Opening Betting Lines & Spreads for AFC and NFC Title Games

It’ll be the #1 seed San Francisco 49ers playing host to the NFC North champion Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game. It’s San Francisco that’s set as 7-point home favorites.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens will be facing the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens are opening as the 3.5-point home chalk.

Let’s look at the opening betting line for the NFL conference championship games.

NFC Championship Game Odds

In the NFC Championship opening odds, the 49ers are the -300 chalk in the moneyline, giving them a 75% implied win probability. The total is set at 50.5 points.

The AFC Championship opening odds, the Ravens are set at -165 in the moneyline. That gives Baltimore an implied win probability of 62.26%. The total is set at 45 points.

Old Hat for 49ers

Losers to the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s NFC title game, the 49ers are one win away from going to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. San Francisco will be playing in the club’s 19th NFC title game. They are 7-11 straight up in those games and 5-5 SU at home.

Detroit, though, is in this position for just the second time ever and the first time since the 1991 season, when the Lions lost to Washington in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions have never played in the Super Bowl.

Lions Offer NFL’s Best ATS Coverage

Detroit is an NFL-best 13-6 against the spread this season. In the three seasons since Dan Campbell took over as head coach, the 36-17 (67.9%) ATS rate of the Lions is also #1 in the league.

While the 49ers are 8-2 SU in their past 10 games, they are also 0-6 ATS in their last six home games. The Niners are 7-1 SU in their last eight games when facing an NFC opponent. Detroit is 7-2 ATS as a road team this season.

Head to head, San Francisco is 12-1 SU in the last 13 meetings, however. On the other hand, the Lions are 3-0 ATS in the past three games.

As the road team, Detroit is 0-13 SU in the last 13 games facing the 49ers. The last win in San Francisco by the Lions was a 28-17 verdict in 1975.

Those 13 successive losses include a 24-23 setback in a 1983 NFL Divisional Round game. Lions kicker Eddie Murray missed a game-winning field goal on the final play of regulation. Detroit hasn’t won an NFL postseason game at San Francisco since a 31-27 verdict in the 1957 West Division title game. The Lions carried on to win their most recent NFL championship that season.

Pick: Detroit Lions +7 (-115)

Ravens Await AFC Opponent

As the #1 seed, this will be the first time Baltimore is playing host to an AFC title game. The Ravens are 2-2 SU in previous AFC Championship Games, all as a road team.

Kansas City is 3-3 SU in the AFC title game. The Chiefs are 0-1 SU as a road team in the AFC title game. KC QB Patrick Mahomes will be playing in his sixth straight AFC Championship Game. So far, he’s gone 3-2 SU.

Head to head against the Ravens, Kansas City is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS over the past five meetings. At Baltimore, the Chiefs are 5-2 SU and ATS.

Ravens Solid Straight Up And ATS

At 14-4 SU, Baltimore owns the NFL’s best won-loss mark this season. The Ravens are also 12-6 ATS. That’s tops in the AFC and #2 in the NFL behind the Lions.

Baltimore is 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS over the past eight games. At home, the Ravens are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS through the last five games. The over has hit just twice in their past five games (2-2-1).

Kansas City is 4-1 SU and 3-1-1 ATS in the club’s last five road games. Overall, the Chiefs are 4-0 SU and ATS through the past four games. The total is 1-4 in the past five KC games.

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs +3.5 (-120).