Best Bets on the Bengals vs the Chiefs in AFC Championship

• Legal NFL betting sites have opened with the Kansas City Chiefs as one-point favorites versus the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship.
• The Cincinnati Bengals should likely be the favorite regardless of Patrick Mahomes’ health given the history between the teams and the strong showing by the Bengals versus the Buffalo Bills.
• Bovada is offering winning score range bets for each team in the AFC Championship, with the Bengals +470 odds to win between one and five points standing out.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game, the Cincinnati Bengals head to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and company a one-point favorite at Bovada.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs AFC Championship Game Odds

Team:	Spread:	Moneyline:	Total:
Cincinnati Bengals	+1.0 (-115)	-105	O47.0 (-110)
Kansas City Chiefs	-1.0 (-105)	-115	U47.0 (-110)

Betting on the Cincinnati Bengals

NFL betting sites have listed the Bengals as one-point underdogs largely based on Patrick Mahomes’ injury status for the game.

Recent news indicates that he is likely to play, but will struggle to practice and won’t be 100% healthy come kick-off on Sunday.

Andy Reid said this high ankle sprain is not as bad as the one in 2019. He’s getting treatment and they’ll take it day by day. Reid said Mahomes is planning to play. He’s never played without practicing, but it appears that hasn’t been ruled out if staying off it ends up the plan

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 23, 2023

Even if the soon-to-be two-time MVP were healthy, the Cincinnati Bengals would likely be the best bet to win this game:

• The Bengals are 3-0 against the Chiefs in Joe Burrow’s career, with all three wins overcoming since the start of 2022.
• Cincinnati dominated the Buffalo Bills, winning 27-10 in the Divisional Round. Buffalo ranked first in (* Simple Rating System score at Pro Football Reference https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/ *) at 10.9, while Cincinnati ranked second in the AFC at 6.9 (Kansas City is third at 6.2).
• Kansas City’s defense may be the worst defense remaining in either conference championship game, giving up 21.7 PPG (16th) compared to 20.1 for the Bengals (6th), 20.2 for the Eagles (7th), and 16.3 for the 49ers (1st).

Legal sports betting sites are largely banking on the Chiefs’ offense to continue scoring at their league-leading rate (29.2 PPG), but with Mahomes limited and a largely underrated scoring defense for Cincinnati, the best bet on the opening line of the AFC Championship game is on the Bengals moneyline with -105 odds.

Betting on the Bengals’ Winning Margin

Another strong betting option for the game is on the Bengals’ winning margin at Bovada.

Cincinnati has beaten Kansas City by exactly three points in each of their previous meetings, with players still able to get long odds on multiple winning margin bets in that range at Bovada.

Cincinnati Bengals Winning Margin Odds

• Bengals to win by 1 To 6 Points +320
• Bengals to win by 1 To 5 Points +470
• Bengals to win by 1 To 10 Points +200

Cincinnati has won four games in the 1-5 and 1-6 point ranges, with players likely best off taking the increased odds for a 1 to 5-point win based on the past history versus Kansas City.

News tags: AFC | Bovada | Buffalo Bills | Cincinnati Bengals | Joe Burrow | Kansas City Chiefs | NFC | NFL | Patrick Mahomes | Super Bowl