Steve Starr
- The Chiefs (+125) are the new Super Bowl favorites following the Ravens’ shocking loss to the Titans
- San Francisco (+165) dominated the Vikings in the divisional round
- Green Bay and Tennessee are still available at +800 heading into conference championship weekend
The first Patriots-free divisional round in over a decade delivered in spades with never-seen-before performances that will be impossible to forget.
While it’s still hard to believe that Lamar Jackson’s incredible season is over, the AFC Championship Game will feature the poster-boy of the modern passing offense, Patrick Mahomes, against Derrick Henry, the battering-ram running back who’s proving that teams can still win on the ground.
In the NFC, Aaron Rodgers aims for a resume-boosting second ring against a ferocious 49ers defense that dismantled the Packers back in November.
Let’s review the latest Super Bowl 54 odds and analyze the matchups in both conferences.
ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 54
| Team | Current Odds | Trending | Last Week |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +125 | ↑ | +350 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +165 | ↑ | +350 |
| Green Bay Packers | +800 | ↔ | +800 |
| Tennessee Titans | +800 | ↑ | +2000 |
KANSAS CITY VS TENNESSEE
Tennessee is up to +800 to win the Lombardi Trophy after becoming the first sixth seed to reach the conference championship game since 2010.
The keys to the Titans’ stunning 28-12 beatdown of the Ravens were tough fourth-down defense and a bruising rushing attack led by Henry, a true generational specimen who became the first back in NFL history to run for 180 or more yards in three straight games.
The best story of the NFL playoffs is … Ryan Tannehill?
• traded from Miami
• was a backup
• got the starting job in October
• got the Titans into the playoffs
• beat the Patriots
• beat the Ravens
• is going to the AFC Championship game pic.twitter.com/WlyPNUAkPN— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 12, 2020
While Mike Vrabel’s team bullied the Ravens out of their run-first gameplan, holding a lead against Kansas City will prove much more difficult. On Sunday, the Chiefs became the first team to ever (regular season or playoffs) trail by 24 or more points in the first half and have the lead entering halftime.
Mahomes threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns in the 51-31 comeback victory over a shellshocked Houston club that allowed touchdowns on seven straight drives; the first time that’s happened in a playoff game since the 1970 NFL merger.
Andy Reid is now a +125 favorite to win his first Super Bowl, and you can’t say he doesn’t deserve it. Not only does Big Red have the most career wins for any coach without a title, every coach in NFL history who has won more games than Reid has multiple championships.
The Chiefs running out of Touchdown Fireworks is all you need to know about this game pic.twitter.com/JrJS5qc1Xn
— Barstool Mizzou (@BarstoolMizzou) January 12, 2020
Luckily for the coach, KC’s defense has improved drastically since allowing the Titans to score 35 in a Week 10 loss, limiting teams to 10.2 points per game over their final five regular-season contests and holding Deshaun Watson and the Texans to seven points in the final three quarters of Sunday’s win.
SAN FRANCISCO VS GREEN BAY
Despite a 13-3 regular-season record and a divisional-round win over Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, Green Bay continues to be dismissed by oddsmakers at +800. This of course stems from Week 12 when the 49ers held Rodgers to a measly 104 passing yards in a 37-8 annihilation on Sunday Night Football.
Fresh and healthy after their bye week, San Francisco’s defense looked equally dominant on Saturday, holding the Vikings to 147 yards of total offense. So, it’s only fair to wonder if the Packers will be able to move the ball this time around.
Aaron Rodgers to Matt Lafluer : “Great call , kid”
Matt Lafluer to Aaron Rodgers: “Great Execution”
I love these two ?? #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/e6BExXn7hW
— ? Prince of GB ? (@GoatAaronJones) January 15, 2020
While Aaron Jones and Davante Adams each scored two touchdowns in Sunday’s 28-23 victory, the offense’s weak supporting cast should make it easy for Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to gameplan against first-year coach Matt LaFleur. After all, Rodgers only threw for a pedestrian 243 yards and 2 TDs against Seattle despite looking on top of his craft all night.
On the other side of the ball, Packers DC Mike Pettine will have to find a way to stop the legendary Shanahan zone-running scheme that piled up 186 yards on the ground last week. And who could forget about tight end/future pro wrestler George Kittle, who went for 129 yards and a score in the teams’ previous meeting.
The Rodgers-LaFleur pairing has enjoyed a relatively stress-free first year of marriage, but expect things to get rocky in the NFC Championship Game if Green Bay’s defense can’t keep things close.
