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The Ravens-Chiefs spread for the 2011 NFL Wildcard Playoffs opened at -2.5 in favor of Baltimore, but the line on this game is anything but stable. Gambling911.com has observed odds ranging from -1 to -3, which presents an opportunity for savvy sports bettors to wager on both sides in hopes Baltimore wins by 2 points.
Expect this line to move up to -3 or even higher at most online sportsbooks as the Ravens have been getting more than 95 percent of the betting action over these past 16 hours. The Ravens were getting 85 percent of the money line action. 95 percent of the total action was on the OVER 41 in this NFL Wildcard Playoffs game.
Baltimore settled into the number 5 seed following a win over Cincinnati on Sunday. They were already in the Playoffs but were hoping for a division win and first week bye in the Playoffs. Pittsburgh, however, had other ideas by destroying the Cleveland Browns and taking the AFC North crown.
"We came in and took care of business, which was to go from 11 to 12," The Ravens Ray Lewis said immediately following the game. "That's the most important thing, for us to get that 12th victory. I just think it's huge."
He added: "I think one reason why, for us, it never matters is because our defense, we travel very well on the road. We play extremely well on the road."
And they’ll need to in this year’s Wildcard Playoffs where they will face a surprise Kansas City team, expected earlier in the season to rank among the bottom of the AFC West.
Instead, the Chiefs easily won the AFC West division and will have home field advantage in the 2011 Wildcard Playoffs.
Kansas City ended the regular season on a low note, losing to rival Oakland at home by a score of 10-31.
“You want to have a good taste in your mouth going into the playoffs,” Kansas City guard Ryan Lilja said. “Clearly, we didn’t have the kind of performance you need to do that.”
This was far from a meaningless game for KC as they would have claimed the number 3 seed now grabbed by the Indianapolis Colts, albeit playing the Jets probably won’t be a picnic either.
Gambling911.com sees an underlay in the line of around 3 points whereby the Ravens should probably be listed at -6. The oddsmakers won’t dare post a line that high.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
