emotions will be high as both sides have a point to prove and want to make history. Given how close it is between them, the current spreads and lines could easily move in the coming days.
With two exciting games of football ahead of us this Sunday, there’s never been a better time to get down with Super Bowl betting. Whatever team you think will edge it and no matter what market you want to place your wagers on, Bodog Casino has all the latest odds for the NFL playoff games. To get started, visit the “Sports” section, fill out your bet slips with the wagers you want, and get ready for some nail-biting football.