NFL Betting – Conference Championships Betting and Preview

Giants at San Francisco and Ravens at Patriots

Sports Betting

The Road to Super Bowl XLVI betting got very interesting in the Divisional round last weekend, and now we have the Conference Championships to look forward to. The last four teams are lining up a position in the final now and two of the main frontrunners for the Super Bowl are no longer in contention. The Divisional Round threw up some fantastic matches with the highlight being the fall of the defending champions the Green Bay Packers. So this Sunday sees the last four battle it out for a place at Super Bowl XLVI and we have new outright favourites to win it, and that is the New England Patriots. The excitement builds towards the Super Bowl and we have two great match ups to look at in NFL betting this week.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots Betting
The Ravens squeezed out the Houston Texans in the AFC Divisional Round, winning 20-13 at home to move ahead. Baltimore walked straight into the Divisional Round, missing the Wild Card round courtesy of such a strong season, but yet they still continue to fly under the radar. Baltimore are the next team to try and contain the incredible New England offence and it goes without saying that they will need a pretty strong defensive effort. But that is just what the Baltimore Ravens have, and it has been arguable much tighter than New England’s throughout the season. So at least they have that to rely on in Baltimore at New England betting. However there is a big question mark about the composure of quarter back Joe Flacco, who was less than ordinary in the Divisional Round win over the Texans and he has come under some serious flak, especially with comparisons naturally being drawn against New England’s pretty much immaculate Tom Brady. There is an uneven tilt there in that department, but the Ravens do have a big ace up their sleeve and that is Ray Rice who has always done extremely well running against the Patriots. Talk about a game winner and that falls on the shoulders of Rice and they have to get him into the game to take some pressure off Flacco. As good as Baltimore’s defence has been for the season it will still need to produce its best defensive effort if they are going to take down New England. New England don’t have the defence that the Ravens do, and New England do give up a lot of yardage, however, opponents do still have trouble converting ground into points against the Patriots. That is simply going to be the problem for the Ravens, keeping up with the scoring of the Patriots, because they will get on the board. You are talking about the second best offence during the regular season (the Patriots) up against the 15th best. The offence that the Patriots can throw out is just too powerful for most teams, having racked up over 500 points during the regular season. The Patriots coasted through their AFC Divisional Round match, crushing the Denver Broncos 45-10 with that man Tom Brady at quarterback having a spectacular game. The Patriots are now everybody’s favourite to lift the Super Bowl this year and are looking for their fifth Super Bowl appearance. The last time these two met in the Post Season, it was the Ravens who took a win in the Wild Card Round back in 2009. It may take a while for the Patriots to break through the Ravens defence, but they are expected to get the job done in the end.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers Betting
Most people were expecting a match up between the New Orleans Saints and the almost invincible Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championships. However, there were big turn ups for the books in the Divisional Round. The San Francisco 49ers, using home advantage in an open stadium, where the Saints aren’t that happy (as they are better suited to their home indoors conditions) squeezed out a dramatic late win over Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. It was a cracker of a match, with the Saints looking set to take the game after a late score with about ninety seconds left on the clock, to go to take a narrow points advantage. However, the 49ers weren’t finished in the match as talk about ‘The Grab’ resounds on. There was nine seconds left on the clock when 49ers quarter back Alex Smith nailed a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis to sneak over the line in to the Conference Championships. That was the first time in nine years that the 49ers had won a play off game. Now a Super Bowl berth is at stake. The 49ers face off against the New York Giants, who have come up so big time and time again when it has mattered this season. After a big win against the Cowboys late in the regular season to take the NFC East, the often unpredictable Giants have produced when it has mattered and it has been down to their defence. The play offs have largely been defence dominated, a switcheroo from the regular season, when it has been all about the incredible offences of New Orleans, New England and Green Bay. The Giants triumphed where only one other team this season has (Kansas City Chiefs) and that has been limiting the Packers offence, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Giants, whose defence has looked shaky at times this season and has conceded a wealth of points, have suddenly tightened up and gotten smart, and the down to earth, power game which they are running has suddenly seen them find a consistent winning formula. If you are looking for the more complete team, that will be the 49ers. It was the 49ers who took a 27-20 win on home turf against the Giants and we will probably see an equally tight match up against in New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers betting. Giants quarter back Eli Manning, generally either brilliant or frustrating needs a big game. The Giants can bully this if their defence continues to do what it has done in the post season. The 49ers will go as favourites though, because they are the stronger of the sides with the better offensive options.

Super Bowl XLVI Outright Winner Betting
New England Patriots: 5/4 at William Hill
San Francisco 49ers: 17/5 at Bet365
New York Giants: 11/4 at Paddy Power
Baltimore Ravens: 7/1 at Boylesports

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