Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, January 9, 1:00 p.m. ET
The favorite: Ravens -3
Over/Under: 41
Both from a betting and from a straight-up perspective, the Baltimore Ravens closed the 2010 regular season in style. They went 6-1 over their final seven games and beat three of their final four spreads. They're 4-1-1 ATS over their last six road games and 4-1 ATS in their last six Wild-Card appearances.
Though the Chiefs are 7-2 ATS over their last nine games as an underdog, many of the against the spread trends don't point their way. They're 1-6 ATS in their last seven against AFC opponents, 3-7 ATS over their last 10 January games and 0-4 ATS over their last four playoff games. The road team has also beaten the spread in four of the last five Ravens/Chiefs meetings.
The UNDER is 4-1 over Kansas City's last five home games and 4-1 over Baltimore's last five Wild-Card games.
The Ravens' offense disappointed slightly this season, clocking in at 22nd overall. Ray Rice helped them finish 14th in rushing but Joe Flacco's late-season cold streak left them with the league's 20th-ranked passing attack. Defensively, the Ravens are fifth against the run and third in points allowed but their 21st-ranked pass "D" drags their overall rank down to 10th.
Kansas City's bread and butter is running the ball. The powerhouse tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones helped give the Chiefs the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack this season, averaging more than 164 yards per game. Though Matt Cassel threw 27 touchdown passes, his rather efficient approach meant fewer yards and K.C. ranks 30th in passing. The Chiefs' "D" is respectable, 14th overall, 17th against the pass and 15th against the run.
Green Bay Packers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, January 9, 4:30 p.m. ET
Betting favorite: Eagles -3
Over/Under: 46
As the over/under of 46 points suggests, oddsmakers expect Green Bay/Philadelphia to be the week's highest-scoring affair. The OVER is 4-1 in Green Bay's last five playoff road games and 9-3 in Philly's last 12 games overall. However, the last four meetings between these two teams have fallen UNDER the total.
Are the Pack happy to play on the road this week? They're 4-1 ATS over their last five games as a road underdog. They're also 18-7-1 over their last 26 games as a dog overall. Then again, they're 0-4 ATS over their last four Wild-Card games and 2-6 ATS in their last eight playoff games.
The Eagles are tough to read – 0-4 ATS over their last four January games, 1-4 ATS over their last five as a favorite but also 7-3 ATS over their last 10 against Green Bay. The favorite is also 4-1 ATS over the last five meetings between these two teams.
The Packers are strong in most areas – fifth in total defense, fifth in passing defense, fifth in passing offense and ninth in total offense. If they have a weakness, it's their running game. Leading rusher Brandon Jackson had just 703 yards this season; the Pack finished 24th in rushing overall.
The Eagles are an offensive juggernaut, ranking second overall, fifth in rushing, ninth in passing and third with 27.3 points per game. But their banged-up, rookie-laden defense is a solid yet unspectacular 12th overall with 326.8 total yards allowed per game.
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