Paul Brown Stadium along the riverfront will be hosting the game of the week in the NFL, as the Cincinnati Bengals will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a huge game for the Cincinnati Bengals. With their huge win over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday, the Bengals overtook Baltimore for the top spot in the AFC North. If the playoff were to start tomorrow, the Bengals would be the #3 seed in the AFC. A win all but assures that the Bengals will have a playoff spot.
As for the Kansas City Chiefs, they’re the hottest team in the league heading into this one. After a 3-4 start in which many were ready to write the Chiefs off, they have won eight in a row, and hold the top spot in the AFC Playoff race. They’ve already clinched the AFC West title for the sixth straight year, and have a great shot at home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. With a win on Sunday and a Tennessee Titans loss, the Chiefs will clinch home-field advantage. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at both teams and how they arrive to this match so you can get all set to place your bets against their NFL odds.
NFL Betting Preview for Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati
Kansas City Chiefs Analysis
Even though Patrick Mahomes and the offense haven’t played up to expectations this season, they’re still playing at a very high level. They are one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, and they’re finding ways to win games. They’ve been missing some key pieces due to Covid protocol over the last couple of weeks, but it looks like the Chiefs will have them back for this one. The status of Clyde Edwards-Helaire is still in question after injuring his shoulder last week, but we doubt that he plays.
One of the main reasons for the Chiefs’ turnaround has been the improved play of their defense. Once the Chiefs acquired Melvin Ingram from Pittsburgh, their defense took off and started to play as they did at the end of last season. They’ll have their hands full with Cincinnati’s strong offense.
Cincinnati Bengals Analysis
As we stated, Cincinnati has a very powerful offense. Joe Burrow is one of the future stars of the league. He’s surrounded with a strong running back in Joe Mixon, and three very good receivers in rookie Ja’Marr Chase, along with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. This group can put up points in a hurry. The offensive line, which can be susceptible to a strong pass rush, will need to keep Burrow upright on Sunday.
Prediction
As for the Bengals’ defense, they’ll need to find ways to slow Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce down. If one of those two has a big day, that could spell doom for Cincinnati. The Bengals defense will need to force Patrick Mahomes to check down and take small gains rather than the big plays that he wants to make.
The Chiefs come into this huge game as a five-point favorite. This is a tough number for bettors. The Chiefs have covered the spread in their last six games, so they have the hot hand. We know that this is a huge game for the Bengals, and they’ll play their best. However, we just don’t see the Bengals beating the Chiefs. Kansas City will win 28-24, but their streak of covers will end.
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