AFC Championship Odds: Super Bowl Favored Patriots Host the Ravens
Saturday, January 21, 2012
by Bovada Sportsbook
Thanks to an upset loss by the Green Bay Packers last weekend, the New England Patriots are now the odds-on favorites at 6/5 on Bovada Sportsbook’s NFL odds to win the Super Bowl. But are the Pats good or overrated? After all, New England has not beaten a team yet this season that finished with a winning record. And during the regular season, the Pats faced just three clubs that reached the postseason and won only one of those games.
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Certainly New England’s best competition so far comes in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. The Pats are 9-point favorites on Bovada Sportsbook and there will be live play-by-play betting available.
During the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens (13-4) ranked No. 3 in the NFL in total defense, No. 2 in rushing defense, No. 4 stopping the pass and third in points per game allowed at 16.6 ppg. And that unit has allowed more than 16 points just once in the last six games. Last week in the divisional round, the Ravens forced four Houston turnovers in a 20-13 victory in the team’s first home playoff game under coach John Harbaugh.
But the Baltimore offense will need to be better against the high-flying Patriots. Joe Flacco completed barely 50 percent of his passes vs. Houston and running back Ray Rice was held to 60 yards on 21 carries. The Ravens were outgained by nearly 100 yards by a team with a third-string quarterback.
New England (14-3) finished second in the NFL in total offense this season behind a 5,000-yard season from QB Tom Brady. And he was magnificent last week in the team’s first playoff win since the 2007 season. Brady threw for 363 yards and an NFL-record-tying six scores in the 45-10 blowout of Denver. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski continued his amazing season with 10 catches for 145 yards and three scores.
The Patriots have won nine in a row and scored at least 31 points in eight of those. Baltimore has had some success at New England, however. The Ravens pushed the Patriots to overtime last regular season before falling 23-20. The last time the Ravens played a postseason game in New England, in the 2009 season, Rice scored on the first offensive play of the game -- running 83 yards for a touchdown. It was the second-longest run in NFL postseason history and set the pace for a 33-14 win for the Ravens.
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baltimore ravens - green bay packers - joe flacco - john harbaugh - new england patriots - ray rice - rob gronkowski - tom brady
