AFC Championship Game Betting Odds, Analysis

The road to the Super Bowl from the AFC goes through Foxboro on Sunday as the New England Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.

The Patriots are a 6-point home favorite at the Bovada sportsbook and are playing in the AFC title game for the sixth consecutive season. Last year they failed to advance to the Super Bowl after losing to the Denver Broncos 20-18 as a 3-point favorite.

The Patriots booked their spot in the conference championship game this year with a 34-16 win over the Houston Texans as a 16.5-point favorite in the divisional round. Tom Brady passed for 287 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. Dion Lewis stepped up with a touchdown run and a TD reception, while Julian Edelman hauled in eight passes for 137 yards.

Pittsburgh’s playoff run so far has included wins over the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. Last week the Steelers were a 2.5-point underdog in a 18-16 win over the Chiefs. Kicker Chris Boswell provided all the scoring for Pittsburgh with six field goals. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 224 yards with an interception and Le’Veon Bell had a monster game, rushing for 170 yards on 30 carries.

Both sides head into Sunday’s matchup riding impressive winning streaks. The Steelers have won their last nine games straight up while going 7-1-1 against the spread. Pittsburgh has also won their last five road games both SU and ATS and have been a solid UNDER play for totals bettors at 7-1 UNDER in their last eight.

New England is on an eight-game winning streak with a 7-1 record ATS. They have won their last four at home SU and ATS. In the playoffs the Patriots have won five in a row at home at 4-0-1 ATS and they’re 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS in their last nine.

During the regular season the Patriots and Steelers met in Pittsburgh in Week 6 and New England won 27-16 as a 7-point favorite. One important note about that game, the Steelers were without Roethlisberger due to injury. Landry Jones started at QB and passed for 281 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Brady had a pair of touchdown passes for the Patriots and LeGarrette Blount dominated with 127 rushing yards and two TDs on 24 carries. Including the Week 6 win the Patriots are 7-2 SU and 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine versus the Steelers.