The NFL Playoffs’ Divisional Round has come and gone over the weekend, leaving us with just four teams to compete for a shot at being Super Bowl 56 champions. The Kansas City Chiefs will meet the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, while the Los Angeles Rams will host the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Championship.
One important thing to note is that Green Bay Packers were the Super Bowl 56 favorites heading into the Divisional Round. Now that they’ve been eliminated by the 49ers, the Chiefs are the new +130 favorites, according to BetOnline.
When you take the regular season into account, the Chiefs have won 12 of their last 14 games and have been the best team in the NFL over that stretch. Some wondered if they could continue their success into the playoffs and they’ve been proving the doubters wrong.
Kansas City has scored 42 points in each of their first two postseason games and has totalled 1,030 total yards of offense over that stretch. Mahomes has looked like the team’s MVP in both outings, completing 63 of 83 (75.9%) of his passing attempts for 782 passing yards and eight touchdowns to just one interception. That’s not even accounting for the fact that he has 98 rushing yards and a TD on 10 carries as well.
If the Chiefs want to win Super Bowl 56, they’ll have to defeat the Bengals — a team that defeated them, 34-31, in Week 17. Mahomes will need to continue being his dominant self if Kansas City wants to extend their success. Only time will tell if that’s possible.
Rams Have Second-Best Championship Odds
After acquiring Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions before the 2021 NFL season began, a lot of people had the Rams picked to be Super Bowl 56 contenders. They saw their fair share of ups and downs throughout the campaign, however, a 30-27 Divisional Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the defending Super Bowl champions — has sent Los Angeles to the NFC Championship.
As a result, the Rams have +210 odds to win Super Bowl LVI.
The Rams have all the tools to win the Super Bowl this year. They have an elite offense that contains arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Cooper Kupp. They have a world-class defense that’s held opponents to 19.0 points per game this postseason. They’ve also won seven of their last nine games and have gotten hot at the right time.
After going 0-2 against the 49ers in the regular season, expect the Rams to open up the NFC Championship with fireworks if they want to make it to Super Bowl 56.
49ers, Bengals Super Bowl 56 Odds
Meanwhile, the 49ers have +400 Super Bowl 56, placing them third on BetOnline’s odds list.
Nobody really expected San Francisco to make it this deep in the playoffs, however, an impressive 13-10 upset over the Packers has them as one of the league’s final four teams. The 49ers defense is no joke at the moment, holding both the Packers and Dallas Cowboys to a combined 27 points over the first two rounds. Considering San Francisco’s recent track record against the Rams, them making the Super Bowl wouldn’t be that shocking. Winning it, on the other hand, is a different story.
Meanwhile, the Bengals are the biggest dark horse to win Super Bowl 56 at +800 odds. 10-7 teams don't usually make it this far, although, Cincinnati has caught fire at the right time. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have proven that their college chemistry does translate to NFL success. It also certainly helps that the defense has been picking things up over the last several weeks, giving up 21 or fewer points in five of Cincinnati’s last six games.
As mentioned before, the Bengals did defeated the Chiefs a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, they have to deal with the playoff version of them now and defeating them is easier said than done.
Super Bowl 56 Odds Tracker
Odds via BetOnline as of Monday, January 24
- Kansas City Chiefs (+130)
- Los Angeles Rams (+210)
- San Francisco 49ers (+400)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+800)
Check BetOnline.ag for the latest and up to date Super Bowl odds.
