Are the Raiders a safe bet against the Seahawks in this NFL Preseason game?

Betting Projections For The AFC Championship

Written by on January 6, 2017

This weekend sees the start of the NFL playoffs, and while we have 4 games on the calendar, we are going to focus on the AFC side of the coin to see if we can project how things will play out. The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs have a bye this week, and will make their first appearance in the Divisional Round next week. Who they meet will depend on how things play out on Saturday and Sunday. Let’s get this thing rolling by taking a look at the Wild Card action.

In Depth Analysis On The Betting Projections For The AFC Championship

 
 

Wild Card Weekend Projections

Saturday will see the Oakland Raiders head to Houston to face the Texans in a game that is becoming increasingly more difficult to predict. The Raiders have more gam changing players than the Texans, but they are down to their third string QB for this one. The Texans are not without their QB problems, having benched big money starter in favor of Mike Savage, only to see the replacement knocked out through injury. Brock Osweiler is not the best option, but he is a better one than a third stringer. Texans win. The lock of the weekend, in my humble opinion, is the Steelers at home to the Miami Dolphins. The visitors are another team with QB issues, as they are likely going to need to start Matt Moore in place of the injured Ryan Tannehill. Moore versus Roethlisberger and all the weapons he has at his disposal is a total mismatch. Steelers win.

Divisional Round Projections

There were some who were a little too quick to discount the New England Patriots after they lost Rob Gronkowski for the season, but Brady and company haven’t missed a beat. I really don’t see them having much of an issue with a home game against the Texans. I’ll take Brady over Osweiler any day of the week, even if he is tossing the ball to a bunch of guys who are not exactly household names. The Steelers already have a win over the Kansas City Chiefs this season, but that one came in the cozy confines of Heinz Field. The Chiefs are an entirely different team in their own building, and you have to believe that they have a slight edge with home field advantage in the Divisional Round. That said, if it comes down to the Steelers offence versus the Chief defense, I think it will be the Steelers that prevail. Just too many weapons on board.

AFC Championship Projection

These two teams have been the cream of the crop in the AFC for several years now, so it would definitely be fun to see them hook up to decide who represents the conference in Super Bowl 51. The Patriots won when they met earlier in the season, but it’s worth noting that the Steelers were without the services of Big Ben that day. Rob Gronkowski came up big in that game, but he will not be available in the Conference Final. It’ll be a close one, but the Steelers get the win.