National Football League Odds and Spreads for 2024
The National Football League regular season got everybody excited. Now, with the playoffs well under way, anticipation for the Super Bowl is higher than ever. In just a couple of weeks, the two top teams of the NFL will face off in a game that will be broadcast worldwide, to adoring fans from all walks of life. Obviously, the bettors are coming out of the woodwork, hoping to get some action.
The NFL is, possibly, America’s favorite sports league to bet on. However, recently American football has been getting traction around the world. Certainly, one of the most popular ways to wager on the NFL is to bet on spreads. That is why we’d like to explain what spreads are, and take a look at some of the available odds and spreads for the current NFL playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl.
What are NFL Spreads?
Spreads, or point spread, is a popular way of wagering. The goal behind point spreads is to even the playing field when one of the teams is a definitive favorite to win the game. The idea is simple, instead of creating a simple “to win” bet, which in some cases would be too obvious, bookies create a “margin of victory” bet, which they represent with the point spread.
For example, if Team A is much more likely to defeat Team B, then an odds maker would speculate on what the final difference in points might be. Once that is done, the bookie creates these odds, and the customers can wager on whether the point spread is correct or not. At modern sportsbooks, NFL spreads are some of the most popular, and we are going to look at some right now.
NFL Playoffs Spreads
The NFL playoffs are, possibly, the most exciting aspect of the NFL season. Once the regular season is over, the playoffs kick off, and culminate in the Super Bowl. As the NFL playoffs began on January 13, 2024, we are already in the middle of the single-game elimination tournament.
At this point in time, fans are eagerly awaiting the Conference Championships, in which the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Baltimore Ravens, and the San Francisco 49ers will play the Detroit Lions. Tensions are high, and odds are already being created, so let us take a look at the spreads.
The AFC Championship Game
The AFC Championship Game is taking place at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The Kansas City Chiefs are playing the Baltimore Ravens on their home turf. It is, perhaps, because of this homefield advantage that most bookies have set NFL spreads in the Ravens’ favor. More precisely, most odds makers have given the Ravens anywhere between a -150 and -200 score.
For the uninitiated, a negative score indicates that a team is the favorite to win the game. If the point spread is to be trusted, the Baltimore Ravens will win the game with a difference of four points. Fans of either teams are welcome to attempt to beat the spread, and wager against the odds. However, we recommend you do a lot of research before you attempt to do so.
The NFC Championship Game
On January 28, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will erupt with the cheers of San Francisco and Detroit fans. The 49ers are going to go up against the Lions in a battle to determine who is going to the Super Bowl. Those who’ve closely followed the NFL regular season, as well as the playoffs until now, will not be surprised to learn that the 49ers are the favored team in this game.
Odds makers are so confident that the 49ers are going to win the game, that they’ve placed the point spread at -7, for the most part. In other words, most bookies believe that the 49ers will not just win the game, but that they will win with a 7-point difference. A lot of Lions fans are still backing their team. However, the data is in favor of the Niners. And at the end of the day, data is what really matters.
Who is Going to the Super Bowl?
NFL fans are well aware that the teams that win the NFC and AFC championship games are the two that will face in the Super Bowl. And if you’ve been following along in the article, you are likely aware that the favorites to face off in the Super Bowl right now are the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. It should, however, be made clear that the Kansas City Chiefs and Lions also have a decent chance at victory. But, odds makers are much less certain of that outcome.
Anyone who understands the point spread is already well aware of how well the 49ers are doing, at least at online bookies. For good reason too, as they’ve had one of their best years in 2023. The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the best NFL teams for a long time, and though the Kansas City Chiefs are nothing to sneeze at, the Ravens have managed to outperform them at every turn in the past year. Still, fans should be prepared for a relatively difficult game.
Things being what they are right now, a lot of odds makers have placed the 49ers’ chance of reaching the Super Bowl at around +150. The Ravens’ chance rests at about +200, while the Kansas City Chiefs’ is +325. The Detroit Lions have the absolutely worst shot, at about +700. However, they may just prove to be a dark horse. Stranger things have happened. Still, it is likely that fans should get used to the idea that the final match of the championship will be between the Ravens and the Niners.
Some Miscellaneous Thoughts
The Super Bowl is, by far, America’s favorite sporting event. Everything from the commercials to the half-time show, and of course the game itself is televised to millions of Americans in the country, and many more people worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the match attracts a large amount of bettors. If you are one of these gamblers, we hope this article has been helpful in understanding the odds and spreads of the 2023/2024 NFL playoffs.
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