American Football
NFL preview: Super Bowl glory awaits in Conference Championships
NFL Conference Championship Sunday is upon us and we’ve got arguably the four most consistent, high-quality teams left in the playoffs. Three of the four have MVP winners at quarterback, while Josh Allen’s had an MVP worthy year for Buffalo.
We preview the Conference Championship games below, alongside our ambassador Jason Bell.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Green Bay Packers
Tom Brady is 43 years old; Aaron Rodgers is 37, and neither show any signs of slowing down. Rodgers looks set to win the MVP while Brady is at the helm of an impressive Tampa Bay offense that brought the curtain down on Drew Brees’ sterling career last weekend.
Green Bay at Lambeau are comfortable favourites at 5/9, while the visiting Bucs are 8/5. Granted Rodgers looked so impressive against the Titans, but Tom Brady is a wily competitor who will expect better after getting a helping hand from his defense last time out. Everyone knows how dangerous Davante Adams is on the perimeter for the Green Bay passing attack, and he’s just 4/7 to score anytime.
Big players live for big moments, and there’s not many players bigger than Rob Gronkowski. The stellar tight end came out of retirement to play with Brady this year, and their partnership is already record-setting. Could the dynamic duo pull through again in their new colours? Gronkowski is 16/1 to score the last touchdown and giving his history and innate knowledge of Brady’s game, he could come up big should the Bucs need him in the clutch.
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs
While the NFC Championship may feature two future Hall of Famers at the end of their careers, the AFC Championship has the future of the league at the helm of either team. Patrick Mahomes should pass concussion protocols after being taken out of the game against the Browns, while Josh Allen has the Bills offense purring.
Both QB’s possess the ability to create a play out of thin air while hungry defenses will keep pressure in the pocket and force offensive co-ordinators to dive deep into their bag of tricks. It should an exhilarating game, with the Chiefs, hosting their third AFC Championship game in a row, 10/17 and the visiting Bills 6/4.
This game could be decided early however, with leading from the front a priority, allowing offensive rhythms to be established without chasing the game. Double results of Kansas/Kansas at 23/20 and Buffalo/Buffalo at 21/10 could offer more value than an outright win.
With offensive talent abound, over 54 points at 10/11 looks reachable in what could be a Sunday night shootout with a Super Bowl spot at stake.