The Kansas City Chiefs will be back on the main stage Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs (14-5) are in their fourth straight AFC title game and have won 11 of their last 12 games. The lone loss during the Chiefs’ run was in Week 17 against the Bengals (12-7), who used their high-flying passing offense and the home-field advantage to pull off a 34-31 upset as a four-point underdog. Who should you back this week in the 2022 NFL playoffs?
Kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is set for 3 pm ET. Kansas City is a seven-point favorite in the latest Bengals vs. Chiefs odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 54.5. Before making any Chiefs vs. Bengals picks or 2022 NFL Playoffs predictions, be sure to check out what SportsLine NFL expert RJ White has to say.
CBS Sports’ Fantasy and gambling editor, White ended the 2020 season on an 80-59 run on all NFL picks, returning more than $1,400 during that span. It’s no surprise, as White has cashed huge twice in the world’s most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest.
In addition, White has gone an impressive 39-28-2 on his last 69 picks involving the Bengals, bringing a profit of more than $800 for $100 bettors. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has set his sights on Chiefs vs. Bengals, and he just revealed his expert picks and 2022 AFC Championship Game predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see White’s picks. Now, here are several NFL lines for Bengals vs. chiefs:
- Bengals vs. Chiefs spread: Kansas City -7
- Bengals vs. Chiefs over-under: 54.5 points
- Bengals vs. Chiefs money line: Kansas City -360, Cincinnati +285
- CIN: Bengals are 13-7 as road underdogs under coach Zac Taylor (since 2019)
- KC: Chiefs are 7-3 against the spread in the playoffs under Patrick Mahomes (2018)
Featured Game | Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Why the Chiefs can cover
The Chiefs have won eight straight at Arrowhead, and the home team is 5-2 against the spread in the last seven meetings between these teams. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Bills, with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce combining for 246 yards and two TDs. Hill scored a 64-yard TD that triggered the scoring frenzy in the final minutes, while Kelce had a crucial catch on the tying drive and scored the OT winner.
The Chiefs are averaging 37.3 points (best in NFL) over their past seven games, with Mahomes averaging 319.6 passing yards with 20 TDs and two interceptions. The Kansas City defense will make it a point to get Burrow off his game, and while it doesn’t produce a lot of sacks, it gets plenty of pressure. The Bengals’ QB has been taken down 62 times this season, including the NFL playoffs 2022. That’s tied for ninth-most in NFL history. KC has just 31 sacks, but it is sixth in the league in pressures (178) and hurries the throw on 13 percent of dropbacks (third in NFL).
Why the Bengals can cover
Cincinnati is 12-7 against the spread this season, going 5-1 as a road underdog. Quarterback Joe Burrow’s confidence has been growing as the season has progressed. He has 1,563 passing yards in the past four games with 10 TDs and just one interception. That includes a 446-yard performance in a 34-31 win against the Chiefs less than a month ago. Burrow hooked up with Ja’Marr Chase 11 times as the receiver set the NFL rookie record with 266 yards and scored three TDs. The Chiefs’ defense is 27th against the pass and has the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL.
The unit did get to Burrow four times in the previous matchup, but he has been winning despite the heavy pressure. He threw for 348 yards in last week’s 19-16 win against the Titans despite being taken down nine times. With receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, who combined for 141 catches in the regular season, teams can’t put all their focus on Chase. The Cincinnati defense has four takeaways in the two playoff games.
How to make Bengals vs. Chiefs AFC Championship Game picks
White has analyzed this matchup from all angles and is leaning Over on the total point. He also has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side of the Chiefs vs. Bengals spread to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Chiefs vs, Bengals in Sunday’s 2022 AFC Championship Game? And which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see RJ White’s Bengals vs. Chiefs picks and predictions, all from the NFL expert who’s 39-28 on his picks involving Cincinnati, and find out.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism