NFL Playoff Odds: Conference Championship Look-Ahead Betting Lines & Round 3 Matchups
The NFL playoffs are progressing quickly as the conference championships are on the horizon. Oddsmakers are preparing for Round 3, which takes place on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. ET (FOX) and 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS) respectively for the NFC and AFC championships.
We analyze the NFL playoff look-ahead odds and the hypothetical matchups for the conference championships, with a breakdown of the betting lines. This includes odds for the AFC and NFC's top seeds and Super Bowl odds favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.
The look-ahead third-round spreads tell the story of the favorites at our best NFL betting sites. The biggest takeaway is that sportsbooks aren't taking the Houston Texans seriously. DeMeco Ryans' men are listed as two-score underdogs in Baltimore and Buffalo after what would be an upset in Kansas City.
Conference championship look-ahead odds
Odds via FanDuel as of Jan. 15.
Look-ahead AFC championship odds
- Ravens at Chiefs -1.5, O/U 46.5
- Bills at Chiefs -1.5, O/U 48.5
- Texans at Ravens -9.5, O/U 45.5
- Texans at Bills -8.5, O/U 47.5
Look-ahead NFC championship odds
- Eagles at Lions -2.5, O/U 51.5
- Rams at Lions -6.5, O/U 52.5
- Commanders at Eagles -6.5, O/U 47.5
- Commanders at Rams -2.5, O/U 48.5
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AFC Round 3 look-ahead odds
Ravens vs. Chiefs odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
- How to watch: CBS
- Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
- Spread: Chiefs -1.5 (+100 via FanDuel)
- Total: 46.5
One touchdown separated these squads in Week 1 as Kansas City began the season with a 27-20 win. Despite the Chiefs sticking to their winning ways, our best sports betting sites believe the gap has closed. The play of NFL MVP odds contender Lamar Jackson has a lot to do with that.
If Baltimore manages to beat the Bills in Buffalo, who's to say it can't do the same at Arrowhead Stadium? The Ravens are projected to be +1.5 on the road, where they were beaten 17-10 in last year's AFC Championship.
Bills vs. Chiefs odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
- How to watch: CBS
- Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
- Spread: Chiefs -1.5 (-110 via FanDuel)
- Total: 48.5
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have met eight times in their relatively young careers. The two stars have split their all-time series with four games apiece, but the latter holds the playoff advantage with a 3-0 postseason record versus the Bills.
This line - albeit similar to Ravens vs. Chiefs, the only difference being the price - indicates that oddsmakers expect this trend to continue. Kansas City opens as a 1.5-point favorite at standard juice in a hypothetical fourth playoff meeting between the Bills and Chiefs since 2020.
Texans vs. Ravens odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
- How to watch: CBS
- Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore)
- Spread: Ravens -9.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
- Total: 45.5
As Jonah Hill's character Seth famously said in "Superbad" all those years ago: "People don't forget." Our best sports betting apps certainly haven't forgotten about Baltimore's 31-2 win in Houston on Christmas Day - and it shows.
The Ravens are 9.5-point favorites over the Texans, even if the latter manages to crush Kansas City's dreams of a three-peat. One way or another, oddsmakers expect Houston's run to end before reaching the Super Bowl.
Texans vs. Bills odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
- How to watch: CBS
- Location: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, N.Y.)
- Spread: Bills -8.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
- Total: 47.5
If there's a line that could change based on the results in the divisional round, it's this one. If the Texans can beat the Chiefs in Kansas City, it's hard to imagine them as 8.5-point underdogs in Buffalo. Houston beat the Bills at NRG Stadium earlier this season and made Allen look pedestrian in the process.
While Buffalo would still be a significant favorite at home, it's difficult to see a world in which the Texans don't pick up some credit for taking down the two-time defending champions. Unfortunately, we'll likely never know.
NFC Round 3 look-ahead odds
Eagles vs. Lions odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- How to watch: FOX
- Location: Ford Field (Detroit)
- Spread: Lions -2.5 (-120 via FanDuel)
- Total: 51.5
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The latter is favored by around a field goal, at least as far as our best sportsbooks are concerned.
Philadelphia and Detroit have seemingly been on a collision course all season. Now, we're two wins away from witnessing this incredibly intriguing NFC Championship Game. Oddsmakers are giving the slight nod to the Lions, but they're showing the Eagles respect with this spread.
Rams vs. Lions odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- How to watch: FOX
- Location: Ford Field (Detroit)
- Spread: Lions -6.5 (-120 via FanDuel)
- Total: 52.5
This hypothetical line is significant. Los Angeles and Detroit were separated by six points after overtime in Week 1, so this spread shouldn't surprise a soul. The reason it matters is it means that if the Lions (-9.5) beat the Commanders, they'll be favored to reach their first Super Bowl in franchise history, regardless of opponent.
This isn't new information, seeing as Detroit is the Super Bowl favorite. Rather, it represents how far Dan Campbell has come with the Lions in recent years. They'd be 6.5-point favorites over the Rams if the two familiar foes face off again.
Commanders vs. Eagles odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- How to watch: FOX
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- Spread: Eagles -6.5 (-105 via FanDuel)
- Total: 47.5
Washington's thrilling Week 16 victory over Philadelphia helped catapult the Commanders into the playoffs. The NFC East rivals split the season series, but it's important to remember the Eagles were banged-up in the second meeting, which led to the Washington win.
Our NFL odds are quick to recall that fact. Philadelphia - which won by eight points at Lincoln Financial Field in November - is listed as a 6.5-point home favorite in a potential NFC Championship Game versus Washington.
Commanders vs. Rams odds
- When: Sunday, Jan. 26
- Kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
- How to watch: FOX
- Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
- Spread: Rams -2.5 (-115 via FanDuel)
- Total: 48.5
In the unlikeliest scenario, Los Angeles would open as a 2.5-point favorite over the Commanders. It must be noted that after the Rams' Wild Card Weekend game against Minnesota was moved to Arizona as a result of the Los Angeles wildfires, there would be uncertainty surrounding the status of this game at SoFi Stadium.
Factor in the after-effects of a Washington win in Detroit, and there is potential for movement on this line.
Super Bowl odds 2025
How do the NFL playoffs work?
Since 2020, the NFL has featured an expanded playoff field of 14 teams - seven in each conference - eliminating the bye week for the No. 2 seed and extending wild-card weekend to six games spanning from Saturday to Monday.
The No. 1 seed in each conference will still enjoy a bye week in the first round of the playoffs, while the remaining three division winners will host the three wild-card teams with the highest seeds facing the lowest seeds (No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, No. 4 vs. No. 5).
The winners of those games will advance to the divisional round, where the highest remaining seeds wiill face the lowest seeds. So the No. 1 seed will face the worst-seeded team - which is always the No. 4 seed or worse - while the remaining two teams will meet in the other divisional round matchup.
The two winners in each conference will then meet in the AFC Championship and NFC Championship, which are both played on Championship Sunday, and the respective conference winners will meet two weeks later in the Super Bowl.
NFL betting odds pages
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