Bengals vs. Chiefs: AFC Championship 2023 Odds and Over/Under Predictions

The NFL has mostly been known as a quarterback-driven league, and for good reason.

Need proof? Check out the top four names on the leaderboard in the odds for the Super Bowl LVII MVP—all of them are quarterbacks.

So, it's no surprise that all eyes will be on this weekend's AFC Championship Game, which will feature two top-tier signal-callers in Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes.

This Sunday, for the second year in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium, and if last season's AFC showdown is any indication, this will be another one for the books.

The only rub is that Mahomes will be nursing a high ankle sprain, so there's some trepidation as to how well he'll perform through pain.

That's one of the main reasons why the oddsmakers have Cincy as the 1.5-point favorite to get the win.

The last three times these two teams have played against each other, the Bengals came out on top.

Can they make it four in a row?

Or will Mahomes be able to shrug off his status as an underdog for the first time in 13 postseason games to get the Chiefs to Glendale, Arizona?

Here's the latest odds, the over/under and a prediction for the 2023 AFC Championship Game.

Game Info and Odds

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 04: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansa City Chiefs against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Date: Sunday, January 29

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV and Live Stream: CBS, Paramount+

Moneyline: Bengals +110 (bet $100 to win $110), Chiefs -130 (bet $130 to win $100)

Line: Bengals -1.5

Over/Under: 46.5

*Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Preview and Prediction

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 04: Ja'Marr Chase #1 of the Cincinnati Bengals leaps over Juan Thornhill #22 of the Kansas City Chiefs in the second quarter at Paycor Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Obviously, it's just a coincidence that Cincinnati has won its last two meetings with Kansas City with the same exact score of 27-24.

But as unusual as that is, that score is also telling.

Somehow, the Bengals seem to have the upper hand over the Chiefs, especially when the score is close, whether it's at home or on the road.

That's a critical distinction for Cincy as it gets ready to go into Arrowhead Stadium, one of the most hostile crowds in the NFL for opposing teams, to try to repeat last year's win in the AFC Championship Game.

On paper, that should be a lot easier than last season.

Tyreek Hill is long gone, and Mahomes is hobbled.

That means the pressure is on Travis Kelce and Kansas City's medical staff.

Meanwhile, the Bengals finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak and have pushed that total to 10 capped off with their 27-10 win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, so they have officially put the league on notice that they are a legitimate threat to win Super Bowl LVII.

It's almost a headscratcher to think of Mahomes, the presumptive 2023 AP Most Valuable Player, as an underdog, but there he is.

Even if he can push through and deliver a signature Mahomes performance, this Cincinnati team looks like its on a mission to get back to the big game they lost 23-20 to the Los Angeles Rams to try for redemption.

Expect Burrow to air it out and for Ja'Marr Chase to make big plays.

Kelce will likely do Kelce things, and Mahomes will put up a valiant fight, but in the end, it will be the Bengals moving on.

Prediction: Bengals 30, Chiefs 27