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NFL Conference Playoffs Parlay Picks and Predictions

Michael Crosson
Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert
3 minute read

Betting expert Michael Crosson provides his top parlay selections for the Conference Round of the NFL Playoffs. Odds may vary.

Sunday's Parlay Best Bet

  • Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 (-110) vs. SF
  • Cincinnati Bengals ML (+105) @ KC

Payout: +294

Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 (-110) vs. SF

Thanks to the entire NFC East’s weak strength of schedule, the Eagles have pretty much cruised all the way to the Conference Championship Game relatively unhindered, considering they’ve matched up with just two teams all year that finished with 10+ regular season wins, the Vikings and the Cowboys. However, that finally changes this week, as Philly faces the 49ers, who enter the Conference Round having won 12 straight games.

For the longest time, San Francisco’s bread and butter has been phenomenal defensive play, and that remained true early in the season. The Niners’ averaged just 22.6 PPG across a solid 7-4 run to open, but ultimately, they were carried by their defense holding their opponents to less than 16 PPG during that span.

However, the tables have been turned down the stretch. By no means has the Niners’ defense performed poorly as of late, but they’ve been far from perfect, highlighted by their defensive unit allowing 23+ points in two of their last four outings. So, after seeing them generate just 19 points on 312 total yards in the Divisional Round, I think it’s safe to assume that the Niners’ defense is going to have to play much better in order to get past the Eagles in Philly this Sunday.

Brock Purdy was clearly flustered in his first outing versus a legit pass rush last week, highlighted by the Niners’ rookie throwing for just 214 yards and posting a QBR of 87.4 in the Divisional Round against Dallas, marking his worst performance as the starter. And things should only get worse for him in Sunday’s matchup against an Eagles’ defense that led the league in sacks by a comfortable margin with 70 on the season.

Cincinnati Bengals ML (+105) @ KC

The wide majority of bettors have consistently doubted Cincy week-after-week throughout the year, and they’ve paid the price for it down the stretch. And none more so than in the Divisional Round, considering the Bengals are now 10-0 in their last ten games, and in a matchup in which they were tagged as an insulting six-point underdog in, they stomped Buffalo by an ugly score of 27-10.

Nothing would totally surprise me in this contest. At full strength, Kansas City is the most dangerous team in football, and there’s no question about it. However, the Bengals have certainly had their number in the last handful of meetings between these teams, highlighted by Cincy’s perfect 3-0 record in their last three matchups against the Chiefs. So, at the very least, there was always going to be some level of doubt regarding Kansas City’s chances in Sunday’s AFC Championship rematch.

Typically, strong head-to-head matchup trends can be chalked up to a variety of factors, and the history between these teams is no exception. However, consistently beating the Chiefs is a bit different. This is a squad that’s posted a regular season record of 64-18 since officially handing the keys to Mahomes back in 2018, and they’ve now reached five straight conference championship games.

The Chiefs own a slight edge on offense over Cincinnati at full strength, but even if Mahomes was fully healthy heading into this one, the Bengals have already proven capable of beating Kansas City in a playoff environment at Arrowhead.The main thing separating these teams, though, is the fact that one of them has an excellent defensive unit, and the other’s is mediocre at best.

The Bengals’ defense ranked 6th in the league in points allowed this season, and the Chiefs ranked 16th, which makes a huge difference when squaring off against a Cincy squad that’s scored 27+ points in 10 of their last 16 matchups, and now that Mahomes is dealing with a serious ankle issue, it’s way too tough to make a legitimate case for Kansas City in this one.

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Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson
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