Championship Weekend Podcast & Picks
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 21: Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 of the Detroit Lions waves to fans and leaves the field after the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on January 21, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The final 4 teams will battle it out on championship week with the winners moving on to the big game in 2 weeks.On the betting side of things, The Ravens and Lions covered the spreas last week while the 49er’s won but didn’t cover. The Kansas City Chiefs won outright as a 3 point underdog. As for the totals, the Ravens game landed on 44 points. The game closed at 43.5 points and the final field goal certainly has a lot on the line for some. The Chiefs and Bills went over the total of 45 along with the Lions and Tampa Bay Bucs. The only game to go under was the 49ers and Packers
The AFC Championship Game
Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens -4 O/U 44
I like the Ravens to win. I don’t like it at 4. The number opened at 3.5 and was 3 for a period of time. Now you are looking at a number 4. Baltimore led the NFL in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and was sixth in total defense (301.4 yards per game). This should give Mahomes and the injured offensive line some problems. As for the total, This number opened at 45. I lean Under
The NFC Championship Games
Lions +7.5 at 49ers O/U 51.5
I’m taking the Lions not that the number has gone through the key number of 7. They play aggressive and Purdy has struggled playing from behind. There is a lot of pressure on San Fran to win. The Lions average 135.9 rushing yards per game, and San Francisco held opponents to an average of 89.7 rushing yards before allowing an individual 100-yard rusher last week (Packers RB Aaron Jones, 108). The 49ers rushed for 140 yards per game in the regular season. Disrupting quarterback Brock Purdy is one of Detroit’s top priorities this week. The Lions are allowing 338 passing yards per game in the playoffs but kept the Rams and Buccaneers to 33 percent third-down conversions.
Prop Bet
Brock Purdy to throw an INT
.5 +100
Joe Murray has worked behind the scenes and on-air in New England since 2007. Murray was born and raised in Boston (Hyde Park) and is now living on the North Shore in Peabody. A graduate of CSB School of Broadcasting, Joe was hired at 98.5 The Sports Hub in 2011 and is the host of Patriots Postgame and the Over/Under Podcast with Dan Lifshatz. Joe was hired as the full-time night show host in 2023, and a featured guest for “The Weekly Spread” on NBC Sports Boston during football season. Joe writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.
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