Rams, Chiefs open as favorites for Championship Sunday
We have the NFL lines for Championship Sunday, and the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs are the early favorites.
Two games most people didn’t see coming, and yet here we are.
Next week brings Championship Sunday in the NFL, and it’s the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game, while the AFC has the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals getting after it in Arrowhead Stadium.
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For openers, the Rams are favored by 3.5 points over the 49ers at SoFi Stadium, while Kansas City is laying seven points after quickly jumping up from -6.5. Interestingly, had the Buffalo Bills beat able to hold on before losing a wild 42-36 overtime decision, they were set to be even larger favorites over Cincinnati. Per SuperBook at WestGate Las Vegas executive director John Murray, via ESPN:
“I admit I thought the game was over. We had our admin team start setting up a Bengals-Bills AFC title game. Stunning. We were planning on Bills -7.5 versus the Bengals.”
Of course, the favorites should beware. After the Super Wild Card Weekend yielded only one upset in six games — the 49ers handling the Dallas Cowboys on the road — the Divisional Round saw only one favorite cover or win outright, and it took a miracle in Kansas City.
Read: Bills – Chiefs: Josh Allen Has No Reason To Hang His Head
The Bengals and 49ers are also benefitting from having an extra day of rest, with both teams having won on Saturday. Now, each makes a short flight to visit their opponent on Sunday, with the hopes of pulling off one more win to get into the Super Bowl.
As for the Rams and Chiefs, it’s been an interesting road. Los Angeles was rolling to begin the year at 7-1 before losing to the Tennessee Titans, 49ers and Packers. However, Matthew Stafford and Co. have gotten things rolling once more, and now need to beat the No. 6 seeded 49ers to become the second consecutive team to host a Super Bowl after no team had ever done so before.
It won’t be easy, though, as the Niners have won the last six meetings between the two.
As for the AFC title game, the Chiefs are hosting a record fourth-straight such event, and are trying for a third straight trip to the Super Bowl. Only the 1971-73 Miami Dolphins, ’90-93 Bills and 2016-18 New England Patriots have ever had such a run.
