Packers and Chiefs favored to meet in the Super Bowl as NFL playoffs commence

NFL futures january 2022

The NFL playoffs kick off today with the Las Vegas Raiders visiting Cincinnati in the opening game. Playoff weekend extends through Monday night as the NFL pushes to continue its dominance on television and maximize ratings.

As we start the payoffs, NFL futures have the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs as the favorites to meet in the Super Bowl as you can see above. Both teams are playing great football and a matchup of these two squads would probably give us a great Super Bowl, though we all know the NFL playoffs rarely work out that way. This is what makes the NFL great.

Here’s a quick look at the NFL lines for the playoff games:

Las Vegas Raiders +6 at Cincinnati Bengals

The Raiders come into this coming off a thrilling victory over the Chargers last Monday night to earn a playoff berth. It’s been a wild season for the Raiders, but Derek Carr has been able to step up when needed to make a big play. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow is a superstar in the making in Cincinnati. The Bengals are not a great team, but their led by a great young quarterback who has excellent skill position players on offense. Burrow is a bit of a gunslinger, and the Bengals have a bit of a reckless style. Combine that with the hot and cold Raiders and you have a game that’s very hard to predict. Typically I would avoid a game like this, but it might be a decent bet to take the points.

New England Patriots +4½ at Buffalo Bills

The Patriots and Bills will meet for the third time this season and the weather is expected to be terrible again. This time it will likely feature bitter cold temperatures as New England arrives with rookie quarterback Mac Jones. It’s hard to go with a rookie quarterback in his first start, and Josh Allen should be able to take care of business for the Bills. But Allen is terribly inconsistent. He has incredible arm talent and he can beat you with his legs, but he also seems to lose his accuracy in key moments. I would avoid this game.

Philadelphia Eagles +9 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Give the Eagles credit; nobody expected them to make the playoffs. Jalen Hurts is limited as a quarterback, and perhaps he has a ceiling that never gets him to the Super Bowl, but the kid is a baller and gets the most out of his talent. One would expect the Bucs to take care of business here, but Hurts is a wild card.

San Francisco 49ers +3 Dallas Cowboys

Everybody seems to be picking the 49ers here, and this is certainly a dangerous team. This is a very tough draw for the Cowboys and a tough break given their impressive season. Dallas has been woefully inconsistent down the stretch, but the Cowboys have a well-balanced team that should be able to take care of business at home. Dak Prescott needs to show he can be a big-game quarterback and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rise to the challenge. I would lay the points.

Pittsburgh Steelers +13 Kansas City Chiefs

You have to give Big Ben and the Steelers credit for sneaking into the playoffs, but the Steelers are not a very good football team. The offense is very limited given that Ben mostly completes short passes. Their only prayer in this game would be to run the ball, have Ben complete some downfield prayers and hope that Kansas City turns the ball over. That’s all unlikely, however. The Chiefs should roll. I expect a blowout and this is my favorite bet of the weekend.

Arizona Cardinals +4 Los Angeles Rams

The pressure is on Matt Stafford in this game. Can he win a playoff game now that he’s in glittery LA? The Cards have been a mess down the stretch so this could be a good matchup for the Rams. I like laying the points here.

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