The NFL Conference Championship games have 3 teams that were expected to be playing and one-party crasher. The Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas Chiefs were expected to be in their respective positions. This is based on a combination of regular season play and recent history. The Detroit Lions are the Cinderella of the group. The Lions had not won a playoff game in 32 years before this season. Let’s look at the matchups.
The Kansas City Chiefs plays the Baltimore Ravens on CBS and Paramount+. The game starts at 3 pm. The Ravens are favored by 4 and the total is 44.5. The money line is Ravens -205 and Chiefs +170. The weather is expected to be 47 degrees with light rain.
The Ravens got here by obtaining the AFC bye and handling the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round 34-10. The Chiefs got here by defeating the Miami Dolphins at home 26-7 and then edged by the Buffalo Bills on the road 27-24.
Key Addition: Ravens TE Mark Andrew is expected to play after being injured in November with a cracked fibula.
Key Loss: Chiefs LG Joe Thuney is out with a pectoral injury.
Props: Expect a big game from the Chiefs Travis Kelce, over his 63 receiving yards and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, over rushing yards of 63.5. The price for Kelce is -115. Jackson’s price is -130, Take both players over!
The Chiefs are here for the 6th straight time, not as prolific offensively but stout on defense. If you are going to beat Mahomes, the road is the best place.
The Picks: Jackson caps his MVP season with a victory. Ravens minus the points and the game goes over.
The Detroit Lions play the San Francisco 49ers plat at 6:30 pm on Fox. The Niners are favored by 7.5 and the total is 52. The money line is the Niners -340 and the Lions +270. Weather will not be a factor .
Props: Expect Niners RB Christian McCaffrey to be an anytime TD scorer. The price is an exorbitant amount at most books. Expect Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs to go over his projected rushing yardage of 49.5 yards. The price is -125.
The Picks: The Lions have drastically improved over the last two seasons. Expect a battle with a high scoring game. The total opened at approximately 49.5 and has jumped 3 points. The public likes the Lions, and they are getting 67% of the action. They are right, and Detroit stays within a touchdown, Game goes over and the Niners win.