Betting Matchup Preview
Game Details
- Who: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
- When: Sunday, Dec. 4 (Week 13)
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Where: Paycor Stadium (Cincinnati, OH)
Betting Odds Summary
- Spread: Chiefs -1.5 (-110), Bengals +1.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Chiefs (-135), Bengals (+115)
- Total: 52.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Odds and lines from DraftKings are current at the time of writing and subject to change.
The stretch run of the NFL season is here, with the Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) versus the Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) as one of the most high-profile games.
These teams squared off twice in early January of last season. In the regular season game, the Bengals came back from two 14-point deficits to win 34-31 and again in the AFC Championship, 27-24.
Spread, Moneyline, Total: Bengals vs. Chiefs
The point spread in this game is 1.5 points, almost the same as picking who will win the game outright. These are two great teams, and we should expect wall-to-wall action here.
Let’s start by looking at the injury report—the Bengals have two notable names in running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Both players were limited in practice, showing a good sign for them, but Chase, who’s dealing with a hip injury, could see a reduction in snaps.
These teams are nearly identical in terms of total yards allowed per game—the Chiefs allow 335.5, and the Bengals are at just over 328.
Both Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are playing fantastic football. Just look at the numbers.
- Mahomes: 3,585 yards, 29 TDs, 8 INTs, 66.1% competition rate
- Burrow: 3,160 yards, 23 TDs, 8 INTs, 68.2% completion rate
Even on the road, we’ll go with the Chiefs here because the most significant discrepancies are the caliber of the cornerbacks and each team’s passing performances over the last three games.
In that time, the Chiefs averaged 324.3 passing yards, while the Bengals averaged 278.3. The Chiefs averaged more rushing yards (145 to 137) over their past three games.
Looking at the corners, the Bengals will start Eli Apple and Cam Taylor-Britt, each allowing over 13 yards per reception.
In a game with such a slim point spread, you have to look for the minor edges—watch for the Chiefs to take advantage of these Bengals cornerbacks.
If you’d rather pick the outright winner, you can take the Chiefs’ moneyline. You lose some value, but nothing staggering.
Player Prop Bets: Bengals vs. Chiefs
The total in this game is more than 52 points. With a game like this, prop bets are a viable way to wager because you’re looking through the lens of a single player.
Below, we have our favorite prop bet for this game that could be worth a look if you’re interested in this kind of wagering.
- Patrick Mahomes Over 2.5 Passing Touchdowns (+120 at DraftKings)
Any time we see Mahomes with plus-odds in the passing touchdowns category, it’s always worth a look.
We mentioned that the total in this game is high, and a big part of that is the offenses for these teams.
Mahomes is averaging over 325 passing yards per game and has thrown for three touchdowns or more in three of his last five games.
We cited the Bengals’ cornerbacks as a cause for concern above. This should help a receiving group without Mecole Hardman, but it still has Marquez Valdes-Scantling, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney.
Also, we need to mention tight end Travis Kelce, of course—there’s seemingly no one in the NFL that can stop him.
Expect a high-scoring game here, with Mahomes’ passing production helping with that.
Our Same-Game Parlay
A same-game parlay bet allows us to take multiple events from this Bengals-Chiefs game and bet on them at once.
The odds above have been courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, but here we will be using Caesars Sportsbook.
Below is a four-leg SGP wager with total odds of +1100.
- Kansas City Chiefs ML (-135)
- Patrick Mahomes Over 2.5 Passing TDs (+116)
- Joe Burrow Over 2.5 Passing TDs (+159)
- Travis Kelce Any Time TD (-130)
We’ve discussed our choice of the Chiefs here, but we opted for the moneyline. Also, we’ve looked into Mahomes’ 2.5 passing touchdown prop.
Burrow is someone we should also look to in this category. When talking about Chase’s hip, the potential snap reduction is speculation—it’s possible he suits up and plays a full game.
The Chiefs’ starting corners have played relatively well. Still, one of the starters is rookie Trent McDuffie who’s only been back from injury for a short time.
When they play nickel and dime defenses, Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed tends to move into the slot, which could create a mismatch between Chase or Tee Higgins and Chiefs rookie cornerback Joshua Williams.
We expect a high-scoring affair here, with both quarterbacks playing extraordinarily well.
Lastly, Kelce scoring a touchdown falls perfectly in line with the Mahomes prop—he’s his No. 1 option, and Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson will be the primary coverage player. He’s allowing 76.2% of his targets to result in a reception.
Kelce has scored five touchdowns over his last three games and should continue here.
