Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information.
NFL fans argued whether Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen should win MVP honors this season.
Well, now the two will battle for a spot in the AFC Championship game.
Three of the four Divisional Round matchups are set, and the highly anticipated Ravens-Bills matchup is the only one oddsmakers see as a close affair based on early lines.
Allen’s Bills are installed as small home favorites, with the line ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 points as of Monday morning, against Jackson’s Ravens.
There is no line yet for the Eagles hosting the winner of Monday’s neutral-site clash between the Rams and Vikings in Glendale, Ariz.
The Chiefs and Lions have both installed as touchdown-plus favorites for their respective games.
TeamSpreadMoneylineTotalTexans+8 (-110)+310o42 (-110)Chiefs-8 (-110)-400u42 (-110)
The Texans upset the Chargers as home favorites to advance, but oddsmakers don’t see a competitive contest against the top-seeded Chiefs.
Kansas City, which did not play its starters in Week 18, will have had essentially two full weeks to rest before facing a team it downed, 27-19, at home in Week 16.
The Chiefs limited Nico Collins in the regular season. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
These teams combined for 46 points in that clash, but oddsmakers see this game being controlled by the defenses.
The Chiefs shut down Joe Mixon and contained Nico Collins in their victory, while Tank Dell had a strong game before suffering a season-ending injury.
TeamSpreadMoneylineTotalCommanders+8.5 (-105)+375o55.5 (-110)Lions-8.5 (-115)-500u55.5 (-110)
Odds via BetMGM
The Commanders escaped Tampa with a walk-off field goal win, but they’ll have their work cut out for them against the NFC’s top seed.
This line seem a tad high considering the Commanders’ penchant for playing in tight games, but Detroit will be rested and Washington has a short rest week after playing Sunday night.
Terry McLaurin scored a touchdown Sunday night for Washington. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The Commanders lost four of their five games this year by at least seven points, but only one (Week 1) came by more than eight points.
The total is notable here, with the 55.5 mark easily being the highest of the week.
TeamSpreadMoneylineTotalRavens+1 (-110)-105o51.5 (-110)Bills-1 (-1100-115u51.5 (-110)
Odds via BetMGM
The best game on paper of the slate is the tightest line.
While Jackson and crew hammered the Bills, 35-10, at home in Week 4, this matchup comes nearly months later and in Buffalo.
A big question surrounding this game will be the status of Ravens receiver Zay Flowers, who missed the Wild Card win over the Steelers with an injury he suffered in Week 18.
Jackson and Allen both played great in their first-round wins and, while this is basic analysis, this matchup could simply be decided by which star has the better game.
Matt Ehalt has been picking against the spread since his childhood days when he entered his father’s newspaper pool and even took the top prize on more than one occasion. He specializes in NFL wagers and is quite successful with NCAA brackets.
