NFL Opening Lines: Rams and Chiefs are favorites to make Super Bowl LVI

All four divisional round games went down to the wire leading up to the conference championship games

Following a tight divisional round that saw every game go down to the wire, DraftKings has released their opening lines for the conference round matchups between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs (-7) and the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams (-3.) Both home teams, the highest remaining seeds in their conference, are favored next Sunday.

The total in the Bengals-Chiefs game is 53.5, meaning the book is implying something around a 30-23 victory for Kansas City. The two teams met in Week 17 when the Bengals upset the Chiefs, who were 4.5-point favorites on road. DraftKings had the opening total for that game at 49 points, meaning they expect more scoring in this matchup than they had assumed the first time around.

The 49ers-Rams line has a total of 46.5, meaning the book expects something like a 25-22 win for Los Angeles. With that being said, Rams head coach Sean McVay has had San Francisco’s number for a long time. Los Angeles won both of their meetings with Kyle Shanahan this year, including a 27-24 overtime win in Week 18. The 49ers have actually dropped their last six games against McVay’s Rams, with San Francisco’s last win coming all the way back in 2018.

Fun fact: If San Francisco does win the NFC, it ensures that there will be a Super Bowl rematch in Super Bowl LVI. The 49ers played, and beat, the Bengals twice in the Super Bowl, including Bill Walsh’s first title and his final game as the team’s head coach. Super Bowl LIV, just two years ago, saw Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes beat San Francisco by a score of 31-20.

Full NFL Lines

Cincinnati Bengals @ Kansas City Chiefs (-7)

San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams (-3)