New Jersey’s Sports bookmakers got their pre-game sums correct. All four of their favorites for the NFL’s Conference playoffs were victorious in Saturday and Sunday’s no-shock weekend.
On Saturday Kansas City Chiefs, the favorites at -200 took on ambitious, strong season-finishers Indianapolis Colts (+240) and won 31-13.
Later, the feared Dallas Cowboys (+100) defense failed to upset the Los Angeles Rams (-120) as some thought they might.
The Rams, who progressed to next week’s NFC final for the first time since their return to LA, won 30-22.
It was next to the turn of the long-time Super Bowl powerhouse New England Patriots (-190) to prove the bookies correct with their crushing 41-28 win over the Los Angeles Chargers (+170).
This on Sunday, not too before it was the turn of current 2019 Super Bowl favorite the New England Saints to prove the bookies right.
Pre-game Odds
At pre-game odds of -380, they beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, Philadelphia Eagles (+130) by 20 points to 14. Although it must be said, this only after a 10-point comeback that was their largest comeback in the franchises’ history.
This means that in next week’s conference finals, The Saints and the Rams will fight it out for the NFC title while the Patriots, in their eight straight AFC final, will go head to head with the Chiefs, for whom this will be their first AFC final since 1993.
The Super Bowl itself will feature the two Conference champions on Sunday, January 27.
More
Perhaps the standout feature of this past weekend was the impressive, back-in-the-hunt performance of the Patriots.
There had been a fair amount of talk early on this season that at 41, Patriots’ kingpin quarterback Tom Brady might just be over the hill and that the mighty New England football machine was slowing down to the extent that it might not even make the AFC final, let alone the Super Bowl.
Well, Bill Belichick and his Brady Bunch certainly made a mockery of that theory on Sunday when they once again showed just why, since 2001 they have won 10 games or more a season on 17 occasions, have made the playoffs 16 times and have won the Super Bowl itself five times.
While running back Sony Michel provided most of the scoring, racking up 129 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns, Brady threw for 343 yards and one touchdown while Julian Edelman caught nine passes for a total of 151 yards.
The Chargers ace quarterback Philip Rivers completed 25 of 51 passes for 331 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, but it just wasn’t enough and when all was said and done, it may have been the intense, never-ending pressure put on Rivers by canny Belichick’s men that had more to do with New England’s easy victory than anything else.
ALL THE WEEKEND’S SCORES
Saturday, January 12th Divisional Playoffs
IN Colts (+240) lost 13-31 at KC Chiefs (-200) [U/O 57 -110]
DA Cowboys (+100) lost 22-30 at LA Rams (-120) [U/O 49.5 -110]
Sunday, January 13th Divisional Playoffs
LA Chargers (+170) lost 28-41 at NE Patriots (-190) [U/O 47.5 -110]
PH Eagles (+130) lost 14-20 at NO Saints (-380) [U/O 51 -110]
PRE-MATCH BETTING ODDS: Money line odds in standard brackets behind each team. Totals odds [under/over] in square brackets at end of each fixture line
