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2013 NFL Playoffs: AFC and NFC Championship Weekend Review

After an exciting championship weekend in the NFL, the Super Bowl matchup is now set as the San Francisco 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans on Sunday, February 3rd, 2013. Let’s take a look and see how each team made it to the big game.

You can always bet the spread, total and moneyline, as well as a myriad of prop bets throughout the game.

NFC Championship Game

The Atlanta Falcons raced out to another big lead in the first half this week just like they did in the divisional round against the Seattle Seahawks. Behind the solid play of quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones, the Falcons built a 17 point first half lead. However, San Francisco made some excellent halftime adjustments and quickly got back into the game early in the second half. Once the 49ers were able to force a couple of turnovers and convert those turnovers into points, the Atlanta Falcons appeared to play a bit more passive, possibly being worried about blowing another large lead.

The 49ers eventually went ahead with 8:23 to play in the fourth quarter thanks to a Frank Gore nine yard touchdown run. With plenty of time left on the clock, the Falcons tried to march down the field for the game winning touchdown but eventually came up shot when they could not convert on fourth and four on the San Francisco 10 yard line.

AFC Championship Game

The AFC Championship game was a rematch from a year ago and did not disappoint NFL fans. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came out firing on offense and built 13-7 halftime lead over the Baltimore Ravens. After scoring 10 points in the second quarter, Patriots fans had to be thinking that their team had finally figured a way to move the ball against the Ravens and that they would cruise in the second half. However, that was not the case the Baltimore Ravens put the clamps down on the Patriots and did not allow a single point in the second half while scoring 21 points of their own.

The turning point in the game came early in the fourth quarter when Bernard Pollard laid a huge hit on running back Stevan Ridley who then fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Baltimore. The Ravens had just taken a 21-13 lead two minutes earlier and needed to come up with a big stop, which they did when they recovered the fumble. Four plays after the turnover Joe Flacco hit Anquain Bolden for another touchdown and the Ravens went up 28-13 and appeared to have the game in hand.

With two hard hitting defenses winning their respective conference’s championship game, the Super Bowl promises to be another exciting game in what has been an overall highly entertaining NFL playoffs.

Super Bowl XLVII Hosted by New Orleans February 3, 2013

The 47th edition, Super Bowl XLVII, will be played February 3rd, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. And because it’s annually the biggest single sports day in North America, the 2013 Mardis Gras calendar in Orleans Parish will be changed. This will be the 10th time the city of New Orleans has hosted the Super Bowl, the most of any host city in Super Bowl history.

It will be the first Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans since the Superdome sustained damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The game will be carried by CBS, which plans on charging a record high US$4,000,000 for each thirty-second advertisement. CTV will be the Canadian carrier.

Even after coming up on the short end of the score in last year’s National Football League championship game, the New England Patriots are the oddsmakers’ early favorite to win next season’s Super Bowl. The Patriots are 5-1 to win the 2013 Super Bowl by oddsmakers.

The Green Bay Packers, who had a 15-1 record during the regular season before losing to the Giants in the NFC playoffs, are listed as the second favorite at 11-2, according to offshore sportsbooks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles are both listed at 6-1, followed by the Giants at 8-1. The Giants finished ahead of the Eagles this season to make the playoffs as the National Football Conference’s East division winner.

The New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers have 10-1 odds, with the San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans at 12-1. The other New York team, the Jets, are tied for the 13th-best odds among 32 NFL teams at 20-1.

The Giants’ odds of winning the Super Bowl at the start of the 2011 season were 25-1, while the the Patriots were the pre-season favorites at 9-2.

ODDS TO WIN 2013 SUPER BOWL

  • New England Patriots 5-1
  • Green Bay Packers 11-2
  • Pittsburgh Steelers 6-1
  • Philadelphia Eagles 6-1
  • New York Giants 8-1
  • New Orleans Saints 10-1
  • San Francisco 49ers 10-1
  • San Diego Chargers 12-1
  • Houston Texans 12-1
  • Chicago Bears 17-1
  • Detroit Lions 18-1
  • Atlanta Falcons 18-1
  • Dallas Cowboys 20-1
  • Baltimore Ravens 20-1
  • New York Jets 20-1
  • Indianapolis Colts 25-1
  • Tennessee Titans 30-1
  • Cincinnati Bengals 30-1
  • Buffalo Bills 50-1
  • Kansas City Chiefs 50-1
  • Seattle Seahawks 50-1
  • Denver Broncos 50-1
  • Carolina Panthers 50-1
  • Miami Dolphins 50-1
  • St. Louis Rams 50-1
  • Oakland Raiders 60-1
  • Minnesota Vikings 60-1
  • Arizona Cardinals 60-1
  • Cleveland Browns 75-1
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 100-1
  • Washington Redskins 125-1
  • Jacksonville Jaguars 150-1