"The New England Patriots opened as 4.5-point road favorites over the Denver Broncos for the AFC Championship, while the Seattle Seahawks opened as 1.5-point home favorites over the Los Angeles Rams for the NFC Championship, according to DraftKings lines. After early betting, New England jumped out to -5.5 and Seattle to -2.5. In lookahead hypothetical lines, the Broncos were 1.5-point favorites over the Patriots, but saw their odds drop precipitously following news that quarterback Bo Nix would miss the remainder of the postseason with a fractured right ankle. Bookmakers polled said that Nix is worth anywhere between five and seven points to the spread."
""We're looking forward to seeing how these two defensive-minded teams match up in the AFC Championship and evaluating just how big of an impact Bo Nix had on this Broncos team throughout the year," Caesars Sportsbooks' head of football Joey Feazel told ESPN. "We're also eager to see where the sharps ultimately land on this game.""
"Early sharp action could have had an influence on making the Pats even bigger favorites. John Murray, vice president of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, said he was "surprised to see how big of a favorite New England pushed out to [on Sunday] afternoon." If the 5.5-line holds, New England would be the largest road favorite in a conference championship game since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, according to ESPN Research."
The NFL's final four produced surprising betting lines, with New England opening as 4.5-point road favorites over Denver and Seattle as 1.5-point favorites over the Rams. Early wagering pushed New England to -5.5 and Seattle to -2.5. Lookahead lines had Denver favored before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a fractured right ankle and was ruled out for the postseason. Bookmakers estimate Nix's absence reduced Denver's spread value by roughly five to seven points. Caesars and Westgate executives noted interest in how defensive matchups and sharp money would affect lines. Denver's Super Bowl futures swung dramatically after the injury.
Read at ESPN.com
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