What Should Bettors Know for the AFC Championship Game Weather in Kansas City?
By Jon Helmkamp
Have you caught your breath yet from the absolutely absurdity that was the ending of the Chiefs and the Bills game on Sunday night? Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen went blow-for-blow in what is literally one of the greatest games in NFL history. This week, the Chiefs will host the Bengals in the AFC Championship game, and the weather might play a factor.
The Weather Forecast is 43 degrees and Sunny
I bet you didn’t see that coming in a story about weather, did you? No, this is not going to be one of those absurdly cold games, or a game with horrible wind and snow. It’s going to be relatively pleasant for an outdoor game this time of year, which is notable.
There have only been two conference championship games in the history of the NFL that match the following criteria: Total OVER 54 points, with a temperature greater than 40 degrees at kickoff. Those two games were when the Broncos hosted the Patriots in 2013, and when the Chiefs hosted the Bills last year.
The home team won and covered in both of those games. The Chiefs are currently -7 at home against the Bengals.
I know, it’s a small sample size, but it’s still worth noting.
The Chiefs are Heavy Favorites
One thing worth noting here: The Broncos were -5 in the above game, and the Chiefs were -3. To be fair, they did both skunk the opposing teams by double digits, but the Chiefs are favored by a full 7 points right now. Against a high-powered offense like the Bengals, that’s a tall ask.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals are 7-3 against the spread as underdogs this year. With Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon, this young and powerful offense has the firepower to hang with the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball.
Since the halfway point of the season, the Bengals rank 18th in Dropback EPA to opposing quarterbacks. The Chiefs rank 9th.
Burrow was sacked nine times last week and they still somehow won. With the way Mahomes is playing, the offensive line is going to have to keep Burrow upright long enough for him to have a chance to trade punches with the Chiefs, which could be a tall task.