Taking a look at the odds and opening game lines for the two 2017 AFC Divisional Round matchups.
Following the Pittsburgh Steelers dismantling the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the 2017 AFC Divisional Round matchups were set. Both will be rematches of games that we saw in the regular season as the Steelers will be on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans will travel to take on the No. 1 seeded New England Patriots.
In the regular season, these matchups both played out in exceptionally one-sided fashion. In Le’Veon Bell’s first game of the season, the Steelers thrashed the Chiefs to the tune of 43-14. Meanwhile, the Patriots started Jacoby Brissett with Tom Brady still suspended earlier in the year and still blanked the Texans, 27-0.
However, it’s the playoffs and that always changes things. Teams get on hot streaks, injuries occur, and things simply change. Subsequently, there’s a bit of intrigue as to what the game lines and odds of the 2017 AFC Divisional Round would look like.
For the Texans traveling to Foxborough to take on the Patriots, New England is the decisive favorite. According to RJ Bell of Pregame, the Associated Press and ESPN, the Pats are favored by more than two touchdowns next week:
DIVISION ROUND#Patriots -16 hosting #Texans
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) January 8, 2017
Meanwhile, the line that came out immediately after the Wild Card Playoff on Sunday for the Steelers and Chiefs saw Pittsburgh favored by 1.5 points. However, when Ben Roethlisberger then came out in a walking boot for his press conference, the line dropped to a pick ’em:
DIVISION ROUND#Steelers -1.5 at #Chiefs
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) January 8, 2017
Report of Big Ben in walking boot ...#Steelers drop from -1.5 to "pick'em" across the board
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) January 8, 2017
It stands to reason that an injury to Big Ben would cause the line to drop. However, it’s quite interesting that even then the Steelers would be a pick ’em against the Chiefs, a team they waxed by 29 points earlier in the season. Again, that’s a sign of how things change going into the playoffs.
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We’ll see how these lines move throughout the week leading up to these AFC Divisional Round games. As for now, though, the Patriots are heavy favorites and you can take your pick in the other matchup. Given what all four of these teams have looked like recently, that all feels about right.