2020 NFL Conference Championships Preview: Betting Odds, Announcers, Rankings & More
I don’t think I’m alone when I say I’ve never been more pleased with the four teams set to play in the conference championship games. The storylines are epic, and if one thing is clear from the two matchups, it’s that the quarterback position is still king. The top three leaders in QBR from this season are still alive (Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen) and the other is the hands-down best to ever do it (Tom Brady). Each preview below includes all the TV broadcast info, as well as odds for each game come from Sports Betting Dime.
AFC
#2 Buffalo at #1 Kansas City
Date: Sunday, January 24th
Time: 6:40 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Line: Kansas City -3
O/U: 53
Rankings: Buffalo (scoring offense #2, scoring defense #16); Kansas City (scoring offense #6, scoring defense #10)
Trends: Buffalo (4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog; 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games); Kansas City (1-8 ATS in their last 9 games overall; 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games); Total (Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings between Buffalo & Kansas City)
Announcing team: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson
Notes: The two most talented quarterbacks will square off in the AFC Championship Game, but it’s also a rematch of the 1993 AFC Championship Game. The 1993 game was the last time Buffalo was in the conference title game. Patrick Mahomes is back at practice after shaking off symptoms from the concussion he suffered last week. Even if rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out again, the Chiefs got a great performance from Darrel Williams, whose now seemingly ahead of Le’Veon Bell on the depth chart. Buffalo is a pass-first team so another injury to watch is Chiefs starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who also suffered a concussion last week.
NFC
#5 Tampa Bay at #1 Green Bay
Date: Sunday, January 24th
Time: 3:05 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Line: Green Bay -3
O/U: 51
Rankings: Tampa Bay (Scoring offense #3, defense #8); Green Bay (scoring offense #1, scoring defense #13)
Trends: Tampa Bay (4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games as an underdog; 4-1 ATS in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog); Green Bay (5-1 ATS in their last 6 playoff home games; 7-2 ATS in their last 9 playoff games)
Announcing team: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews & Tom Rinaldi
Notes: Where the AFC Championship Game features two quarterbacks with bright futures ahead of them, the NFC Championship Game has two of the league’s all-time greats — Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The two legends already faced off this year, with Brady and the Bucs trouncing the Packers 38-10. This time around much will be different; most notably, this game will be on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI. Brady is historically good in cold weather having made his bones in the northeast. His teammates? That remains to be seen. One of Brady’s favorite weapons, Antonio Brown, suffered a knee injury last week, forcing him off the field down the stretch. Luckily, there wasn’t serious damage and he is currently day-to-day. UPDATE: Brown won’t play on Sunday.