NFL Conference Championship Games to bet before the lines move

January 24, 2023 ndowd

Strap in, Conference Championship Weekend is here.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will face each other in the AFC Championship Game for the second straight season, while the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers will battle it out in the NFC Championship Game.

If you want to get the best betting value possible, it’s important to bet on the games as early as possible, that way you can take advantage of the lines before they move.

Let’s take a look at the odds for each game, and then I’ll advise which way you should bet before the lines move.

AFC Championship odds

Odds are still all over the place for the AFC Championship Game. Some sportsbooks have the Chiefs set as 1-point favorites, some sportsbooks have the Bengals set as 1-point underdogs, and some sportsbooks of the game set as a pick’em.

If you want to bet on the Chiefs, I think now is the time to do it.

The current odds are based on the assumption that Mahomes is going to be hindered by his high-ankle sprain that he suffered in the Divisional Round against the Jaguars.

Unless you think Mahomes is going to get ruled out for the game, and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to, then the line is only going to grow in favor of the Chiefs.

#Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters that QB Patrick Mahomes “worked hard on the treatment and is doing OK.” Asked about his status, Reid says he’s “gonna play” and that this isn’t as serious as the one Mahomes suffered in 2019.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2023

If Mahomes is able to play at a level anywhere close to where he would when healthy, getting the Chiefs at around a pick’em is going to be a great bet. If news comes out that he’s feeling good throughout the week, expect this line to grow.

If you want to bet on the Bengals, I’d wait closer to kickoff.

NFC Championship odds

The Philadelphia Eagles opened as 1-point favorites against the San Francisco 49ers, but that line has since grown to Eagles -2.5.

I don’t think the line has stopped moving. Sportsbooks seem hesitant to put the line at -3, but they may not have a choice at some point. At almost every sportsbook, the line is at -2.5 but the odds are anywhere from -115 to -125.

If you want to bet on the Eagles, I’d do it now before the line shifts up to three. Once it does, their value might be gone with three being a magic number when betting on football.

If you want to bet on the 49ers, I’d suggest waiting to see if the line grows another half point to +3.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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