2019 NFL Conference Round Parlay Picks

2019 NFL Conference Round Parlay Picks

Written by on January 18, 2019

So we’re down to the semifinals of the National Football League postseason, with the NFL conference round set for Sunday afternoon and Sunday night. The Los Angeles Rams head to the Crescent City to take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon, and then the Kansas City Chiefs host the New England Patriots on Sunday night in what may be the coldest AFC Championship game ever played. We’ve already published several sports betting articles on these two games, but for those who want to increase their NFL odds — and boost the excitement — we’ve put together a couple of parlay picks for you to consider for this weekend’s action.

2019 NFL Conference Round Parlay Picks

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans (3:05pm ET, FOX)

One oddity about this game is that the Rams are the favorite according to the moneyline, while the Saints are the favorite according to the point spread. This is a testament to the fact that bettors consider this a very close matchup. For the moneyline, you would have to bet $120 to win $100 (and collect $220 total) on the Rams, while betting on the Saints would require just a $100 bet to walk away with $200 total. As far as the point spread goes, I don’t see this turning into the 80-point shootout that ensued when these teams met back in November. The Rams’ win over Dallas turned out a 52-point total, while the Saints and Eagles only generated a combined 34 points. People have figured out some of the tendencies of both the Rams and the Saints, and neither offense is quite as high-flying as it was. Defenses tend to play stouter ball during the postseason, with more on the line, and so I see this game staying under. What about the final outcome? I look at a couple of factors here — first, there is the fact that Drew Brees has considerably more postseason experience than Jared Goff, and the pressure increases with each round. The game will be in New Orleans, one of the more raucous atmospheres in the NFL. So while the game might come down to the final drive, I see the Saints coming out on top, and covering.

New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs (6:40pm ET, CBS)

The over/under point total has slid down from 57 to 55 ½ points since the week began. The money has been coming in under, perhaps because of the elements of the game — expected to feature temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit. While there is no rain or snow in the forecast, that colder air will impact everything from the passing game to the kicking game, so it makes sense that people would see this as less of a track meet than the 83-point game the teams combined for in their regular-season meeting. What about the outcome? There’s been a lot of ink given to the mention of how Patrick Mahomes II is the quarterback that the Chiefs have been waiting for ever since Len Dawson and the Super Bowl IV team faded from memory. That’s the sort of bulletin board material that Bill Belichick loves to use, and no one has a bigger chip on his shoulder than Tom Brady. The Patriots are just 3-5 on the road, though, and playing in the cold back-to-back may be more of a strain on Brady and the rest of the veteran Patriots roster than the younger Chiefs. I like Kansas City to win and cover — but just barely. Parlay Pick #1: Both games to go under the point totals Parlay Pick #2: Saints and Chiefs to win straight up