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Sportsbook.com Posts NFL Odds

NEW YORK – (PRESS RELEASE) -- The top teams in the NFL have had a week to rest as they prepare to face last week's Wild Card winners in the conference semi finals. Rested and with home field advantage, Indianapolis, Seattle, Denver and Chicago are all favored to advance by Sportsbook.com odds makers, but history shows that the week off does not always help the favorites.

Over the past ten years, nine of 40 wild card winners have gone on to win their next game. That's almost a quarter, or an average of one Wild Card team per year. Four of those teams - Carolina in 2003, Baltimore in 2000, Tennessee in 1999 and Denver in 1997 - went all the way to the Super Bowl with Baltimore and Denver winning the big game. In fact, only three times in the past ten post-seasons has the home team won all four games - in 2004, 2002 and 1998.

"Historically there always seems to be a wild card winner that comes in and shocks one of the favorites," said Peter Childs, odds maker, Sportsbook.com. "Sometimes the teams with first round byes have not had to play a meaningful game in weeks, and come out a little rusty. Momentum is huge in the playoffs and we saw last week that all it takes for the wheels to fall off are a couple of quick turnovers or blown defensive assignments."

This year's crop of wild card winners includes New England, winner of back-to-back and three of the past four Super Bowls, Pittsburgh, a team with a plethora of playoff experience, and Carolina, a Super Bowl finalist two years ago. Denver and Seattle, two of the favorites this week were losers of Wild Card games last season, and Chicago is making its first post-season appearance in four years.

"For fans who like to bet on the underdog, this might be a pretty good year to take a long shot. Some of these underdogs actually have more playoff experience and have proven themselves in these situations before," added Childs.

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