(NewsNation Now) — It was almost a full weekend of underdog victories last weekend until the Chiefs managed to pull out a stunning overtime victory over the Bills, crushing the hearts of Bills Mafia everywhere and adding to the legend of Patrick Mahomes.
This weekend, we have the NFC and AFC championship games, with the upstart Cincinnati Bengals led by LSU graduate Joe Burrow up against the aforementioned Chiefs, while the L.A. Rams and their ridiculously good defense take on the San Francisco 49ers with Jimmy Garoppolo under center. In short, while there are favorite in both games, no one’s going to be all that surprised if upsets happen.
It should come as no surprise that, according to DraftKings, the Chiefs are the odds-on favorite to take it all and win the Super Bowl, while the Bengals are the longshot. The Chiefs are seven-point favorites to beat the Bengals for the AFC Championship this Sunday, which is a fairly big spread for this game.
Over in the NFC, the entirely West Coast matchup sees the Rams favored by 3.5 points over the 49ers. One factor many don’t take into account with the Rams is Matthew Stafford. Yes, he’s not an elite quarterback … but having taken snaps for the Lions for several years, the man’s seen adversity and knows how to roll with the punches. Even if the Niners get ahead early, Stafford won’t be rattled.
Of course, if you’re bored with betting on who wins or loses, you could always venture into what are called “prop bets.” This is where you wager on whether a specific player will score or get a sack, how many yards/points a team will rack up or just about anything else. For example, if you bet $100 that Odell Beckham Jr. will score a touchdown for the Rams Sunday, you’ll win $150 if he makes it.
Thanks to the spread of legalized betting, Super Bowl betting is expected to break records nationwide. Of course, your local bar probably still sells squares in the pool, too.