NFL Conference Championship: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs Betting Preview

For the second straight year, the Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals (14-4) will square off with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (15-3) with the right to go to the Super Bowl on the line. Like last year, the Chiefs will host this one at Arrowhead Stadium, with kickoff on Sunday scheduled for 6:30 pm ET.

Not only did the Bengals win last year, but they also took down the Chiefs earlier this year 27-24 in Cincinnati. In that game, Burrow threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns. In the loss, Mahomes threw for 223 yards and a touchdown.

Last week, the Bengals were able to make a win over the Buffalo Bills look easy as they won 27-10 on the road. In that game, Burrow threw for 242 yards and two scores, while running back Joe Mixon rushed for 105 yards and a score of his own.

For the Chiefs, they were able to hold off the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 last week at Arrowhead. Mahomes threw for 195 yards and two scores, both of which went to Travis Kelce. In addition to his two touchdowns, Kelce also had 14 receptions for 98 yards.

The Chiefs are currently the slight favorites playing at home Sunday. They are -120 to win, while the Bengals’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features Cincinnati as 1.5-point underdogs (-108), and the over/under for total points is 48.

Bengals Look For A Return To Super Bowl

After losing last year’s Super Bowl to the Los Angeles Rams, the Cincinnati Bengals desperately want to get another shot at a championship. To do so, they must travel the same road as last year, having to beat the top-ranked Chiefs on their own field.

Luckily for the Bengals, quarterback Joe Burrow has a perfect 3-0 record against Patrick Mahomes head-to-head, but it will still be a tall task for the quarterback to get his fourth win.

During the regular season, Burrow was sensational, throwing for 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just 12 interceptions. His performance helped the Bengals to have the seventh-best scoring offense in the league, averaging 26.1 points per game.

Burrow has a trio of top-notch receivers at his disposal in Ja’Marr Chase (1,046 yards, nine touchdowns), Tee Higgins (1,029 yards, seven touchdowns) and Tyler Boyd (762 yards, five touchdowns).

Defensively, the Bengals are also solid as they rank fifth overall, allowing 19.4 points per game. It is worth noting they are much better against the run (seventh overall) than the pass (24th overall).

Health Of Offensive Stars Could Be Deciding Factor

It has been a rough week for the Chiefs’ star offensive players. Not only did Patrick Mahomes have to leave last week’s game temporarily with a high ankle sprain, but tight end Travis Kelce popped up on the injury report Thursday with a back injury.

For Mahomes, he has participated in full practices and is not even on the injury list. Either the Chiefs are playing very coy on the matter or Mahomes has made a miraculous comeback from an injury that can often take weeks to heal.

Regardless, Mahomes has been sensational this season. During the regular season, he threw for 5,250 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. His favorite target was Kelce, who had 110 receptions for 1,338 yards and 12 scores.

As a unit, the Chiefs rank first in scoring in the NFL, averaging 29.1 points per game (25.3 at home). Kansas City ranks 15th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 21.6 points per game (19.4 at home).

Take Cincinnati To Win

This one is a tough one to call, as both teams have the electric playmakers to bust this game wide open. With so much talent, though, it gives even more pause as to the effects that the injuries to Mahomes and Kelce might have. For instance, Mahomes has looked good in practices this week, but he also hasn’t had a top-10 defense to contend with.

For the Bengals, they also have momentum on their side. Not only have they won three straight against Mahomes and the Chiefs, but they come in on a 10-game winning streak. Furthermore, in their last 16 games, they are an impressive 13-3 against the spread.

This has the makings of an instant classic, but when taking all factors into consideration, it is hard not to pounce on the Bengals in this one.

Take Cincinnati to win straight up (+102).