Ravens at Steelers, Jets at Patriots head up NFL playoff betting

The NFL betting season is down to eight teams and in just two weeks we’ll know the teams to compete in Super Bowl XLV. Pick your favorites to wager at quality online sportsbooks BetUS and Bodog.

The AFC side of this week’s divisional playoffs live up to the name as both feature inter-divisional rivalries: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets at New England Patriots. Ravens vs. Steelers looks to be another classic in the “smashmouth football” mode as the two highly physical teams meet. BetUS has Pittsburgh as a three-point favorite, mostly due to home field advantage.

Ben Roethlisberger’s story of redemption from his opening-weeks suspension has, like the Steelers, flown under the radar most of the season; Joe Flacco has been criticized for his leadership abilities, though the Ravens are 4-0 in away playoff games the last three seasons. Why are the QBs so key in this one? Pittsburgh and Baltimore have the no. 1 and no. 5 rushing defenses, respectively. Bodog has a low over/under of 37 points in this game and betting the under is still tempting...

In the other divisional matchup, BetUS sportsbook figures a Jets’ victory over the white-hot Patriots to be almost as unlikely as the Seattle Seahawks topping the Chicago Bears; the pointspreads are Jets plus-8 and Bears plus-10. We’ve come a long way from New York’s stunning 28-14 upset of Bill Belichick’s boys in week two; since then, the Patriots exacted bloody revenge with a 45-3 win and the Jets have dropped from the ranks of vogue Super Bowl picks. (They’re currently 16/1 to win the big game at Bodog.)

Finally, perhaps the most underrated no. 1 conference seed ever, the Atlanta Falcons are just a three-point favorite against the Green Bay Packers. While the Packers appear to be heating up lately, the huge hole in the running game the Pack has carried all season after Ryan Grant’s week one injury is still there; while Atlanta’s D tends to give up lots of yards, the bend-don’t-break philosophy has allowed just 18.3 points per game, fifth-best in the NFL.

Incidentally, Green Bay is second-best in the category, with just 15.0 points per game allowed. And the over/under at BetUS is 43 points – worth considering...

If you’re betting divisional round playoffs games this weekend, check out JackpotFinder-approved online sportsbooks BetUS and Bodog; both with in-game live betting throughout the NFL playoffs!