NFL Betting: Who Will Lead the Conference Championship Round in Passing Yards?

With the NFL's conference championships just a few days away, the intensity is beginning to dial all the way up.

This weekend will feature two contests of titanic proportions. The AFC will be decided between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, while the NFC is up for grabs amongst the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

Considering the offenses on hand, we should be privy to spectacular quarterbacking in both bids. Still, it makes one wonder: which talented signal-caller will pace all others in passing yardage in this round? For reference, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield led the Divisional Round in this category with 349 yards through the air.

FanDuel Sportsbook -- per their NFL odds -- has answered the bell by offering odds for which quarterback will lead Championship Sunday in passing yards. There are plenty of intriguing options available, but which of the four remaining QBs will come out on top?

NFL Championship Sunday Betting

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (+130)

As a Cinderella story still unfolding before our very eyes, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is having one of the best seasons in franchise history. In 2023, Purdy tossed the pigskin for a whopping 4,280 yards (fifth in NFL), which was more than any previous 49er in history.

Purdy led all passers this past regular season in total QBR (72.8) and yards per attempt (9.6). Over last weekend's Divisional Round, the Iowa State Cyclones alum managed to produce more passing yardage (252) than all players except Mayfield and Lions quarterback Jared Goff. One week later, "Mr. Relevant" is now the market favorite (+130 odds) to lead all others in passing on Championship Sunday.

With a looming matchup against Detroit, Purdy could be in a favorable situation. Off the bat, Sunday's weather forecast in Santa Clara -- in the high 60s and sunny -- will be more comfortable than the rain game from the Divisional Round. Additionally, the Lions have been porous against the pass in 2023, allowing 7.8 yards per attempt (worst in the NFC).

For this passing-yardage market, Purdy has a stable cast of skill players to lean on. Of course, receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder) is still questionable for the NFC championship, but other dynamic players like Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings will be there to power the air attack. It is no secret that Purdy has options.

Keep in mind -- as of Tuesday evening, FanDuel Sportsbook has the 49ers labeled as seven-point favorites at home against the Lions.

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (+220)

Staying on the NFC side, the aforementioned Jared Goff is playing superb football. Through the recent regular season, Goff's 4,575 passing yards were third-most in the NFL. Additionally, the Detroit signal-caller earned a career-best completion clip of 67.3%.

Goff did well enough last weekend to log the second-highest yardage total. In that clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the California Golden Bears alum slung the rock for 287 yards. That brings Goff to an average of 282 passing yards per game (YPG) this postseason. Still, both prior games were played indoors at the friendly confines of Ford Field.

Hitting the road, Goff will return to the Bay Area where he was born and raised. Through Goff's previous five head-to-head meetings with his childhood team (49ers), his teams have gone 0-5 while he has completed passes at a mediocre 59.2% rate. Goff has also committed five interceptions in that split, averaging 227 passing yards per game versus San Francisco.

There is one category where Goff is widely ahead of the market-favorite Purdy: pass attempts. In 2023, Goff threw the ball approximately 35.6 times per game. Purdy only averaged only 27.75 per contest this year.

In the spirit of "a closed mouth does not get fed," Goff could be a valuable pick at +220 odds to lead all passers this weekend. Stars Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,515 rec. yards) and rookie Sam LaPorta (10 rec. TDs) will be his best assets through the air.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+290)

Listed with +290 odds in this market, "Showtime" Patrick Mahomes is ready to compete in his sixth consecutive AFC title game. This time around, he will face the arduous task of taking on the Ravens ball-hawking defense. Truly, Sunday afternoon at "The Bank" will be a clash of titans.

Mahomes' 2023 regular season was his least productive of his past four years. The reigning league MVP still managed north of 4,000 passing yards this past campaign, but Kansas CIty's scoring clip (21.8 PPG) was at an all-time low in the Mahomes era. Notably, the Chiefs' receiving corps led the NFL in drops (44).

Year in and year out, Mahomes seems to thrive in the playoffs. The Texas Tech alum boasts an average single-game yardage clip of 285.1. Still, even a figure like that would likely be only on the cusp of winning this market. As noted, Mayfield was the Divisional Round leader at 349 yards while Dak Prescott paced Wild Card Weekend with a lofty 403 yards.

Going against a dominant defense in Baltimore (one that allows just 191.9 YPG through the air), Mahomes will need to be in vintage form. Superstar tight end Travis Kelce and rookie receiver Rashee Rice will be Mahomes' biggest perpetuators here as both players have explosive yard-after-catch abilities; Kelce and Rice combined for 1,122 YAC this season.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+850)

As your likely 2023 AP NFL MVP, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finds himself as a long shot to be Championship Sunday's leading passer. FanDuel Sportsbook has the electric Jackson listed with +850 odds to pace all players in passing yardage this weekend.

Notably, much of "Action" Jackson's offensive prowess stems from his ability to run the football. Of course, this will be the first season in which the MVP-winning quarterback landed 15th in total passing yards through the regular season. Once you add in his 821 rushing yards, Jackson's resume of nearly 4,500 all-purpose yards is astonishingly prolific.

Still, this market considers passing production alone. Last week versus the Houston Texans, the 2016 Heisman winner compiled just 152 yards through the air. That figure would result in the lowest of the entire Divisional Round, yet Jackson's Ravens scored 34 points (the highest team total).

Jackson has many individual accomplishments, but he is still looking for authentic postseason success. So far in his NFL career, Jackson has managed a 2-3 record while averaging 210.4 passing YPG in five playoff appearances. Transparently, he'll almost certainly need a more imposing figure than that to cash this market.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Ravens currently show as a home favorite of 3.5 points versus KC. Does that mean we see Baltimore in a positive, ground-heavy script?

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.