NFL Championship Weekend Betting Preview

Football fans have another big weekend of gridiron action as the Super Bowl then awaits on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The AFC and NFC Championship games offer some interesting scenarios for those who enjoy some NFL betting.

This marks the first time since 2011 that four new franchises have reached the conference championship games. Here’s a look at each matchup.

NFC Championship

The Los Angeles Rams travel to Seattle for their third meeting of the season after the divisional rivals split their regular season matchups.

The Seahawks won 38-37 in Week 16, while the Rams took a 21-19 victory in Week 11. This marks a battle between two of the league’s youngest coaching minds, as 38-year-old Mike McDonald faces Sean McVay, who turns 40 on Jan. 24.

The Rams are playing their third consecutive playoff game away from home, while Seattle is reaching the NFC title game for the first time in 11 years after destroying San Francisco 41-6. Los Angeles survived a thriller, needing overtime to escape Chicago after kicker Harrison Mevis drilled a game-winning field goal.

As of Friday, FanDuel had the Seahawks favored by 2.5 and the over/under set at 46.5. The Seahawks’ defense has been dominating for much of the season and I’ll take Seattle.

AFC Championship

This game renews a postseason rivalry as the New England Patriots visit the Denver Broncos. Denver holds a 4-1 advantage against New England in this matchup, including two previous conference championship victories at home.

However, the Broncos face adversity after losing starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury during their overtime win against Buffalo. Backup Jarrett Stidham will be under center and has limited starting experience in the league. That hasn’t soured Denver coach Sean Payton on Stidham’s chances in leading the team.

“He’s gonna rip it, you know?” Payton said this week. “That’ll be our approach. He’s got this calm demeanor that I think suits him well. He’s played in big games (in) college. I said this at the start of the season, I felt like our two (QBs) was inside the best 32. I think everyone feels that way, but that’s why that signing was important. And you don’t know when it’s happening but I’m glad it happened.”

The Patriots are favored by 4.5 points on the road and the over/under is set at 42.5. I’ll take the Patriots in this one.

Key Factors to Watch

• NFC: Can Sam Darnold avoid the errors that doomed him in last year’s playoff loss to this same Rams team?
• AFC: How will Denver’s backup quarterback perform in the biggest game of the season?

Key Players to Watch

• Matthew Stafford (Rams): The MVP candidate brings championship experience to his second NFC title game
• Sam Darnold (Seahawks): Faces immense pressure to prove himself on the biggest stage
• Denver’s defense: After forcing five turnovers against Josh Allen, they’ll need another dominant performance
• Sean Payton: The veteran coach seeking his second Super Bowl appearance with a different franchise