This coming weekend will see us head into the Divisional Round in the NFL, which means it will be time for the top seeds in each conference to take center stage. The odds have now been set for each of the remaining playoff teams, and some may be surprised at who the favorite is at this point. Let’s take a look at the odds and betting lines for the 4 remaining NFC teams, and be sure to also check out the piece we did for the teams left standing in the AFC.
The Cardinals have suddenly emerged as the favorite to win Super Bowl 50, and it probably has as much to do with who they will face in the Divisional Round as it does with the great talent at their disposal. Arizona will welcome the Green Bay Packers into University of Phoenix Stadium this weekend, which means they get to avoid a Seattle Seahawks team that no-one wants to play. If the Cardinals win and the Seahawks pull off the upset in Carolina, Arizona would have home field in the NFC Championship Game, and would likely see their odds get better once again. Now may be the time to get your money on them.
Panthers Super Bowl 50 Lines: 4-1
If you are looking for what appears to be the tightest group of guys in the league, look no further than the Carolina Panthers. They appear to be a supremely confident bunch, and with a 15-1 regular season record, and an unbeaten home record, why shouldn’t they be. They have that home field advantage all the way through the playoffs, which makes them a very solid bet at this price. Playoff inexperience may bet the only negative with this group, but they look absolutely fearless right now.
Seahawks Super Bowl 50 Lines: 6-1
If you are looking to make a little bit of money with an outside bet, you could do a whole lot worse than taking the Seahawks at 6-1. Yes, they were lucky to escape versus the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card game, but you can’t really judge a team playing in temperatures better suited to hockey than football. The defense came up huge in the Wild Card, and the offense chipped in with some timely plays. Let’s not forget that this is also the same team that has made it to back to back Super Bowls, with just one bad play call preventing them from coming in as a 2-time defending champion.
The Packers didn’t have it that easy against the Redskins but at the end it was Rodgers to the rescue.
Packers Super Bowl 50 Lines: 18-1
Why does a team with such a playoff pedigree have such poor odds coming into the Divisional Round? There are a number of reasons, but the biggest has to be the fact that they lost 38-8 to the Cardinals just a few short weeks ago. They have a pretty big hill to climb in order to get to the Super Bowl, but they are a confident bunch after looking very good indeed after knocking off the Washington Redskins on the road.
