Every Sunday, they say, and the 2023 NFL playoffs proved just that: Since Super Wild Card Weekend, we’ve seen the Jaguars overcome a 27-point deficit to beat the Chargers, the Giants travel to Minnesota and win a shootout with the Vikings, the 49ers put up with the Cowboys’ pass rush in nail biting, and the Bengals rout the Bills in snowy Buffalo. You never know exactly what you’re going to get, which makes today’s AFC and NFC championships even more enticing.
As we do every week, we’ve rounded up all the best gambling picks and content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get picks against the spread from our experts at CBS Sports and Additional feature content for every game, including plays from SportsLine’s top experts and the SportsLine projection model, our staff’s best bets, survivor picks, and more. Ready? Let’s jump.
Featured Game | Kansas City Chiefs versus Cincinnati Bengals
Weather: Sunday, 6:30pm ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) To open: Chapters -1.5, O/U 48
SportsLine Expert Betting: RJ White is the king of NFL ATS picks, ranking first in that category among SportsLine pundits over the past half-decade, returning more than $2,500 to $100 players. He is also 49-32-2 (+1354) in his last 83 picks involving the Bengals. We can tell you he’s leaning into the total, but you can find his full matchup analysis right here.
Predictions:
“Patrick Mahomes’ mobility will be important against a Bengals defense who have so many moving parts and can blitz from anywhere. They’ve done a great job against him at the end of games the last three times they’ve played. The Jaguars are not the They didn’t go after Mahomes enough after he injured his ankle, but you can bet the Bengals will, even if that’s not the strategy they used to beat him in the title game last year… Burrow seems to appreciate the great moments. he playing well here, while Mahomes’ limited mobility will be at play. Again, this is important and this is why the Bengals are going to their second straight Super Bowl. — Pete Prisco, NFL senior playwright of CBS Sports
“Take the Mahomes situation out of it. Say it’s self. I still see it as a game played around 27-24, with the Bengals taking the lean from me. They have the secret sauce to make Mahomes and Andy Reid look all too much human human. It’s been a struggle for the Chiefs to maintain their offense against this team, and the Bengals beat them in the fourth quarter of all three games they’ve played in the last three years. They did it when it was a must to spy on Mahomes , have him rush and worry about him running 13 yards on third-and-12. Now, they won’t have to worry as much as that out-of-the-pocket, turn-and-run element that has been so vital to the Chiefs offense at these big points.” — NFL insider Jason La Canfora
“If Mahomes isn’t healthy enough to move, that’s going to create a lot of problems for the Chiefs. I mean, he struggled against the Bengals when he’s healthy, so it’s hard to see him do much better when he’s not healthy. The last time we saw Mahomes try to play a big game with an injury it came in Super Bowl LV and we all know how it played out (if you don’t remember how it played out, that’s the Super Bowl where the Chiefs lost to the Buccaneers 31-9 in a game in which Mahomes tossed two predictions and was also sacked three times.) games, the team that won during the regular season went 10-3 in the rematch of the title game. Burrow is 3- 0 against Mahomes. Also, Burrow has never lost in January (7-0), has never lost an away playoff game (3-0) and I think we all know where I’m going with this pick.” — John Breech, CBS Sports NFL writer
“Beyond the Mahomes injury, the Bengals defense shouldn’t be asleep. Yes, Joe Burrow should get his and continue to find success against the Kansas City defense, but his defensive team has a knack for closing he takes it to opponents. This postseason, the Bengals have allowed zero fourth-quarter points. And that’s no fluke. The Bengals are ranked second in the NFL for fewest fourth-quarter points allowed on the year Translation: If you find yourself trailing the Bengals in the fourth quarter, you’re toast. Offensively, I think the Bengals can take advantage of even a mediocre Chiefs defense, which means another strong day from Joe Mixon. The Chiefs allowed 7.6 yards per carry in the divisional round against Jacksonville, which means their center run defense of the Pack has lost its way.” — Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports NFL head writer
