Four of the NFL’s top teams from the 2014 regular season remain in the hunt for the 2015 Super Bowl. The Seahawks and Packers both won 12 games this year, while the Patriots and Colts were separated by just one victory, but the NFC Championship Game and AFC Championship Game could both end up being one-sided affairs.
Green Bay finds themselves as one of the biggest underdogs of the 2015 playoffs getting more than a touchdown in their visit to Seattle. The betting line has Indianapolis getting 6.5 points in New England, following two double-digit playoff wins by the Colts.
Five of the eight playoff games have seen the underdog cover the spread, with two favorites failing to advance to the next round. Both home teams were victorious on Championship Weekend last year.
Below are picks against the spread and updated betting odds for both conference championship games.
Green Bay Packers (+7.5) at Seattle Seahawks
Both against the spread and straight up, the Seahawks have been unbeatable in their last seven games. During the winning streak, Seattle has outscored their opponents 165-56, winning every game by at least 10 points. They haven’t lost against the spread in any of those contests, and only their Week 17 win over the St. Louis Rams came against a team that didn’t make the playoffs or finish the year with a record of .500 or better.
Green Bay enters Sunday’s contest with the same record as Seattle, and the likely MVP at quarterback. However, the Packers could have a tough time losing by a touchdown or less, let alone winning the game outright. The Seahawks have just two home losses in the last three years, and Green Bay went 4-4 on the road in 2014. All four of the Packers’ losses have come by at least eight points.
Seattle, who might have the best home-field advantage in the NFL, is 23-7 against the spread in their last 30 games at CenturyLink Field. Green Bay is 1-8 against the spread in their last nine games as road underdogs, via OddsShark.
Prediction ATS: Seattle
Indianapolis Colts (+6.5) at New England Patriots
The Patriots started the 2014 season slowly, losing two of their first four games, but they have since proven to clearly be the best team in the AFC. Since Week 5, New England has gone 11-2, beating good teams and winning in dominant fashion. Five of those wins have come against playoff teams, and eight of the 11 victories have been by at least nine points. On Nov. 16, the Pats beat the Colts in Indianapolis. 42-20.
Indianapolis had the biggest upset of the postseason in their divisional playoff win over the Denver Broncos, but they were helped by facing an injured Peyton Manning. The Colts’ offense isn’t playing as well as it did in the beginning of the season, and they might have trouble keeping the contest within a touchdown. Indianapolis has four losses of at least seven points against playoff teams, including three defeats of 17 points or more.
New England is 12-6 against the spread in their last 18 home games. The Colts lead the NFL with 12 wins against the spread this season, but they haven’t covered the betting line in any of their losses.
Prediction ATS: New England
Recommended article: Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
