And then there were 4. We’ve arrived at the AFC and NFC Championship games, and come Sunday night we’ll know which teams will be fighting it out for the Super Bowl in just 2 weeks. The 49ers suffered a scare against the Packers last week and the Lions will no doubt be highly motivated to go in and pull the upset, while Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will have their eyes on defending their Super Bowl crown against the resilient Ravens.
The Pickswise NFL handicapping team has been on fire all season long, now boasting a 62-43 record with their'NFL best bets, while our NFL picks are showing a profit of +52.1 units! Let’s keep riding that momentum and have another big Sunday. Here are our NFL AFC and NFC Championship best bets.
John Martin: Kansas City Chiefs +3.5 over Baltimore Ravens (-105)
There comes a time in every bettor's life where he must make a choice. He has to take a hard stand. This is that time. The AFC Championship Game is set, and taken as a whole, it features the 2 best teams in the AFC. Both the Ravens and Chiefs have been a head above the rest. Both feature MVP quarterbacks. Both feature elite defenses and master coaching staffs. Baltimore has the most impressive resume in the NFL; they knocked off a fully healthy San Francisco on the road, they destroyed the Dolphins and they blew the doors off one of the hottest teams in the NFL in the Houston Texans last weekend. They are deserving of the stage, without a shadow of a doubt. But maybe it's time we started thinking about Patrick Mahomes the way we thought about Tom Brady in his prime.
What would we have said about a Patriots team in 2006 getting 4 points against anybody? That's an automatic bet – one you live with, every time. Mahomes is the closest thing we've seen to Brady since he retired, the way he elevates his team. While the Ravens' defense is lightyears better and healthier than the Bills, you saw how Mahomes simply elevated his receiving corps. Marquez Valdez-Scantling, most known for that critical touchdown drop against the Eagles earlier in the season, made 2 huge catches. Travis Kelce looked like he was back to his prime form. Defensively, the Bills were able to run the ball at will in the first half, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo showed why he is one of the best to ever do it with his second-half adjustments. The Bills scored just 7 points and could not find anywhere near the same success as the first half.