Who is favored to win the NFL AFC Championship game?
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are the two youngest NFL quarterbacks left in the 2021 NFL Playoffs. They are the youngest quarterbacks to meet in an NFL Conference Championship Game since 1979. Patrick Mahomes was the talk all week when it comes to the AFC Championship Game.
With Mahomes dealing with the concussion he suffered during the NFL Divisional Round Playoff game against the Browns, it was unsure whether he would be able to play against Buffalo. Patrick Mahomes cleared the NFL's concussion protocol during the week and will start.
Mahomes isn't just dealing with the concussion. He is dealing with a nagging Turf toe injury that could make him do something that he has never done in his NFL Career. For the first time on Sunday we could potentially see Patrick Mahomes stay in the pocket.
Patrick Mahomes has made his living off of scrambling and extending plays for the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Turf toe has the ability to keep an NFL player from putting pressure on their big toe. With Mahomes' Turf toe needing surgery, we could see him sit in the pocket and throw the football without scrambling around.
If this happens the Buffalo Bills defense will be licking their chops. They will see Patrick Mahomes as an early snack before dinner and gobble him up. Look for the Bills to blitz early and often in hopes to aggravate Patrick Mahomes' Turf toe.
Buffalo knows that if Mahomes is limited then they have a better chance at winning this football game. In the last meeting the Buffalo Bills struggled to stop the Kansas City Chiefs rushing attack. With Patrick Mahomes being limited on his mobility we could see the Chiefs lean on their rushing attack again.
The Chiefs defense will need to make the Buffalo Bills offense turn to their struggling run game. If they let Josh Allen sit back and throw the football he will pick them apart. Kansas City Chiefs need to make Buffalo one dimensional in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
Even with the Chiefs star quarterback nursing a Turf toe injury they are still favored to head to the 2021 NFL Super Bowl. With that in mind lets take a look at the spread, money line, and over/under for the game on Sunday.
NFL AFC Championship Game Spread, Money Line, and Over/Under
Spread: Kansas City Chiefs (-3), Buffalo Bills (+3)
Money Line: Kansas City Chiefs (-150), Buffalo Bills (+130)
Over/Under: 54.4
Against the Spread: Kansas City Chiefs (7-10), Buffalo Bills (12-6)