NFL Playoff Betting Odds Hinging On Final Week Of Games

The NFL is only one week away from post season play, and all but two of the playoff participants have been decided. With a handful of teams battling for the final two spots, there is still plenty others games that could determine this year's playoff betting odds.

On Sunday, the Bengals, Giants, and Cowboys all have their fate in their own hands. The Cowboys and Giants meet in the last game of the regular season in New York, with the winner going to the playoffs as the NFC East champ, while the loser goes home. The game is a rematch of an earlier battle in Dallas that the Giants won late.

In the AFC, the Bengals control their own playoff fate. If Cincinnati wins, they will claim the final spot, and will ensure that three teams from the AFC North are in the post season. If the Bengals lose against Baltimore, the door will be open for Oakland, Tennessee, and the New York Jets. The Broncos can win the AFC West with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Baltimore will have much more to play for than most other teams tomorrow. If the Ravens win, they will lock up a first round bye in the AFC. They also could gain the top seed with a win and a New England loss. If, however, the Ravens lose, they would fall from the second to fifth position in the playoffs. That would mean they would lose the bye, and have to open up on the road next week.

The Steelers could earn that first round bye if the Ravens lose. Pittsburgh would need to beat Cleveland to accomplish that goal. The Steelers could also still be the top seed if the Patriots lose. With the teams at the top evenly matched in the AFC, the betting odds on which team will represent the conference in the Super Bowl could come down to the seeding.

In the NFC, the picture is much clearer. Green Bay has clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. San Francisco can wrap up the two seed with a win over St. Louis. New Orleans could still gain a first round bye with a win and a 49ers loss. Atlanta and Detroit have made the playoffs, and will be playing for the five and six seeds Sunday.

The Giants, Cowboys game is the only one with two teams facing each other where one will assuredly be left out of the playoffs. The Giants are three point favorites at home. The total for the game is forty-seven, as both teams have high powered offenses. The offenses, however, have been prone to mistakes, causing their teams to be in the elimination game scenario.

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