Which AFC Teams Have the Best Super Bowl Odds Heading into the Divisional Round
Greetings NFL fans. The bad news is the 2019 regular season is over. The good news is the playoffs have arrived and are in full swing. The opening round of the postseason saw three road teams stamp their ticket to the divisional round. As good as most of the games were in the wild-card round, the biggest upset occurred when the Tennessee Titans knocked off the New England Patriots 20-13. With that said, here’s an updated look at the Super Bowl odds for each of the remaining AFC teams along with my prediction as to which teams will advance to the next round.
The Fourth-Best AFC Super Bowl Odds: Tennessee Titans (+2900)
Coming into the postseason, the Titans’ odds were at +5500. But after knocking off the defending champion Patriots, their odds jumped up to +2900. Although the Titans couldn’t get much done through the air (72 yards passing), their ground game was solid as running back Derrick Henry sliced through the Patriots’ defense for 182 yards on 34 attempts and a touchdown. As a result, the Titans are moving on and will face yet another tough road outing against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Third-Best AFC Super Bowl Odds: Houston Texans (+2700)
Despite hosting this wild-card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, it was the road team that set the tempo early on. In fact, not only did the Bills hold the Texans scoreless in the first half, they also led 16-0 in the third quarter. Then, things kind of fell apart for the Bills after that, as the Texans scored 19 unanswered points before a field goal by Bills’ kicker Stephen Hauschka with five seconds remaining in regulation, helped send the game to an extra period. Both teams failed to score on their first possession in overtime.
On the Texans’ next drive, Deshaun Watson avoided two would-be tacklers and somehow managed to complete a 34-yard pass to Taiwan Jones to set up first-and-goal and the eventual game-winning field goal. After beating a Bills’ defense that finished third in the league in total yards allowed per contest, the Texans will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
The Second-Best AFC Super Bowl Odds: Kansas City Chiefs (+350)
The Kansas City’s Super Bowl Odds were +450 when it was presumed they would take on the Patriots next week. But those odds have bumped up to +350, with the Titans being their opponent. The Chiefs finished the 2019 campaign as one of the top-five passing offenses in the NFL with 281.1 yards per outing and they have a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes that makes tough throws look routine. Secondly, the Chiefs come into this matchup off a bye week and they have won six straight games.
The Texans showed perseverance after falling behind by double digits and overcoming the fact that Watson was sacked seven times. As impressive as their performance was against the Bills, the Chiefs are a different animal altogether. Simply put, look for the Chiefs to be in the AFC championship game for the second straight year.
The Best AFC Super Bowl Odds: Baltimore Ravens (+200)
The Baltimore Ravens come into these playoffs as the hottest team in the league. Not only did they finish with the best record in the NFL at 14-2, but they also ended their season on an astounding 12-game winning streak, after splitting their first four games. Additionally, the Ravens also finished fifth in rushing yards allowed per contest at 93.4.
On the flip side of the coin, the Titans are coming off an impressive road victory against the Patriots. They also held Lamar Jackson to just 139 passing yards when these teams met in Week 13, which was his third-lowest passing total of the season. With that in mind, the game may not the blowout that some expect it to be. When it’s all said and done, though, the Ravens will prevail and move on to face off against the Chiefs in the conference championship game.
