Conference Championships in the NFL are set to begin on Sunday with two very interesting games, in different ways. The New England Patriots are set to visit the Denver Broncos in the AFC, while the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC.
There’s been a lot of action on these games with odds coming out as sportsbook bonuses offset losses for those fans placing high-stake bets. With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line with these two games, everyone will keep an eye on what will be a great Championship Sunday. Here are the latest odds and game predictions for the two matchups:
*Odds via Fanduel
AFC Championship – New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos
Spread: Patriots -4.5
Money line: Patriots -215; Broncos +180
O/U: 42.5
After the Broncos beat the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round, the realization that they would be playing in the AFC Championship was just sinking in. Not too long after, news came out that quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury and that joy quickly became concern. Head coach Sean Payton announced that Jarrett Stidham would be in line to start on Sunday. That is quite the difference from Nix but if anyone can win with a backup, it’s Payton.
He has a history of backup quarterbacks performing under his guidance and with Stidham being in Payton’s system for a couple of years, he gives the Broncos a chance on Sunday. Even with that, the Broncos might have to heavily rely on the defense and run game. The Broncos have enough around Stidham on both sides of the ball; the difference will be whether the new Broncos signal-caller will be serviceable or not.
Obviously, Vegas doesn’t think the Payton influence matters when it comes to Stidham, as the Patriots are favored by 4.5 on the road. New England will be without sack leader Harold Landry because of a knee injury but this defense as a whole has shut down the opposing offense in both playoff games so far and now gets to face a backup quarterback. The Patriots’ offense also ranked second in the league in points scored but they’ll be up against a tough defense. With that, it could be a closer game than people think. Again, the whole outcome of this game will depend on the performance of Stidham.
Game prediction – Patriots win 24-17
NFC Championship – Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks
Spread: Seahawks -2.5
Money line: Seahawks -134; Rams +114
O/U: 46.5
Everyone thought that the Seahawks could be playoff contenders at the beginning of the year but no one expected them to be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now they’re one win away from being in the Super Bowl but they have to get through the division rival Rams first. The season series is split at one, with both games being determined by a combined three points. Both teams are coming into this game relatively healthy, setting up for a great trilogy between these two teams.
The Seahawks absolutely blew out the San Francisco 49ers last week, 41-6. Sam Darnold was not asked to do much in the game as the defense and special teams did the majority of the work. This hasn’t been the case all season, as yes, the defense ranked No. 1 in points allowed to end the season, but the offense has been one of the most explosive in the league.
The only thing holding people back from truly believing that the Seahawks could win this game is Darnold. He hasn’t shown he can play well in the spotlight after becoming a no-show in last year’s playoffs for the Vikings. That being said, it seems like Darnold has matured even more as a quarterback and it helps that he has Jaxon Smith-Njigba to throw to. The Seahawks from top to bottom have the team to go out and win this game.
But the Seahawks have one man standing in his way, and that’s Matthew Stafford. The one edge the Rams have over the Seahawks is quarterback experience and Stafford has all of it. He’s risen up in big games and has led various game-winning drives to propel the Rams.
Stafford has Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to throw to but what could be holding the Rams back is the defense. That side of the ball has been susceptible for weeks now and they’ve had problems on special teams as well. Despite that, the Rams still have a shot to win this thing because of their quarterback and the offense. The matchup to watch of the two conference championships will be the Rams offense vs the Seahawks defense.
Game prediction – Rams win 24-20
Main Image: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
