The Kansas City Chiefs advanced to host the AFC championship game for the fourth consecutive season after an exciting overtime win against the Buffalo Bills. They’ll get a Week 17 rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals for the right to the Lamar Hunt Trophy and to represent the AFC conference in Super Bowl LVI.
According to Tipico Sportsbook, Kansas City will be a 7.5-point favorite over Cincinnati with an over/under point total of 54.5 points scored. The money line is -320 for the Chiefs and +250 for the Bengals. Kansas City is 10-9 against the spread through the postseason, while Cincinnati is 12-7 against the spread.
The Bengals lead the all-time series against the Chiefs 16-14 dating back to their first meeting in 1968. The most recent game the two teams played was back in Week 17, which was a 34-31 loss for Kansas City. The game saw some poor defensive play in the secondary from the Chiefs and some questionable officiating, but they were still in the game down to the very end. It took a last-second field goal by Bengals K Evan McPherson to put the game on ice for Cincinnati.
The big difference between Week 17 and the AFC championship game will be the location. The first contest was played at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. This time, Joe Burrow will have to keep himself poised in front of the roaring crowd at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. He’s no stranger to big moments after winning a national championship at LSU, but this is an entirely different beast.
That said, with Burrow on one side and Patrick Mahomes on the other, this is sure to be a shootout of epic proportions.
