The NFL Conference Championships are set to be played out on Monday, and the action concludes from 10.30am as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals. We have you covered with a full preview and betting tips courtesy of Johnny Houston below.
Remember to check back at our NFL Tips page for updates in the lead up to the Super Bowl!
NFL - AFC Conference Championship Betting Tips
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium, Monday 10.30am (AEDT)
What a wild ride it’s been in the AFC so far this season. Early on, the Dolphins looked arguably the pick of the bunch, before the Bills asserted their dominance through the middle of the season. Later in the year, however, the cream rose to the top as the Chiefs and Bengals both had a big run home to lock up two of the top three seeds in the conference.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs will be waiting on bated breath this week as star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is in a race against time to prove fitness for the clash. Mahomes suffered an ankle injury early in divisional round win over the Jaguars on the weekend, and while he did eventually return to the game, the star looked extremely hindered by the injury for the rest of the game, and hobbled over the line as the Chiefs recorded a seven point win.
Unlike previous seasons with Tyreek Hill, Mahomes doesn’t have an abundance of star skill position players to call upon, and had to resort to his safety net tight end Travis Kelce for a large portion of the key plays in the win over the Jags. Kelce had 14 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns in the win. For the majority of the game he went largely unchecked, you’d have to expect that the Bengals will not allow the TE that much leeway this week.
The Chiefs defense has also been a bit of an issue lately. They ranked in the bottom half of the league in total defense throughout the regular season, allowing 21.7 points per game. They also really struggled to close out games in the dominant fashion that we have come to know over the years, going just 6-11 against the spread in the regular season.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals won their last eight games to finish the regular season and have looked dominant in their two playoffs games so far. They allowed a talented Bills offence just 10 points in their divisional round win on the weekend and star quarterback Joe Burrow looks like he has some fantastic continuity with a star studded skill position core at the moment.
The Bengals were 12-4 against the spread in the regular season, which was the 2nd best mark in the league behind only the New York Giants. They were also an extremely impressive 7-2 on the road against the spread, and covered seven of their last nine games to finish the season.
The Bengals have it working on both sides of the ball at the moment, and could be peaking just at the right time of the season, much like they did last year.
Prediction
Love the look of the Bengals here. They start as slight favourites on the road due to the unknown surrounding Patrick Mahomes. I like them at this line and I like them even more if Mahomes is confirmed playing and the line moves back a few points in favour of the Chiefs.
I think Cincinnati have the defense to stop Mahomes, they showed that in the AFC Championship game last season, allowing just 24 points to that star studded cast. Back the Bengals to get into their 2nd Super Bowl in two years.
