Seattle Seahawks 11.5 Point Favourites To Beat Carolina Panthers
Published on January 5th, 2015 7:09 am ESTIt shouldn't surprise you to hear that all four of the home teams in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs are all substantial favourites to win.
The biggest favourites to win? The Seattle Seahawks, who are currently listed as 11 1/2 point favourites to win at home against the Carolina Panthers.
The "smallest" favourites to win? The Green Bay Packers, who are currently 6 1/2 point favourites to defeat the Dallas Cowboys at home.
Here are the current spreads for all four divisional round games:
Baltimore Ravens, +7, 1.90
New England Patriots, -7, 1.90
Carolina Panthers, +11.5, 1.90
Seattle Seahawks, -11.5, 1.90
Dallas Cowboys, +6.5, 1.90
Green Bay Packers, -6.5, 1.90
Indianapolis Colts, +7, 1.90
Denver Broncos, -7, 1.90
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Some thoughts on each of the four games:
Baltimore vs New England - New England is arguably the second best team in the NFL (behind the Seattle Seahawks) though the Ravens are notoriously hard outs in the postseason. I believe that this game will end up being much more competitive than people might think.
Carolina vs Seattle - the Seahawks allowed just 39 points in their last SIX games of the season and were absolutely rolling heading into the playoffs. The Seattle defense is simply playing too well right now for the team to slip at home - I wouldn't be surprised if this line was closer to two touchdowns when the game finally kicks off on Saturday.
Dallas vs Green Bay - the best chance for an upset special. The Cowboys were perfect on the road this season and are coming off of an emotional win over the Lions. The Packers, on the other hand, will likely be concerned about the health of QB Aaron Rodgers, who is continuing to recover from a calf injury.
Indianapolis vs Denver - Peyton Manning's arm seemed off in the past few weeks of the season. Will that spill off into the postseason or will the rest heal whatever was wrong with Manning? A win on the road against the Broncos would vault Andrew Luck into the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL and he knows this - this is by far the biggest game of his career.
