An AFC matchup between a pair of teams with bad blood will kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend as the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Join us for our NFL odds series where our Bengals-Chiefs prediction and pick will be made.
Although the Bengals hit a slight bump in the road with a disheartening 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, there is no question that Cincinnati is still well alive in the AFC playoff race. Entering play with an 8-7 record and wins in three of their last four games overall, do the Bengals still have some magic left in them to avenge last year's AFC Championship to these same Chiefs?
To say the Grinch came and stole Christmas in the KC metro area is an understatement. While Kansas City may be the reigning Super Bowl champs for at least the next month, there is something seriously wrong. In shocking fashion, a team that was once 6-1 has now dropped three of their last five games including an infuriating and unacceptable home division loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day. With plenty of contenders in and around the AFC this season, could the Chiefs be in serious trouble come playoff time?
Here are the Bengals-Chiefs NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFL Odds: Bengals-Chiefs Odds
Cincinnati Bengals: +6.5 (-110)
Kansas City Chiefs: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 43.5 (-115)
Under: 43.5 (-105)
How to Watch Bengals vs. Chiefs Week 17
Time: 5:25 ET/2:25 PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial), NFL Sunday Ticket if out-of-market
Why The Bengals Could Cover The Spread
As soon as Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending wrist injury, few analysts, fans, and overall “experts” of the game figured that the Bengals would be in the playoff picture with only two weeks to go. Think again!
In what is most likely a must-win game for a Bengals squad that has found themselves sandwiched with the rest of the playoff contending teams of the AFC, Cincinnati surely can't have a repeat of last week's performance. Simply put, not a whole lot went right for the Bengals, as backup signal caller Jake Browning could not take care of the football on his way to three interceptions as the offense was stymied by Pittsburg's defense all night long. To make matters worse, the Bengals defense seemed to have more holes in it than a dam made out of Swiss Cheese.
Regardless of last weekend's shortcoming, the Bengals are still in excellent position to clinch a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. In order to find a way to cover the spread and ultimately come out victorious, it is no question that Cincinnati will need to find a way to slow down the KC passing attack.
Not only are the Bengals allowing the fifth-most passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, but they also give up the second-most total yards that the league has to offer. Unfortunately, Cincy's playoff chase will be all for not if they can't get pressure on Mahomes while consistently jamming KC's wideouts at the line of scrimmage to disrupt their routes.
Why The Chiefs Could Cover The Spread
Evidently enough, KC lacks explosive playmakers in the passing game and they are paying for it. A season ago, the Chiefs were able to replace the speedy Tyreek Hill with a similar average receiving core and even was able to take home their second Lombardi Trophy in the Reid-Mahomes era. However, that same formula has not caught on in 2023, and one could make the case that the Chiefs have the worst wide receiving room that the NFL has to offer. Even the great Patrick Mahomes hasn't looked like his usually self and committed a slew of mistakes in the loss to the Raiders.
Obviously, something needs too change in a hurry, and the Chiefs could start by getting the ground game. Against Las Vegas, it was Mahomes that was KC's leading rusher with 53 yards on ten carries. While it is nice to see your quarterback able to navigate the pocket and pick up yards with his legs when need be, it is difficult to win a majority of your games when your running backs fail to get anything going. Alas, KC's main
Fortunately, the Chiefs still happen to have one of the better defenses that they've had since head coach Andy Reid took over back in 2013. After surrendering only 205 yards against the Raiders, a repeated effort as well as forcing some turnovers could be just what the doctor ordered to get the Chiefs desperately back in the win column.
Final Bengals-Chiefs Prediction & Pick
Despite Kansas City not looking like themselves for quite some time now, it is hard to imagine that they'll fall flat again. However, this Bengals team are no pushovers to say the least, and they'll be playing just as desperate as the Chiefs will. Until Kansas City can prove that they are the Chiefs of old, it is difficult to find them very trustworthy.
Final Bengals-Chiefs Prediction & Pick: Bengals +6.5 (-110)
Follow Us
Subscribe
