An Early Look at the NFL Championship Game Odds

The early lines are out for the final two NFL games before the Super Bowl and boy does the new Super Bowl logo look good. The NFC Championship and AFC Championships ain't too shabby either. Enough with the Super Bowl logos, let's take a look at what next weekend's slate of games has to offer and which team the bookmakers think has the best odds to advance to the 2011 Super Bowl XLV (45) in North Texas:

Packers -3

Bears +3

OVER/UNDER 43 1/2

The first thing that comes to mind is that over/under. The Bears have put up 35-plus in five of the last six weeks (the exception being a three-point performance in Week 17 against the Packers), and the Packers are well-known for their explosive offense. In two matchups this season, though, the teams combined for 50 points, just 6 1/2 more than this one game calls them to score. It's winter. It's Chicago. It's cold. And on top of that, it's a division rivalry between two excellent defenses. We have a hard time thinking that number won't drop a little.

As for the spread, the Packers open as favorites for the first time this postseason after winning as dogs in Atlanta and Philly. Will this have an impact on the nobody believes in us theme? The public is riding high on the Packers, and rightfully so, but it's clear that nobody believes in the Bears, the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the division champs, playing at home where they beat the division runner-up Pack earlier this season. Bears bettors have to be salivating over this one.

Jets +3

Steelers -3

OVER/UNDER 38

These lines--both the over/under and the spread--seem much more in line with what we typically see when a No. 2 seed hosts a No. 6. The Steelers and Jets both defeated division rivals to get to this point, so both are coming off huge emotional victories with no real advantage either way. The over/under seems about right, and our initial lean might even be the over as both, while known for their defense, have very productive offenses with plenty of weapons.

We're amped up for what should prove to be an exciting few weeks, as we bet the NFC Championship, AFC Championship, Pro Bowl and Super Bowl, with plenty of prop bets in between.



The BetFirms odds feed is constantly updated with the latest lines and their handicappers will help you come out on top.