AFC Championship Game Odds
FOXBOROUGH, MA (The Spread) – Two teams that have grown accustomed to playing against each other will square off in the 2013 AFC Championship Game today at 6:30PM ET. As of now, the Patriots remain heavily favored over the Ravens.
BALTIMORE: The Ravens shocked the masses last Saturday by beating Peyton Manning and the Broncos, 38-35 in overtime. Trailing 35-28 with less than a minute remaining in the game, Joe Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones on a 70-yard touchdown pass to tie the score at 35 all. Then, following Manning’s second interception of the day, Justin Tucker hit a 47-yard field goal early in the second overtime to complete the upset. Flacco was outstanding, completing 18-of-34 passes for 331 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Ray Rice added 131 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries and Torrey Smith caught three passes for 98 yards and two scores. It was the second time in as many weeks that the Ravens won and covered the spread, this time as a 9.5-point underdog. (They were a 7.5-point favorite when they beat the Colts 24-9 in the Wild Card round.) Baltimore finished the regular season with a 10-6 record and went just 6-9-1 against the spread. But the Ravens have now covered the number in three of their last four games.
NEW ENGLAND: The Patriots have been a juggernaut since losing to the Seahawks in mid-October. Including their 41-28 thrashing of the Texans last Sunday, the Pats have now won 10 of their last 11 games with their only loss coming at the hands of the 49ers in mid-December. Last week Tom Brady completed 25-of-40 passes for 344 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, while Stevan Ridley rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Shane Vereen was another hero in the contest, totaling three touchdowns including two through the air. It wasn’t all good for New England though, as tight end Rob Gronkowski re-injured his forearm and is now out for the entire postseason. The Patriots covered as a 9.5-point home favorite and have now covered in back-to-back games dating back to their 28-0 win over the Dolphins in Week 17 of the regular season. New England finished the year 12-4 overall and 9-7 against the spread.
ODDS: According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Patriots are 10-point favorites over the Ravens while the over/under total is currently sitting at 51.5 points. That said, some books have New England listed as low as 8 but the total is above 50 at nearly every book online and in Las Vegas.
TRENDS: The under is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams in New England while the underdog and road team are 3-0-1 against the spread in the last four meetings between these two teams. The Patriots, meanwhile, are 2-7 against the spread in their last nine home playoff games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 postseason games. The Ravens are 10-4 against the number in their last 14 road playoff games.
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