The underdogs had their day in the Wild Card Round, but the favorites struck back in a big way on the NFL betting board over the weekend.

Underdogs went 3-1 SU and ATS to kick off the postseason, but chalk teams responded by going 3-1 straight up and at the window to respond to the pups’ early domination.

Leading the charge was Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, which trounced the Dallas Cowboys 34-3 as 2.5-point faves at the Metrodome on Sunday afternoon. The Divisional Round payday lifted the Vikings into a matchup with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game at the Superdome this Sunday.

Oddsmakers have Minnesota as 4.5-point pups against New Orleans, with the total set at 52.5 points.

Judging by the way the Vikes dismantled the Cowboys, it’ll be hard to wager against them on Sunday. Favre went 15-of-24 for 234 yards with a career playoff-high four touchdowns, while Minnesota’s pass rush assured the game played under the 45.5-point total.

The Vikes had six sacks on Tony Romo – including three from Ray Edwards – while the Cowboys quarterback turned over the ball three times. Romo finished 22-of-35 for 198 yards with an interception and two fumbles to erase the memories of his strong performance in Dallas’ win over Philadelphia in the Wild Card Round.

Minnesota improved to 9-0 SU (6-3 ATS) at the Metrodome, but it won’t have the benefit of playing in front of its raucous crowd against New Orleans.

Like the Vikings, the Saints rolled into the NFC finale with impressive performances on both sides of the football. New Orleans waxed the Arizona Cardinals 45-14 in the Big Easy on Saturday afternoon, covering easily as 7-point chalk against the NFL point spread in the process.

Reggie Bush racked up 217 all-purpose yards with two TDs in the rout, while the Saints finished with 171 rushing yards on the day. Drew Brees went 23-of-32 for 247 yards with three touchdowns, as the game played over the sky-high 57-point total posted earlier in the day.

It certainly helped over bettors that the Cardinals’ secondary was banged up. Defensive backs Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (knee) and Antrel Rolle (concussion) left the game in the first half, making it easy for Brees to pick apart the Arizona secondary.


New Orleans led 35-14 at halftime, and never looked back against an Arizona offensive line that had trouble keeping the pressure off Kurt Warner. One week after putting up great numbers against Green Bay, Warner was lackluster by his standards on Saturday, going 17-of-26 for only 205 yards with a pick for the Cards.

Over in the AFC, the Indianapolis Colts advanced to the conference title game by shutting down the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 as 6.5-point favorites at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.

Not surprisingly, the teams played under the 44-point total because of a stifling Colts defense that held the Ravens to only 12 first downs.

Indianapolis also put the shackles on Baltimore’s running game – the same one that ran roughshod over New England in the Wild Card Round – holding it to only 87 yards on the ground.

The Colts managed only 42 yards rushing themselves, but that’s all they needed with four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning running the offense. Manning was 30-of-44 for 246 yards with two TD passes and a pick, predictably winning the quarterback duel with Joe Flacco. Dealing with an ailing hip, Flacco went 20-of-35 with 189 yards and two INTs for the Ravens.
Indy now meets the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday after the Jets stunned the San Diego Chargers 17-14 as 7.5-point dogs at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Colts are priced as 7.5-point chalk for the AFC title tilt at Lucas Oil Field, while the total is on the board at 40.5 points.
New York scored all of its 17 points in the second half to surprise San Diego, which came into the playoffs on an 11-game winning streak (7-3-1 ATS). New York went ahead for good on Mark Sanchez’s 2-yard TD toss to Dustin Keller with 13:42 left in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers outgained the Jets 344-262, including 283-93 through the air, but it wasn’t enough as kicker Nate Kaeding missed field goals of 36, 57, and 40 yards for San Diego in the shocker.

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