- The Cincinnati Bengals are now the -1.5 point spread favorites in the AFC title game after opening at +2.5 on Sunday evening.
- Concerns have persisted on Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain have put 64% of the early betting handle on the Bengals to win, hence causing the odds movement.
- The Bengals upset the Buffalo Bills 27-10 to advance to the AFC title game for the second consecutive season.
The Kansas City Chiefs immediately opened as a -2.5 point spread betting favorites to win the AFC Championship after last weekend’s divisional playoff games.
At online sportsbook BetOnline, that number moved to -3 very fast as in after just hours. But with concerns about Chiefs QB and Super Bowl MVP betting favorite Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain persisting, the above-mentioned sportsbook said that 64% of the early betting money has been wagered on the Bengals. With the mighty $ on their side, Cincinnati is now the -1.5 point betting favorite to beat Kansas City.
Mahomes Suffers High Ankle Sprain
The Final 4. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0S5bp0vTJP
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2023
Mahomes missed only one series against the Jaguars and he did come back to finish the game for the Chiefs. However, we all saw him hobble around on that bad ankle during the entire second half of the game and was even seen hopping off in pain after throwing a touchdown pass in the 4th quarter.
The Chiefs won 27-20, but they could have easily blown out the Jaguars if Mahomes played at 100% strength for four quarters. But with their QB having accuracy issues due to an injured plant ankle, The Jaguars were in the thick of the fight until late in the game. Still, a compromised Mahomes threw a big TD pass after the Jaguars had closed the gap to 20-17 and put them away.
Mahomes is 6-3 SU and 7-1-1 ATS in nine career games as a betting underdog. But if he isn’t at full strength this weekend, the result may be different. While the Jaguars could not take advantage of an injured Mahomes at the start of the second half of last weekend’s game, the Cincinnati Bengals are a different animal. They beat the Chiefs in last season’s 2022 AFC championship game and with another year of experience under their belts, Cincinnati is believed to be much more dangerous now.
Bengals Upset Buffalo Bills
Last weekend, the Bengals traveled to Buffalo feeling disrespected. The NFL began selling tickets for a would-be Bills vs Chiefs AFC title game in Atlanta even before Buffalo hosted Cincinnati.
The league thought of doing that since the Bills at 13-3 SU finished the season half-a-game behind the Chiefs who were at 14-3 SU after their game against the Bengals was canceled after Damar Hamlin’s near-fatal injury. So instead of playing at Arrowhead, the “game” was to be played at a neutral venue. but Joe Burrow had other plans.
“Better send those refunds,” Said Burrow after upsetting the Bills, referring to the 50,000 or so Atlanta tickets that had already been sold.
Burrow completed his first 9 passes for 105 passing yards as the Bengals raced to a 14-0 lead that they would not relinquish. Joe Mixon added a one-yard scoring run and Evan McPherson made two field goals as the Bengals never trailed and ended up walloping Josh Allen and the Bills 27-10 to set up a rematch of last season’s AFC title game which Cincinnati won 27-24.
With the win, Joe Brrr is now 5-1 SU in his playoff career. He has as many playoffs wins as the Bengals from 1968-2020 or before the team drafted him. Burrow was 2-7-1 SU during his rookie season which he did not finish due to an injury. He has been 22-10 in the past two seasons with the Bengals reaching at least the AFC title game both times.
Super Bowl Odds Boards As Close as It Can Get
The Final 4. #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0S5bp0vTJP
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2023
With the 2022 NFL season headed to the Conference title games this weekend, the Super Bowl LVII betting board is down to four teams. And with Mahomes’ injury, there is no clear-cut betting favorite to win the Lombardi Trophy.
Entering the Divisional Round, the Chiefs were the +300 favorites to win the Super Bowl with Buffalo right behind them at +350 odds. The San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals, in that order, completed the Top 5.
But after Sunday’s games, the Philadelphia Eagles ascended as the +250 betting favorites to win it all this year. The Bengals are next at +260 while the Chiefs dropped to third at +265 with the San Francisco 49ers completing the cast at +300.
According to the same sportsbook, the Bengals beating the Eagles is the favorite Super Bowl LVII outcome at +475 while Philadelphia defeating Cincinnati is next at +500. The Chiefs beating the Eagles and vice versa are both listed at +600 odds. The Bengals losing to the 49ers is listed at +625 while Cincinnati over San Francisco is at +650 odds.
