Predictions for NFL Conference Championship Weekend
There’s no shortage of storylines heading into conference championship weekend. By Sunday night, the Super Bowl LVIII field will be decided.
Will it be a 49ers-Ravens rematch? Or how about 49ers-Chiefs once again? The Lions have no history in the Big Game, so a matchup with either Baltimore or Kansas City would mean the world to Detroit.
We know what the odds say — the 49ers and Ravens have been on a collision course for weeks — but there have already been four upsets in these playoffs and the Lions and Chiefs are both fully capable of adding to that tally.
In today’s Winners Club:
Betting Breakdowns for AFC, NFC Title Games
The Chiefs and Ravens and Lions and 49ers haven’t played one another since the 2021 season. So unlike the divisional round and wild card weekend, there’s a little less familiarity factored into these matchups.
The MMQB Team shared their straight up picks for Sunday’s games and four of the six writers picked an upset. And as always, Gilberto Manzano has his over/under best bets.
For a more in-depth look at each game, consult our individual game previews and accompanying prop bet picks below.
Sunday
3 p.m. ET (CBS): Chiefs vs. Ravens (-3.5) | Total: 44.5
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are a road underdog for the second straight week against Lamar Jackson and the top-seeded Ravens. Baltimore won the last meeting against Kansas City in 2021, but Mahomes is 3–1 against Jackson in his career. Who will win in a matchup between the reigning MVP and the presumptive 2023 MVP?
KC-BAL Betting Preview | Player Props
Cary Edmondson/USA TODAY Sports
6:30 p.m. ET (FOX): Lions vs. 49ers (-7.5) | Total: 51.5
The 49ers looked vulnerable last week against the Packers and they might be without Deebo Samuel come Sunday. San Francisco has also struggled at home as of late, having failed to cover its last six games. Can Jared Goff go on the road and lift the Lions to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance against the top team in the NFC?
DET-SF Betting Preview | Player Props
Where Super Bowl LVIII Odds Stand
The 49ers enter conference championship weekend holding steady as the favorites to win their first Super Bowl since 1994. Of course, San Francisco has taken part in three of the last four NFC title games and only has one trip to the Big Game to show for it — the 49ers lost to the Chiefs in 2019 when Mahomes won his first ring.
Kansas City feels like a value at 4-to-1, but it’s been 20 years since there was a repeat champion — it’s extremely difficult to go back-to-back.
The Ravens are seemingly in a good position to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in over a decade seeing as they trounced San Francisco in the regular season, but they still have to get past the Chiefs. And then there’s the Lions, long shots to win it all and heavy underdogs to even make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
49ers +145
Ravens +175
Chiefs +400
Lions +800
Lamar Jackson +220
Brock Purdy +330
Christian McCaffrey +350
Patrick Mahomes +380
Jared Goff +900
Nick Bosa +5000
Deebo Samuel +5000
Travis Kelce +5000
49ers To Beat Ravens +260
Ravens To Beat 49ers +280
49ers To Beat Chiefs +450
Chiefs To Beat 49ers +600
Ravens To Beat Lions +700
Lions To Beat Ravens +1200
Chiefs To Beat Lions +1400
Lions To Beat Chiefs +1800
Fantasy Football Postseason Picks
The margins are slimmer than ever in postseason fantasy with such a small player pool, so it’s especially important to not only plug the correct studs into your lineup but also to call your shot on a sleeper.
The Brock Purdy-Brandon Aiyuk stack seems enticing and Michael Fabiano agrees as the 49ers teammates are his starts of the week at quarterback and receiver, respectively. And as far as long shots go, perhaps Jauan Jennings can build on his solid divisional round performance.
Jen Piacenti shared her DFS picks for various price points at every position. Want to spend up on quarterback? Go with Jackson. Trying to stay conservative at running back? Enter Jahmyr Gibbs. And if you’re looking for a value at tight end, Noah Gray just might be your guy.
Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports
In Other News
Falcons Tap Raheem Morris to be Next Coach: The former Rams defensive coordinator is heading back to Atlanta, where he held several roles from 2015-20, including interim head coach. Bill Belichick was thought to be a top candidate for the Falcons job and now only the Seahawks and Commanders still have vacancies.
Dave Canales Takes Panthers Top Job: The former Buccaneers offensive coordinator is staying in the NFC South. Canales helped former No. 1 pick Baker Mayfield to a career-best campaign in Tampa Bay and now he’ll be working with Bryce Young, the first choice in the 2023 draft, in Carolina.
NBA All-Star Game Starters Announced: LeBron James was named an All-Star for the 20th time in his career, a new NBA record. Giannis Antetokounmpo and James are the captains for the Eastern and Western Conferences as the league reverts to the old ASG format.
Thanks for reading! Look out for the next edition of Winners Club in your inbox Sunday morning ahead of the conference championships and again on Monday when we’ll know which two teams are facing off in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
