Upsets prompt unlikely quartet

It's safe to say none of the experts predicted this. After 41/2 months of football, all of the Super Bowl favorites have fallen, and the NFL has a most unlikely final four.

A string of upsets set up two odd-looking conference championship games on Sunday.

The Arizona Cardinals host the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game, and the bettors have been completely enamored with the Eagles in recent weeks. Philadelphia opened as a 3-point favorite, and the line has been bet to 4. The total is 47.

Almost everyone had the Cardinals packing their bags for offseason vacation destinations last week, but a funny thing happened. Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme was color-blind, the Panthers panicked and abandoned their running game, and Arizona played with passion and precision en route to an easy road win as a big underdog.

The Eagles will go for a playoff hat trick on the road after victories over Minnesota and the New York Giants. Philadelphia's attacking defense will look to harass Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who has been on top of his game in the postseason.

This is a rematch, but the relevance of the first meeting is up for debate.

When the teams hooked up on Thanksgiving in Philadelphia, the Eagles carved up the Cardinals, 48-20. Now, throw out that game completely. The Cardinals were coming off a tough loss to the Giants on the previous Sunday, got only one day of practice in and had to fly east for the Thursday game.

Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has a totally different team now, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants odds director Tony Sinisi.

"Whisenhunt said his big challenge was to make his team aware of what the playoff world is like," he said. "They have responded to his guidance, specifically on defense."

As for the Eagles, LVSC oddsmaker Sean Van Patten is steadfast in his belief that quarterback Donovan McNabb and the offense should be a major point of concern.

"The Giants' poor offensive execution helped disguise Philadelphia's shortcomings," Van Patten said. "McNabb is still having difficulty getting the ball in the end zone, and field goals won't get it done in Arizona."

AFC North rivals will meet again in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are 6-point favorites over the Baltimore Ravens. The total is 34.

Rookie quarterback Joe Flacco's first road game came on a Monday night in Pittsburgh, with Baltimore coming up just short in a 23-20 overtime loss. The Steelers won the rematch 13-9 in Baltimore in mid-December.

In the past 18 playoff games featuring division opponents when one of the teams had a 2-0 record in the regular-season series, the three-game sweep was completed on 11 occasions. The Giants bucked that trend last year by knocking off the Cowboys in Dallas.

The Ravens kept things simple in road playoff wins over Miami and No. 1 seed Tennessee. By protecting the ball on offense, allowing their defense to win the field position battle and creating turnovers, the Ravens found a formula for success. Their defensive counterparts for the Steelers have a similar game plan.

"The Ravens and Eagles are certainly on a roll, following the road map the Giants paved last year," Sinisi said. "For Baltimore, though, the difficult task of three road games in three weeks is accentuated, because they are truly beat up physically. If they pull a win out of Pittsburgh, my hat goes off to them."

LVSC oddsmaker Mike Seba said the line is higher than he expected.

"Seeing the Steelers as 6-point favorites surprises me," he said. "The number seems inflated. These teams are evenly matched, but the Steelers' edge comes with home-field advantage and (quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger's experience.

"I'm not convinced those factors are worth a full touchdown. In huge games, Baltimore earned a win at Tennessee, which was a feat the Steelers couldn't accomplish."

After having their bye week shuffled around because of Hurricane Ike, it stands to reason the Ravens are beat up and weary. This will be the 18th consecutive week they have taken the field for a game.

Brian Blessing, project manager for Las Vegas Sports Consultants, can be reached at bblessing@lvsc.com. Hear the LVSC oddsmakers on Sportsbook Radio, weekdays at 4 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio (920 AM). Visit vegassportsconnect.com for more odds information.