NFC Championship Betting Splits: Public is betting big on underdog Lions
The penultimate game of the NFL season will be this Sunday night's NFC Championship between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.
You can find my best bet for the game in this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets".
In this article, instead of looking at which side I'm backing, we're going to dive into which side the public is backing. Do they think the No. 1 seed 49ers will roll on Sunday, or can the Lions continue their Cinderella Run?
Let's take a look.
Lions vs. 49ers odds, spread, and total
Lions vs. 49ers betting splits
The AFC Championship has seen plenty of bets on both sides, but that's not the case for the NFC Championship. In this game, we've seen the majority of the public bets coming in on the Lions to cover the spread as touchdown underdogs.
Current NFL championship game betting splits at @DKSportsbook:
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) January 26, 2024
52% of bets, 62% of 💵 on Ravens -4
69% of bets, 51% of 💵 on Lions +7.5
As you can see, DraftKings Sportsbook is reporting 69% of bets being on the Lions to cover the spread as 7.5-point underdogs. That number is even more lopsided at BetMGM Sportsbook.
Public (+60% of bets) wagers in Conference Championship games at @BetMGM
— John Ewing (@johnewing) January 26, 2024
88% on Lions +275
77% on Ravens-Chiefs OVER 44.5
72% on Lions +7
65% on Chiefs +165 pic.twitter.com/NTEomdvMuo
According to John Ewing, two of the three most popular bets on Championship Sunday at BetMGM Sportsbook is on the Lions. 88% of people betting on the moneyline in the Lions vs. 49ers game are on Detroit to pull off the upset. Meanwhile, 72% of the spread bets on the NFC Championship are on the Lions to cover.
A similar sentiment is coming from FanDuel Sportsbook, which is reporting plenty more bets on the Lions than the 49ers. That means a 49ers win and cover would be a great day for the sportsbooks.
From a @FDSportsbook trader:
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) January 26, 2024
"The book needs a 49ers win, as the public loves the fun underdog story in the Lions. Unlike the Chiefs game, we have seen significantly more bets come in on the Lions on both the spread and the moneyline."
If you read this week's edition of the "Road to 272 Bets", then you know that I'm on the opposite side of the public. I think last week's poor performance by the 49ers is an anomaly and I'm in no rush to back the Lions on the road.
With that being said, anything could happen and it's best to back whatever side you think is the right side, regardless of which side other people are betting on.
If you're looking for somewhere to place your bets at, consider FanDuel Sportsbook. If you click the link below to sign up for an account, you'll receive $150 in bonus bets when you place your first $5 wager.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.