Super Bowl 2022: Three consecutive Super Bowl appearances are within reach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Travis Kelce’s overtime touchdown catch put Kansas City ahead against the Buffalo Bills in a wild back-and-forth contest that was won by the Chiefs.
Andy Reid’s team has advanced to its fourth straight AFC Championship Game, where it will face the Cincinnati Bengals. In the last five years, only Cincinnati has been to the Super Bowl out of the four conference championship teams.
For two consecutive seasons, the NFC was represented by the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. The Rams lost to the New England Patriots and the 49ers to the Kansas City Chiefs. Los Angeles must shed a six-game losing streak against the 49ers to return to the Big Game. San Francisco last won the series in Week 18.
From the NFC Championship Game, Sean McVay’s team is the favorite to advance to the Super Bowl, but the 49ers know how to beat the Rams, so they may be the best bet to reach the Super Bowl. Kansas City is the clear favorite for the Super Bowl.
Andy Reid’s team is the established power among the four teams in the championship game. The team has reached this point in each of the last four seasons. In the last two years, Kansas City beat the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills, and lost to the New England Patriots in overtime in 2018. From their extensive experience in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs have a distinct advantage over the Bengals.
At Arrowhead Stadium, the Bengals face a completely different set of circumstances from when they took on Tennessee in the divisional round. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback will not be as careless with the ball as Ryan Tannehill was on Saturday. On three occasions Tannehill was intercepted.
In three appearances in the AFC Championship Game, Mahomes has thrown nine touchdown passes without an interception. Cincinnati’s offense should be able to keep up with the Chiefs if the game starts in a raucous environment. Burrow and Co. could get into a hole that they may not be able to get out of early on. The Bengals are worth a shot at +700 if you believe they can win in Kansas City, but that seems unlikely on paper.
San Francisco is the better team to bet on as an underdog next Sunday. Each of the last three seasons, the 49ers swept the Rams in the regular-season series. In Week 18, Kyle Shanahan’s team used a second-half comeback to win and secure the final wild-card berth in the NFC.
The Los Angeles Rams showed their vulnerability in the second half of the game on Sunday, as they allowed Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to come back from a 24-point deficit. Since the NFC Championship Game is an in-state affair, Stafford and Co. may not hold a home-field advantage inside Sofi Stadium.
With San Francisco fans packing the stands, the Rams might lose the advantage they might have as the home team. There is a sense that Los Angeles is playing with something to prove after its lengthy losing streak to the 49ers and its struggles in the second half.
Garoppolo has more championship game experience than Stafford, but the 49ers will be most successful with their rushing attack. It is possible for the 49ers to set up a rematch with the Chiefs by controlling the line of scrimmage. The people in San Francisco are the more realistic underdogs, and that makes them a better wager than Cincinnati, if you are looking for value in the futures market.
