Odds go out the window for unpredictable NFL playoffs

If the Cardinals can put the Seattle defeat behind them, a Super Bowl slot isn’t beyond them. I’m rooting for Kansas City to come out of the AFC, but Pittsburgh is going to be a tough out. Not only is it the worst six-game finish in the Bill Belichick era, it’s also not the way that Super Bowl champions typically enter the postseason.

“It’s mostly because of home field”, said Jay Kornegay, who heads the Westgate Las Vegas Super Book. There are a few teams in the AFC and NFC beyond the core four really worth watching, though.

Seattle is the No. 6 seed, but bettors haven’t forgotten about their two straight trips to the Super Bowl.

They are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but the Broncos aren’t among the Super Bowl favorites due to their quarterback situation. Each victor obviously has a chance to win its first-round playoff game and pull off an upset in the divisional round, but let’s be realistic here: Some teams simply look more unsafe than others.

The second-seeded Cardinals ended their 2015 campaign with similar numbers to the Panthers – scoring 30.6 and allowing 19.6 points per game, respectively – but their final mauling at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday will have done nothing for their confidence. The Broncos then took the No. 1 seed by coming back to beat the San Diego Chargers. The big question remains whether or not Alex Smith can win a Super Bowl. Patriots (12-4) and Cardinals (13-3) are each listed at 9-2 odds to win the National Football League championship game, which will be played February 7 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

While the Patriots won their first 10 games this season, the Panthers opened up 14-0 before losing to Atlanta. A wild-card match-up against a 3rd-seeded Minnesota Vikings team that they beat 38-7 in December should hold no fears, even though the results in the playoffs tend to be the opposite of that which occurred during the regular-season matchup. It’s unknown who will start for Cincinnati in the first round, and the team has already lost at home to Pittsburgh with AJ McCarron at the helm. They’ll be lucky to win a game.