Bengals vs. Chiefs 2022 AFC Championship Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • January 26, 2022

When the 2021 NFL regular season kicked off, the Cincinnati Bengals were one of the longest shots in the league to reach Super Bowl 56, but now Joe Burrow & Co. are just one win away as they visit the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. The Chiefs are the first team to host four straight conference title games.

It might surprise you to know that the Bengals are 2-0 all-time in AFC title games but this is their first time playing in one since following the 1988 season. Kansas City is 2-1 in the previous three AFC title games at Arrowhead. It beat Buffalo 38-24 last year, beat Tennessee 35-24 two years ago and lost 37-31 in overtime to Tom Brady and the Patriots following the 2018 season. That remains the only home playoff loss in Patrick Mahomes’ career.

Kansas City visited Cincinnati in Week 17 and lost a thriller, 34-31. Evan McPherson made a 20-yard field goal as time expired and the Bengals rallied from multiple 14-point deficits. That clinched the AFC North for the Bengals and basically made their Week 18 game meaningless. Rookie Cincinnati wideout Ja’Marr Chase had a franchise-record 266 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 11 catches, and Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores. Mahomes was 26 for 35 for 259 yards and threw touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson.

NitroBetting presents a comprehensive preview of the Bengals vs. Chiefs game down below. Find event details, team and player stats, the latest NFL betting odds, trends, and predictions.

Bengals vs. Chiefs Game Information

When: Sunday, January 30, 2022, 3:00 PM ET
Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City Chiefs, MO
TV: CBS
Radio: WLW-AM 700 (Bengals) / 106.5 The Wolf WDAF-FM (Chiefs)
Live Stream: NFL Network, NFL League Pass
NFL Odds: Bengals (+7) / Chiefs (-7)

Why Bet on the Cincinnati Bengals?

The Bengals really had no right winning last weekend at Tennessee with Burrow sacked a NFL-playoff-record-tying nine times, but they did in large part because Ryan Tannehill threw three picks for the Titans, including one with 20 seconds left that led to McPherson’s 52-yard field goal as time expired. The rookie hit all four of his field goal tries against Tennessee, including a 54-yarder with 1:35 to go in the first half. McPherson led the league in field goals of 50 yards or more (nine) this season, and he became just the second rookie kicker since 2000 to boot two 50-plus yard field goals in a single playoff game, joining Tyler Bass of the Bills.

If Cincinnati doesn’t improve pass protection this week, it’s going to be a slaughter. Poor offensive line play has been a recurring theme in Cincinnati this season, and if it weren’t for a dominant rookie year from Chase, the decision to target a receiver instead of an elite offensive lineman at No. 5 overall in the first round of the 2021 draft would look highly questionable.

When Burrow was able to get the ball off vs. the Titans, he recorded an 85.3% adjusted completion rate, but his average depth was just 4.2 yards. Burrow targeted Tee Higgins the most, as he led Cincinnati’s receivers with nine targets. He finished with seven receptions for 96 receiving yards. Chase accrued five catches for 109 receiving yards — 94 of which came after the catch.

Why Bet on the Kansas City Chiefs?

The Chiefs beat the Bills 42-36 in overtime in one of the great games in NFL history with 25 points scored in the final two minutes of regulation. The game was the first in playoff history with four go-ahead touchdowns in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter/overtime and second of all games in the Super Bowl era (Vikings-Ravens in 2013).

Kansas City looked dead down a field goal at its own 35 with 13 seconds left but two quick Mahomes completions s – a 19-yard completion to wide receiver Tyreek Hill and a 25-yard strike to tight end Travis Kelce – got KC into field position. Harrison Butker hit the 49-yarder to force OT. The Chiefs won the coin toss in OT and drove right down the field for the winning score.

In the last two minutes of regulation and overtime, Mahomes completed 10-of-13 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes now owns the NFL record for touchdown passes (25) through a player’s first 10 postseason games. Kansas City was the fifth team in league history to tally 550+ yards of offense and 30+ first downs in a postseason game. In addition, the Chiefs were 8-of-13 on third down, didn’t turn it over and were penalized just once offensively.

Bengals vs. Chiefs Betting Trends

Cincinnati are 6-0 ATS in the last 6 games.
Cincinnati are 5-1 SU in the last 6 games.
The total went under in 5 of Cincinnati’s last 7 games.
Kansas City are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games.
Kansas City are 11-1 SU in the last 12 games.
The total went over in 7 of Kansas City’s last 7 games.

Bengals vs. Chiefs Expert Betting Predictions

2022 AFC Championship Pick: Chiefs cover (alt line of -6.5)

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*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.