The Chiefs (-6) are set to welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to Kansas City. NBC has the TV rights and this important Sunday Night Football game gets going at 8:20 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In what could be an AFC playoff preview, Kansas City is labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 6 points. The Bengals are also receiving +180 moneyline odds while the Chiefs are -220. There should be multiple good live betting opportunities in this contest, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 58.5 points.
The line opened at -6. The game’s total hasn’t moved since it was initially set at 58.5.
Each team has been profitable this year as the Bengals have gained 2.0 units and the Chiefs are ahead 4.9 units.
The Bengals have gone 4-2 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Chiefs are 5-1 SU.
The Bengals are looking to get back in stride after a 28-21 defeat to Pittsburgh last week. Andy Dalton completed 26-of-42 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Joe Mixon (64 yards on 11 rush attempts, one TD) provided the ground attack in the loss while A.J. Green (seven receptions, 85 yards) and Tyler Boyd (seven catches, 62 yards, two TDs) handled the receiving duties.
Back in Week 6, New England knocked off this Kansas City crew by a score of 43-40. The Chiefs defense let the Patriots pass for 340 yards while rushing for 173 yards and three scores. Sony Michel had a solid showing in the win, posting 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts for New England. For Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes completed 23-of-36 passes for 352 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Kareem Hunt (80 yards on 10 rush attempts) handled the ground game in the defeat as Tyreek Hill (seven receptions, 142 yards, three TDs) and Hunt (five catches, 105 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps.
Cincinnati’s run the ball on 34.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Kansas City has a rush percentage of 41.9 percent. The Bengals have rushed for 89.8 yards/game and have five scores via handoffs this year. The Chiefs are averaging 112.0 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
The Bengals offense has averaged 279.0 yards through the air overall and has 14 passing TDs so far. The Chiefs have recorded 310.8 pass yards per outing and have 18 total pass scores.
Defensively, Cincinnati appears to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed opponents to run for an average of 117.2 yards and throw for 303.0 yards per game. The Kansas City defense has allowed 357.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 127.8 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Bengals have given up an ANY/A of 6.59 to opposing QBs, while the Chiefs are allowing an ANY/A of 6.87.
Passing-wise, Dalton is up to 1,426 yards this season. He’s connected on 65 percent of his 199 attempts with 13 passing scores and six interceptions. He’s got a 6.39 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 5.94 over the last two games.
Joe Mixon (243 rushing yards, two rush TDs, 77 receiving yards on the year), A.J. Green (382 receiving yards, five receiving TDs) and Tyler Boyd (411 receiving yards, four TDs) have all played big roles recently.
In the other huddle, Patrick Mahomes has managed to complete 113-of-174 passes for 1,552 yards, 18 TDs and two INTs. Mahomes’ ANY/A stands at 10.12 for the year and 7.33 over his past two games.
We also expect the Kansas City offense to utilize a balanced attack this Sunday. Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce have combined for 669 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns the last two outings.
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs Free NFL Tip
SU Winner: Bengals, ATS Winner: Bengals, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Bengals offense has recorded one pass play of 40 yards or more, while the Chiefs have accounted for six such plays.
- The Cincinnati defense has allowed three pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Kansas City has given up four such plays.
- Both teams have produced five rushing plays of 20+ yards. The Cincinnati offense has recorded 18 running plays of 10+ yards while Kansas City has accounted for 13 such plays.
- Both teams have allowed four rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Bengals have given up 19 running plays of 10+ yards while the Chiefs have given up 28 such plays.
- The Kansas City D has registered 17 sacks on the year while Cincinnati has 13.
- As a team, Cincinnati has produced 4.3 yards per carry across its last three outings and 4.2 over its last two.
- Kansas City has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.7 over its past two.
