Stat of the Jay: Rare Sight in Store Next Weekend With a Road Team Favored in Divisional Round

Jan 16, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball as Buffalo Bills cornerback Josh Norman (29) defends during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round game at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
Jan 16, 2021; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs with the ball as Buffalo Bills cornerback Josh Norman (29) defends during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round game at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI – For the first time since 2018 and just the sixth in more than four decades, a road team is favored in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs.

The oddsmakers have installed the Baltimore Ravens as 1-point favorites for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.

If the line doesn’t move and the game kicks off with the Ravens favored, it will be just the 13th time since the 1970 merger that a home team has been an underdog in the Divisional Round.

There were 216 Divisional Round games played from 1970 through last season. That means only 6 percent of those games featured a road team that was favored.

The last time it happened was in the 2017 season when the Atlanta Falcons were 2.5-point favorites at Philadelphia.

The Eagles pulled off the upset and won 15-10, continuing an unfortunate trend for road favorites in the Divisional Round.

Since the 1982 season, road favorites are 1-4 in the Divisional Round.

Here is a look at the other four games:

2014 49ers (-1) at Panthers – Won 23-10

2012 Saints (-3.5) at 49ers – Lost 36-32

1997 Cowboys (-3.5) at Panthers – Lost 26-17

1983 Chargers (-1.5) at Dolphins – Lost 34-13

Road favorites fared much better from 1970-1982, going 6-2.

The largest road favorite in Divisional Round history was the 1971 Baltimore Colts. They were 4-point favorites at Cleveland and won 20-3.

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Jay Morrison
JAY MORRISON

Jay Morrison covers the Cincinnati Bengals for Bengals On SI. He has been writing about the NFL for nearly three decades. Combining a passion for stats and storytelling, Jay takes readers beyond the field for a unique look at the game and the people who play it. Prior to joining Bengals on SI, Jay covered the Cincinnati Bengals beat for The Athletic, the Dayton Daily News and Pro Football Network.