Just four teams remain in the hunt for the 2019/20 Vince Lombardi Trophy and they will battle it out this weekend in the Conference Championship games!
Both of the games will be played on Monday morning (AEDT), kicking off from 7.05am with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Tennessee Titans followed by the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Green Bay Packers from 10.40am!
We have a full preview and betting tips for both the AFC and NFC Championship games below.
NFL Conference Championship Betting Tips
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs (Monday 7.05am AEDT)
For the 2nd week in a row, the Titans shocked the football world as they took down the 14-2 Baltimore Ravens on the road. They have now knocked over the Patriots and the Ravens in the first two weeks of the playoffs, and if they go on to beat the Chiefs this Monday, they would have run the proverbial AFC gauntlet.
Titans running back Derrick Henry has arguably been the player of the post-season so far, and had another dominant game in the win over the Ravens. He racked up 202 all-purpose yards, carried the ball 30 times and even passed for a touchdown in the win. Henry is in uncharted waters when it comes to extended periods of dominance at the running back position. He has now racked up at least 30 carries and 180 yards in three straight games, something which has never been done in the NFL.
The Chiefs captured a comeback win at home against the Texans in the divisional round. Trailing by 24 points early in the second quarter, the Chiefs went on a 51-7 run throughout the rest of the game to win by 20 points. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was dominant in the win, racking up 321 passing yards and five passing touchdowns.
The speed of the Chiefs will no doubt be a real factor and their ability to put up big scores could trouble a Titans team that likes to pound the ball and win with a score in the teens or low twenties. In 10 of their 11 wins so far this season, the Titans have kept their opponents to a score between 10 and 23, but with the form of the Chiefs offence at the moment, we are not sure that will be achievable.
One thing working in the Titans favour heading into this game has been the Chiefs inability to stop the run this season. Kansas City has allowed 128.2 rushing yards per game, which is the 7th highest in the league and the highest of any playoff team.
Whether it will be enough to put up a winning score is another question, but I wouldn’t expect the Titans to go away from what has worked for them in the past two weeks. Expect them to keep the ball out of Ryan Tannehill’s hands as much as possible and live or die through Derrick Henry once again.
Henry OVER 107.5 Rushing Yards
$1.88
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers (Monday 10.40am AEDT)
The Packers captured a solid 28-23 win over the Seahawks in the divisional round. As is usually the case with the Seahaws, it was a bit of a weird game that saw the Packers shoot out to an early lead in the first half before Seattle pegged it back but ultimately to no avail. Aaron Rodgers was solid in the win, passing for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
The 49ers were probably the most impressive team of the divisional round, as they looked a class above the Minnesota Vikings at home. They put up 27 points and kept what has been a dynamic Vikings offence to just 10 in the win.
It was defence and run game that was the catalyst of the win for the 49ers, as the running back trio of Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida combined for almost 200 yards along the ground. That might not be a winning formula against the Packers though, who have had a solid run defence this season.
Call me crazy but I think the Green Bay Packers are going to the Super Bowl. The 49ers are arguably the most complete team left in the competition, but in big games like this, big players step up and Aaron Rodgers has the most qualified resume of any of the four remaining quarterbacks.
Either way, I think this game is going to be a bit of a defensive slugfest, with both teams looking to rely on the run game. The total point line of 45 looks a little too high for my liking.
