Account
Super Bowl 2022: Initial Vegas Odds With AFC, NFC Championship Games Set
January 24, 2022
The Kansas City Chiefs are one win away from their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
They survived their toughest postseason test to date in a wild back-and-forth contest with the Buffalo Bills that was won by a Travis Kelce touchdown catch in overtime.
Andy Reid's team has now advanced to its fourth straight AFC Championship Game, where it will play the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati is the only one of the four conference championship participants that has not been to the Super Bowl in the last five years.
The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers represented the NFC in back-to-back seasons. The former fell to the New England Patriots at the end of the 2018 season and the latter lost to the Chiefs a year later.
For Los Angeles to return to the NFL showpiece, it needs to shed a six-game losing streak to the 49ers. San Francisco's last win in the series came in Week 18.
Sean McVay's team is favored to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC Championship Game, but the 49ers know how to beat the Rams and that could give them the best value on the Super Bowl futures market.
Super Bowl Odds
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Kansas City (+135; bet $100 to win $135)
Los Angeles Rams (+200)
San Francisco (+450)
Cincinnati (+700)
No one will question Kansas City's status as the Super Bowl favorite.
Reid's team is the established power of the four championship-game participants after reaching this stage in each of the last four seasons.
Kansas City beat the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills in the last two years after falling short in overtime versus the New England Patriots in 2018.
The Chiefs carry an overwhelming edge in experience over the Cincinnati Bengals from their extensive time in the AFC Championship Game.
The Joe Burrow-led Bengals showed no fear on the road against the Titans in the divisional round, but they face a whole different set of circumstances at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes will not be as careless with the ball as Ryan Tannehill, who was intercepted on three occasions on Saturday.
The Kansas City signal-caller also has nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his three AFC Championship Game appearances.
Cincinnati's offense could keep pace with the Chiefs, but that must happen from the start inside a hostile environment. Any offensive slip by Burrow and Co. could put them in an early hole they can't dig out of.
The Bengals are worth a flier at +700 if you believe they can go into Kansas City and win, but that seems unlikely on paper.
San Francisco is the better team to wager on as an underdog next weekend after sweeping the regular-season series with the Rams in each of the last three years.
Kyle Shanahan's team used a second-half comeback to capture a Week 18 victory and secure the final wild-card berth in the NFC.
Los Angeles showed its susceptibility in the second half once again on Sunday, when it allowed Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to work their way back from a 24-point deficit.
Matthew Stafford and Co. may not have a home-field advantage inside Sofi Stadium since the NFC Championship Game is an in-state affair.
San Francisco fans could pack the stands and take away the edge the Rams might have as the home team.
Los Angeles will be playing with something to prove because of the lengthy losing streak to the 49ers and the questions about its second-half struggles.
Jimmy Garoppolo has the advantage over Stafford in championship-game experience, but San Francisco will find the most success with its rushing attack. If the Niners control the line of scrimmage, they could set up a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs.
San Francisco is the more realistic underdog winner and that makes it the better bet than Cincinnati if you are still looking for some value on the futures market.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN).