America is betting on Joe Burrow to get back to the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will meet in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday for the second consecutive season, but this time around, the circumstances are a bit different.
The Chiefs were favored by 7-point a year ago. This year, Kansas City opened as slim 3-point favorites but the Chiefs have suddenly become underdogs at home in Arrowhead Stadium.
The line has moved dramatically since opening on Sunday evening, moving from -3 to +1 and even +1.5 at some US sportsbooks.
That’s because 80 percent of the public bets have come in on the Bengals so far.
The Bengals are now 1-point FAVORITES over the Chiefs in the AFC Championshippic.twitter.com/0tXAXU08rh
— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) January 23, 2023
Public Betting on Burrow, Bengals In AFC Championship Game
It seems Mahomes’ high ankle sprain in the Divisional Round has already started to move the betting lines in the AFC Championship Game.
According to the top sports betting apps, the money has already started pouring in on the Bengals.
In fact, 80 percent of the public bets have already come in on Cincinnati, which opened at +3 at some sports betting sites. That line has since been adjusted to -1 and eve 1.5 in some places, an indication that the bookmakers aren’t willing to incur too much risk on the Bengals’ second straight Super Bowl appearance.
With Mahomes banged up, there could be some value on the Chiefs as home underdogs in a revenge game.
Remember, Joe Burrow and the Bengals defeated the Chiefs 27-24 in overtime last season to secure a trip to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes Dealing With High Ankle Sprain
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain on Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thankfully for the Chiefs, Mahomes was able to avoid any further damage despite playing through the injury in the Divisional Round.
The star quarterback said that he will play in the AFC Championship rematch versus the Bengals on Sunday.
Normally, a high ankle sprain is an injury that takes 4-6 weeks of recovery time.
However, Mahomes is planning to play through the pain just one week after sustaining the injury.
The public is hoping that injury slows down Mahomes, who will likely bring home his second NFL MVP Award this year.
Of course, the last time Mahomes won the MVP, he led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years in 2019.
