Bengals vs Chiefs AFC Conference Championship: This Battle to See Whether the Bengals Will Return to the Big Game

• Last week, the Cincy Bengals easily took care of the Bills in the Buffalo snow, 27-10

• KC Chiefs just beat the Jags, 27-20, despite QB Patrick Mahomes injuring his ankle

• Watch Bengals vs Chiefs live on Sunday, January 29, 2023, at 6:30 PM ET on CBS

Bengals vs Chiefs AFC Conference Championship Odds

Bengals vs Chiefs AFC Conference Championship Picks

POINT SPREAD: Cincinnati Bengals -1.5 (-110) at Caesars

POINTS TOTAL: Over 46.5 (-110) at BetRivers

PLAYER PROP: Touchdowns Patrick Mahomes 1+ (+800) at WynnBet

POINT SPREAD: Cincinnati Bengals -1.5 (-110) at Caesars

The NFL playoffs AFC title matchup features the third-seeded Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Arrowhead in Missouri to take on the number one-seeded Kansas City Chiefs, this battle to see whether the Bengals will return to the Big Game after failing to win a Lombardi last season or if it will be the Chiefs who get to move on, now in their fifth AFC Championship game in a row.  

The Bengals are on a ten-game winning streak, no doubt the result of having arguably one of the top QBs in the league, Joe Burrow, under center, his array of targets including two legitimate number one receivers – Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – along with pass-catching TE Hayden Hurst, though it could be the defensive surge that makes Cincy the favorites to win this game.

The oddsmakers tell us that the Bengals have covered the spread in eight of their last nine road games, and against a Chiefs team led by a hobbled QB Patrick Mahomes (high ankle sprain), the road to victory could lead through the run game starring RBs Jerick McKinnon and rookie Isiah Pacheco, plus they’ll need a solid pass rush to disrupt Joe ‘Cool’s offensive flow.

POINTS TOTAL: Over 46.5 (-110) at BetRivers

This game will be played in the Missouri winter weather so that could affect scoring, though the oddsmakers tell us that the KC Chiefs have scored first in each of their last six home games, this team ranked number one in points posted this season (29.2 per game), the result of having a dual-threat QB who can hurt you with his arm or with his scrambling legs.

It's Mahomes’ high ankle sprain that has his coaches and teammates concerned, an injury that left him hobbling in last week’s win, though his veteran backup Chad Henne proved to be up for the job when he had to come in and ended up leading the team down the field for a TD, now facing a Bengals defense ranked 16th in the regular season after allowing opponents to gain over 335 yards per game.

The Bengals' offense scored 26.1 points per game over the regular season and given the playmakers that QB Burrow has to target against the 11th-ranked KC defense that allows 328 yards per game we expect high scoring, this matchup a win-or-go-home scenario expected to come down to the final minutes, so we take the over because these two offenses look impossible to slow down let alone stop.

PLAYER PROP: Touchdowns Patrick Mahomes 1+ (+800) at WynnBet

 It’s the second to last week of NFL games, so sports bettors who are looking for something extra to put a few bucks on can try this player prop bet from WynnBett where the bettor gets odds on different players to score at least one touchdown during the game, each of these rewarding winners of a $100 bet a different payout.

Kansas City Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes might not be as mobile as usual given his injured ankle, so fans who think he will cross the goal line despite his taped-up injury could win $850 if he does plus the original $100 investment, a normally mobile player who has carried the ball 61 times in the regular season for 358 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns, but will he get that done here?

Marquez Valdez-Scantling is a good bet to score, the 6’ 4” 206 pound slot receiver with enough speed to also serve as a deep threat target for QB Mahomes, this year with 2 receiving TDs in the regular season and one last week in the team’s win over the Jaguars, a tough to tackle extra yards earner who seems to have developed a solid connection with Mahomes in his first run with the Chiefs.

How to Watch Bengals vs Chiefs

• What: Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs

• Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO

• When: Sunday, January 29, 2023, at 6:30 PM ET

• How: CBS