From CBS Sports:
When you get to the postseason, teams are supposed to be more evenly matched. But that's definitely not the case for the Texans-Patriots game that we'll be getting in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
Oddsmakers are so terrified at the thought of Brock Osweiler going up against a team coached by Bill Belichick that New England opened as a 15.5-point favorite Sunday. That kind of spread is borderline absurd for a regular-season game, let alone a playoff game.
The opening spread makes the Patriots the biggest playoff favorite in nearly 20 years. According to Pro Football Reference, the last playoff team to be favored by at least 15 points came in January 1999 when the Vikings closed as a 16.5-point favorite over the Arizona Cardinals. With early betting pushing the Patriots to a 16-point favorite, it's not crazy to think that New England could hit that 16.5-point mark.
During the Super Bowl era, which dates to 1966, there have only been five playoff games where a team was favored by 15 or more points. In those five games, the favorite has gone 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread. One of those covers came from those 1998-99 Vikings, who beat the Cardinals 41-21.
The only time the underdog actually won came in Super Bowl III, when the 18-point underdog Jets beat the Baltimore Colts 19-7. If you're wondering why Joe Namath's guarantee was such a big deal, there's your answer. He promised a win in a game where his team was an 18-point underdog.
Here's how the other three games broke down: In the 1994 season, the 49ers were twice favored by 15 points or more, and they covered in both games. First, they beat the Bears 44-15 as a 15.5-point favorite in the divisional round. Then, in the Super Bowl, they beat the Chargers 49-26 as a 19-point favorite.
Besides the Namath game, the only other time a playoff team didn't cover a spread of 15 points or more came in 1978 when the Cowboys beat the Falcons 27-20 as a 15-point favorite.
NFL Playoffs: Divisional Playoff Game #2 - Houston @ New England [SETTLED]
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