This is the Athletic Football Show.

Championship weekend is here one of the best football weekends of the season.

And we are here as well at the Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast and the Athletic Football Show to talk you through the NFC Championship between the Packers and the Buccaneers, the AFC Championship between the Chiefs and the Bills from a gambling perspective.

I am Michael Beller. I am joined, of course, by Vic Tafer. Vic, what's going on? Man, three games left this season. Very excited for this weekend that we've got ahead of us. Yeah, I'm excited. Maybe a little more excited if not for last week's debacle, but yeah, I'm excited. Well, let's get into that. Let's really quickly circle back to last weekend before we talk about the championship games that we've got ahead of us.

We nailed the Packers. You and I were both very heavy on the Packers. We said it was a game we were very confident in.

And, yeah, I think that 14 point difference in the game doesn't really fully convey just how much the Packers owned that game from start to finish.

So that was good.

We started the weekend off on a strong note.

We were different sides of Bills and Ravens.

I ended up being right.

You ended up being wrong on that one.

The Chiefs, that's the one that really hurts here because I think they're headed to a relatively

easy cover of the 10, 10 and a half, 11, wherever you ended up landing on with that. I think they're headed to a relatively easy cover of the 10, 10 and a half, 11, wherever you ended up landing on with that. I think they're headed to a pretty easy cover before Patrick Mahomes suffered the concussion and went out of that game. And then we had Saints and Buccaneers, which I've got something to say on, but I know you want to say something on Chiefs and Browns. So I'll let you take that one away. I agree with you. I think that game definitely, the Chiefs covered that one pretty easily if Mahomes doesn't get, I don't even know if it was a concussion, if he just choked out, whatever it was, but I thought that was definitely a game that people who bet the Chiefs should have covered that one. And I was kind of heartbroken by the Ravens game. going back to the Ravens, when I thought the Ravens, I think they had five possessions until the 30 had three points. I think Lamar Jackson kind of hurt, but that point was pretty much over. But I just thought they were right there the whole game. I thought the bills couldn't throw the ball deep. That was a big factor. So that one also hurt. So I was just, I was reeling the whole weekend. After that great first game, it was just Heartbreak City for me the rest of the weekend. You know, it's, uh, those three games. And certainly the two, the, the two nightcaps were I think defined by one turnover. Right? You had the pick six in Ravens and Bills, and that ultimately decided the game. And maybe if Lamar Jackson doesn't get hurt, the Ravens are able to cobble something together. But like you said, it was pretty much over by time Lamar gets hurt. But if that ends up being a touchdown, we're talking about a tie game. Even if it ends up being a field goal, we're talking about a 10-6 game instead of a 17-3 game where it really

felt like the Ravens were fighting a big uphill battle. They're just not that type of team, right?

They're not the sort of team that you want to be betting on down by two touchdowns to make a comeback.

And then Saints and Buccaneers, that game, you know, it's easy to look back on that game

and feel as though the Buccaneers were clearly the better team throughout.

But Jared Cook, if he doesn't fumble that ball in, that was in Tampa territory, we're talking about a first and 10 from about the Tampa 45, four and a half minutes left in the game, and the Saints up by a touchdown.

That game looks a whole lot different if Jared Cook doesn't fumble.

And then from that point forward, Tampa completely dominated the game.

It was a clinic again from Tom Brady in closing out victories with the way that they turned a seven-point deficit into a 10-point win in about 19 minutes of football time and what we've come to expect from Tom Brady over his, you know, singular football career. But that game looks a lot different if Jericho holds on to that ball after picking up the first down. Yeah, I agree with you. That was a huge fumble. Plus, you know, Drew Breese was terrible. If he was just like bad or like below average, they'd win that game easily, but agree with you. That was a huge humble. Plus, you know, Drew Breeze was terrible. I mean, if he was just, like, bad or, like, below average,

they win that game easily.

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