The No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills are consensus 1½-point road favorites over the top-seeded Denver Broncos in Saturday’s AFC divisional round playoff game, a rare instance of a No. 1 seed being an underdog in its postseason opener.
At the Westgate SuperBook, the line opened at pick and moved after sharp action on both sides. “We opened that game pick, and one of our sharper guys laid pick on Buffalo to -1, and now we had one of our even sharper players bet Denver +1, so now we’re back to pick,” Westgate vice president of risk Ed Salmons said.
Boomer’s Sportsbook director of trading Nick Bogdanovich said Denver is “way overpriced and overvalued” but expects sharp money to land on the Broncos. “I think when push comes to shove, the sharp money on that game will be on Denver. I think Denver will close the favorite.”
The Bills advanced by upsetting the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 on Sunday as 1½-point road underdogs, with quarterback Josh Allen scoring a late touchdown. Salmons expects the betting public to back Buffalo. “Everyone out here now on TV is telling you how great Josh Allen is and how great the Bills are,” he said. “I like the Broncos. I just think they’ve been the better team all year.”
Rams-Bears
In the NFC, the No. 5 Los Angeles Rams are consensus 3½-point road favorites over the No. 2 Chicago Bears, after the line opened at 4. “We opened 3½, up to 4, back to 3½, so a little two-way. I would consider it sharp money on both,” Bogdanovich said. The Westgate took sharp action on the under, which dipped to 51 after reaching 51½. Salmons expects the public to back the Rams, who rallied for a 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers but didn’t cover as 10½-point favorites. The Bears erased a 21-3 halftime deficit in a 31-27 win over the Packers as 1½-point home underdogs.
Seahawks-49ers
The top-seeded Seattle Seahawks are 7½-point home favorites over the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers on Saturday, after the line opened at 7. It’s a rematch of Seattle’s 13-3 road win in Week 18. “We opened 7, up to 7½,” Bogdanovich said. “The early sharp money was professional, and I think you’ll see the public all over Seattle on this game.” San Francisco upset the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19 on the road Sunday as a 5½-point underdog. Salmons noted the short week and travel for the Niners, adding, “We just saw that game two weeks ago where Seattle left a million points on the board and their defense overwhelmed the Niners.”
