The online betting websites are taking action for the upcoming AFC and NFC championship games that will be taking place Sunday. Before you place your bets, you should spend some time analyzing the keys to each of the games and determine which team enters into your Super Bowl betting picture and which teams just do not have what it takes.

AFC Championship: Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots (-7)
The Baltimore Ravens picked an odd time to start questioning the team’s quarterback. First, Joe Flacco himself made statements to the media that questioned people’s perception of him and how he plays. Then pro bowl safety Ed Reed questioned Flacco’s abilities and called out the entire offense in a radio interview earlier in the week. That is bad timing because the Ravens need its offense to be clicking on all cylinders if it wants to win in Foxboro. The Baltimore defense may think that it can win the championship on its own, but without offensive points on the board the Ravens are going nowhere.

When you talk about the New England Patriots, it is inevitable that you talk about quarterback Tom Brady. But it would be a betonline scam to look past the Patriots’ 31st ranked defense entering this AFC Championship game. The Baltimore Ravens’ defense is not the Denver Broncos. Brady and the Pats’ offense will not have carte-blanche over the Ravens like they did over the Broncos. The only question is whether the Ravens’ offense has enough to bowl over the 31st ranked defense in the league. If the Ravens play this one right, then it could be in its second Super Bowl.
Pick: Baltimore Ravens

NFC Championship: New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers (-2)
The New York Giants are a difficult team to predict. The key to winning this game for New York is to protect the football and cause turnovers. The bookie software has the 49ers as slight favorites, but that is only because no one really knows what to expect from New York. The Giants appear to be as healthy as it can be going into the NFC Championship game and the Giants’ defense definitely has the players that can make plays on defense. The Giants need to make sure that quarterback Eli Manning does not give the ball away and that the New York defense does not give the 49ers’ offense any room to move.

For the 49ers, it is all about consistency. The 49ers post winning NFL scores because its offense and its defense are excellent at staying with the game plan. The 49ers offense is good on the line of scrimmage, at the linebacker level and in the defensive secondary. On offense, quarterback Alex Smith showed that he can make plays when he needs to, but it is unlikely that the 49ers will call on Smith to carry the game in the NFC Championship. More than likely, the 49ers will do what it has been doing all year which is run the ball and then ask Smith to get the ball downfield without turning it over. It is something Smith has done all season and something that he is very good at.

Pick: San Francisco 49ers