NFL Odds: Patriots Heavy Favorites Vs. Jaguars In AFC Championship
The New England Patriots will be looking for a seventh straight playoff win on home turf when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game as nine-point favorites on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England romped to a 35-14 win over Tennessee as 13.5-point home chalk last weekend, rewarding bettors with a 10th victory against the spread in its past 11 games overall going into Sunday afternoon’s Jaguars vs. Patriots betting matchup at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots have dominated in clashes with Jacksonville since the Jaguars entered the NFL in 1995, posting outright wins in 10 of 11 all-time meetings, including a perfect 7-0 SU record in Foxboro. New England covered in five of those home victories and is 2-1 ATS in its past three home dates against the Jaguars while favored by nine or more points.
New England also is 12-1 SU over its past 13 outings, bolstering its position as a +105 favorite on the Super Bowl LII odds. But the Patriots have produced mixed results in six straight conference championship appearances, going 3-3 SU and a meagre 2-4 ATS including a pair of ATS losses while favored at home by seven or more points.
The Patriots must now contend with a Jaguars defense that ranked among the best in the NFL during the regular season, allowing only 16.8 points per game while limiting opposing quarterbacks to a league-best 169.9 yards per game.
Jacksonville also strengthened its playoff credentials with last weekend’s 45-42 victory in Pittsburgh as a 7-point road underdog, marking both its fourth outright win as a betting underdog this season and the fifth time in seven games that the squad has scored at least 30 points. However, the Jaguars still trail on the Super Bowl odds as +650 longshots.
Later on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings hit the gridiron as postseason road favorites for the first time since 2001 as they visit the Philadelphia Eagles as 3-point betting favorites on the NFC Championship Game odds.
The Vikings have held opponents to just 10.25 points per game in four straight victories but fell just short of covering in their past two, including last weekend’s 29-24 win over New Orleans as 5.5-point home chalk.
The Eagles are coming off a trio of low-scoring affairs, including a 15-10 Divisional Round win over Atlanta as 2.5-point home underdogs. Philadelphia is 10-1 SU in its past 11 home dates, and tallied a 31-10 win over the Vikings as 3-point underdogs in their last meeting at Lincoln Financial Field in October 2016.
