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Christmas came and with it came the first-ever Netflix-produced football games. Credit to the streaming giant for the quality of the game production and streaming quality as well (a concern after the Tyson-Paul debacle) … but Netflix caught no breaks with the actual games themselves on Wednesday.
This was particularly surprising given we got two matchups between four teams guaranteed playoff spots. But it hit home the harsh reality of the AFC. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this is three-team playoff race. And the Christmas football proved it.
In the span of four days, the Chiefs have smothered both the Texans and the Steelers, while the Ravens have completely flipped the AFC North on its head and taken control of their divisional destiny thanks to Lamar Jackson reinserting himself squarely into the MVP conversation.
Over at DraftKings Sportsbook, Lamar is all the way down to +180, with Josh Allen — the presumptive winner for nearly a month now — has creeped back up into semi-bettable range at -240.
The Ravens’ odds to win the division are now -1600, wild considering the stranglehold the Steelers seemed to have on the North just a month ago.
But the reality is Baltimore’s the better team. And the Ravens are one of three teams that is inevitably going to battle for the AFC title. Maybe there’s some world where the Bengals sneak in and become a problem. But it’s a pretty massive long shot, especially with their playoff hopes taking a hit on Christmas.
That’s a Sunday worry, though. Wednesday taught us the Texans and Steelers, losers to top-tier teams for the second time in less than a week, just aren’t ready to run with the big dogs. Especially not when the Chiefs, who clinched the top seed for the fourth time in Patrick Mahomes’ eight seasons, get a bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Week 17 best bets
Seahawks -2.5 1H (-122)
The…
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Author : Will Brinson
Publish date : 2024-12-26 16:56:00
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