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Conference Championships previews
As the NFL season reaches its thrilling climax, the NFC and AFC Championship Games promise action-packed drama.
Below we preview both games, including Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs.
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Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles – Sunday 8pm
Heading into the penultimate weekend of the NFL season, this year has been nothing short of surprises. Very few people would have had the Washington Commanders, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn, making it to the play-offs and getting as far as the NFC championship match. The Commanders have been nothing short of sensational and booked their ticket to the NFC championship to take on the Eagles with a thrilling victory over the Detroit Lions.
They take on a dominant Philadelphia Eagles team who have been dominant all season long on both sides of the ball. Their stout defence ranks in the top five for multiple defensive metrics and the offense has been revitalised this year with the addition of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. A 28-22 win over the LA Rams in snowy, blizzard-like conditions punched their ticket back to the NFC championship, and a potential super bowl repeat against the Kansas City Chiefs looks likely with their odds set at 1/3.
A blockbuster showdown awaits, but don’t expect this to be a points fest as the Eagles defence allows the 2nd least points to opposing offences during the regular season and are in red-hot form. Rookie quarterback Daniels had a feast against the Detroit Lions defence, but injuries have crippled the Lions defence and this is a very different task ahead of him. The Eagles rely on their run game to win games and we don’t expect that to change, which will likely lead to the clock being run down for large parts of the game. This will be tightly contested and points will be at a premium, so the UNDER 47.5 POINTS @ 17/20 looks the likelier.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had a slight injury scare against the Rams on Sunday and had a slight limp come the end pf the game. Reports suggest though that he is fine and will definitely start against the Commanders ; he will have a whole week to recover and his 44 yard rushing touchdown on Sunday was a reminder of just how difficult he is to prepare for as he can dominate throwing the ball and running the ball. Should the Eagles find themself in a red-zone situation, we can expect to see him use his legs to find the endzone so take JALEN HURTS ANYTIME TOUCHDOWN @ 4/5.
Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs – Sunday 11:30pm
The AFC championship game sees the Buffalo Bills travel to Arrowhead stadium to take on the formidable Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup which has been a regular as of recent years and is always an action-packed affair. Arguably the two best quarterbacks in the league, Josh Allen of the Bills and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, go head to head once again to decide the champions of the AFC conference and to decide who will get a spot at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans. The Chiefs have gotten the better of the Bills in recent years in the play-offs, but regular season matchups have seen the Bills get success over their AFC rivals and this time, it looks tough to call.
The Bills had to endure a 4th quarter fight back from the Baltimore Ravens to win 27-25 whilst the Chiefs dealt with the Houston Texans in ‘Chiefs like’ fashion and a 23-14 win means another home AFC championship game in Kansas.
In terms of the odds, the spread is pretty much level with the Chiefs favourites at 10/13. History suggests that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will get the job done here, and it’s hard to bet against probably the best quarterback the league has seen since Tom Brady and maybe even the best of all time should the Chiefs grab their third successive Super bowl title this year. Many would love to see the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl but it is potentially the toughest possible task for them and at nearly a pick ‘em game, the simple selection of KANSAS CITY CHEIFS MONEY LINE @ 10/13 seems backable.
With the Chiefs on the money line, we suggest one of their running backs will find the endzone and that specific running back is Kareem Hunt. Formerly of the Cleveland Browns, Hunt has had somewhat of a resurrection in his career this season and has found the endzone in each of his last 3 games. He is a goal-line specialist and is favoured to taking snaps in the redzone instead of Isaiah Pacheco, who is only just recently back from injury. With all that being said, take KAREEM HUNT ANYTIME TOUCHDOWN @ 11/8.
