While the Cincinnati Bengals might be enjoying the underdog role throughout their NFL playoff run this season, they won’t technically be the underdogs when they travel into Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game this weekend. And that’s some pretty historic news.
While the Bengals did open the game as underdogs against the Chiefs in Sunday’s game, the betting market quickly swung in the other direction. After an avalanche of bets on the Bengals for this weekend’s game, the Bengals are now the betting favorite entering this weekend’s contest.
If the betting line stays this way up until the game this weekend, it will be historic. As Pro Football Talk points out, the Chiefs have never been underdogs in the playoffs since drafting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That streak even goes back before Mahomes’ time with the Chiefs as the team has been favored in 14 consecutive postseason games, going back to their last two playoff games with Alex Smith as the starter.
It’s pretty insane news all around, and the NFL world had plenty to say about it.
The Chiefs should take it as a humongous slap in the face that they are underdogs in a home playoff game.
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) January 23, 2023
fun fact: this is the first time the chiefs are home playoff underdogs in 11 years
— Blackthorn461 (@blackthorn461) January 25, 2023
https://twitter.com/KyleFourReal/status/1618293724647403520?s=20&t=08-Hef73ax-eqvXgy6BYvQ
This is the kind of thing that makes me feel like Mahomes is going to will the Chiefs to victory on Sunday. No real analysis on that, just ~vibes~ https://t.co/DLVRHOsEid
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) January 25, 2023
all because he’s hurt and still going to continue to play hurt is baffling that the media is starting to understand his talent is second to none. true humbling dawg that gets hate for no reason lmao, one ankle no ankle let’s get right this sunday 15. https://t.co/pMqiMjfvHH
— 🕷️ (@00Vero) January 25, 2023
The last time the Chiefs were underdogs in a playoff game, the 2015 Divisional Round at New England which is also the last time the Chiefs played a playoff game on the road. God I hate how poverty the rest of the AFC West is. https://t.co/Uszmqz65jb
— BHBets (@BetsBh) January 23, 2023
Of course, much of this comes down to the health of Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a high ankle sprain during Saturday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mahomes did return to last week’s game even despite the injury and everyone seems to expect that he’s going to play this week. But he’ll almost certainly be limited.
But even with Mahomes healthy, the Bengals have been dominant against the Chiefs lately. Cincinnati is a perfect 3-0 against Kansas City with Joe Burrow as the starting quarterback, including a win over the Chiefs in last year’s AFC Championship game.
