Betting trends to know for Championship Sunday
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Only three games remain in the 2020-21 NFL season, two of which take place on Sunday in the conference championship round.
We've got you covered with betting trends from every angle.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (-3.5, 51), 3:05 p.m. ET
Two future Hall of Famers face off on Sunday when Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers meet for just the fifth time in their careers. Brady is 3-1 against the spread in those four meetings, including a 38-10 beatdown of Green Bay earlier this season as a one-point underdog.
The 43-year-old is a career 36-17-1 ATS as an underdog, and Brady is 6-1 ATS in his last seven playoff games against a team he beat during the regular season. Rodgers, meanwhile, is 8-4-1 ATS in playoff rematches since 2010, and he's looking to redeem himself after the Packers' loss to the 49ers in last year's NFC Championship Game. Since the 2005 season, teams that lost in this game have gone 7-3 ATS when returning the following year.
This has been a tough spot for Brady, who's 3-7 ATS in his last 10 conference championship games. He also faces the difficult task of trying to lead the Buccaneers to a road win in this round, which the veteran has done just three times in his career. Since 2013, home teams are 10-4 ATS and 12-2 straight up on Championship Sunday, with a scoring margin of 13.7 points per game.
Will age catch up to Brady in this game? Over the last 15 NFC title contests, the younger quarterback has gone 11-4 ATS and 13-2 straight up. Rodgers is 1-3 outright in the conference championship round, winning once in 2010 as the younger QB, and losing three times since to more youthful foes.
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (-3, 54), 6:40 p.m.
The big story here is whether Patrick Mahomes suits up for the defending champions. If he does, the trends are in his favor.
The Chiefs are 4-1 ATS in Mahomes' five postseason starts, winning the last three by a combined 42 points. Josh Allen is 0-1 ATS in his postseason career, while Chad Henne had never thrown a playoff pass before last week.
Could that inexperience hurt Allen? The last 10 quarterbacks to make their AFC title debut went 0-10 straight up with a 2-8 ATS record, losing by an average of 13.1 points. They also all lost by at least four points, which would lead to a Kansas City cover if that continues on Sunday.
Recent play from both clubs suggests a different narrative. The Bills are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games, while the Chiefs have lost nine straight ATS after last week's narrow win over the Browns. Since the NFL changed its postseason format in 2002, only one playoff team has lost that many consecutive games ATS. Playoff clubs with a four-plus game ATS losing streak are 4-9 ATS during that stretch.
If it holds, Sunday's total in this contest will be tied for the 18th-highest in a playoff game since 2002, and the fifth-highest in a conference-championship matchup. The under has gone 11-6 in those previous 17 games, including 5-1 since 2018, and 2-1 when the Chiefs are involved.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.