EXCLUSIVE: "They are really the team to beat" - Mike Smith picks his AFC favorite ahead of playoffs

The battle for the top seed in the AFC standings has boiled down to a three-horse race between the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Chiefs and the Bills boast a 12-3 record, while the Bengals are right behind them at 11-4. The race for a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs could go down to the wire.

On the latest episode of Sportskeeda's BallFather podcast, former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith chimed in on the battle for supremacy in the AFC and picked the Chiefs due to Patrick Mahomes. He explained:

"I've been all along I've been saying it's the Kansas City Chiefs. And I think the reason that the Chiefs are the best team in the AFC is the quarterback. He's been a lot more consistent than the one in Buffalo, and their defenses are very similar. They're up and down. But I really think that the Chiefs are really the team to beat."

Mahomes has been terrific this season and is the current frontrunner to win the MVP award.

Pat Mahomes, NFL MVP?

The new odds after Jalen Hurts got injured:

🔴 Patrick Mahomes -275
🦅 Jalen Hurts +450 https://t.co/dO2VT9IuHw

The Bengals and Bills will meet at the Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, and Smith believes Buffalo has a chance to prove their doubters wrong:

"This game this week, the Bills and the Bengals, it could be a prequel to the, you know, to the AFC Championship. I'm not going to count that off now. If the Bills win this one, then I think they're definitely going to be a team to be reckoned with in the playoffs. And they'll probably end up in the Championship game."

Chiefs in good position to finish with the best record in AFC

Despite predicting a potential battle between the Bengals and the Bills in the AFC Championship game, Smith is sticking with the Chiefs:

"I'm staying on the Chiefs bandwagon. I am, you know, the quarterbacks more consistent in Kansas City than in Buffalo and you need consistency in the playoffs."

The Chiefs could usurp the Bills in the AFC standings if the Bengals win on Sunday and Kansas City takes care of business against the Las Vegas Raiders. Josh Allen and the Bills cannot afford a slip-up in the final two weeks of the regular season, or they face the proposition of playing road games against the Bengals and the Chiefs on the road to the Super Bowl.

The latest episode of the BallFather podcast will be out soon. If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Sportskeeda.