AFC WILD CARD CHEAT SHEET, ODDS, TRENDS

Kevin Rogers Sports Betting Expert

5 minute read

The road to the AFC Championship will begin next weekend in the Wild Card Round as six teams will look to advance to the NFL Divisional Playoff Round.

Seeds two through four are the division winners while five, six and seven are the Wild Card teams. The first Wild Card game is set for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 and conclude on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022.

AFC PLAYOFF BRACKET AND MATCHUPS

• 1 Seed - Tennessee (First Round Bye)
• 2 Kansas City vs. 7 Pittsburgh
• 3 Buffalo vs. 6 New England
• 4 Cincinnati vs. 5 Las Vegas

ODDS TO WIN AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

• Kansas City Chiefs +200
• Tennessee Titans +340
• Buffalo Bills +360
• Cincinnati Bengals +900
• New England Patriots +900
• Las Vegas Raiders +2000
• Pittsburgh Steelers +2200

Odds per (Subject to Change)

MATCHUP - KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

• Date: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022
• Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
• Location: Kansas City, Mo.
• TV-Time: NBC, 8:15 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: CHIEFS -13.5, ML -650, O/U 47.5 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Steelers were blasted 36-10 in Week 16 as 10.5-point underdogs at Arrowhead as the OVER (44.5) connected. Pittsburgh bounced back, however, winning two straight as an underdog to get into the playoffs, sweating out a potential tie by the Los Angeles Chargers-Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night in Week 18.

These teams met in the AFC Divisional Playoffs back on Jan. 15, 2017, with the Steelers coming away with an 18-16 victory as 2.5-point underdogs as the UNDER cashed. Of course, that was well before QB Patrick Mahomes' time with the team, as QB Alex Smith was starting that afternoon against QB Ben Roethlisberger. 

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Chiefs roll into the playoffs with victories in nine of the past 10 games overall, while going 6-2 ATS in the past eight games. The Chiefs won each of their home playoff games last season against the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills, going 1-1 ATS while also splitting the OVER-UNDER before a disappointing 31-9 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 7, 2021. Prior that, the Chiefs were 3-0 SU/ATS in their run to the Super Bowl championship in Feb. 2020.

The Steelers were shown the door at home by the rival Cleveland Browns in the AFC wild-card last season, losing 48-37 as a five-point favorite as the OVER connected. Prior to that, the Steelers were one-and-done in the playoffs during the 2017-18, losing a shootout to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 45-42 on Jan. 14, 2018. They're 0-3 SU/ATS in the past three playoff games since an 18-16 win on Jan. 15, 2017 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at, you guessed it, Kansas City.

MATCHUP - BUFFALO BILLS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
• Venue: Highmark Stadium
• Location: Orchard Park, NY.
• TV-Time: CBS, 8:15 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: BILLS -4.5, ML -200, O/U 43.5 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These AFC East rivals met twice just since Dec. 6. Who could forget that blustery, icy, windy and snowy day in western New York on Monday night in Week 13. The Patriots attempted just three total passes, winning 14-10 in a defensive slog. The teams met again in Week 16, with the Bills exacting revenge in Foxboro by a 33-21 count as the OVER hit. The underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the previous seven meetings in this series..

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Bills ended their playoff run last season in Kansas City, falling 38-24 in the AFC Championship Game. They topped the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC wild-card game, winning 27-24 as 7-point favorites, before topping the Baltimore Ravens 17-3 as 2.5-point favorites. The OVER was 2-1 in the three playoff games last season.

After an off season by their standards in 2020, the first in the post-Tom Brady Era, the six-time Super Bowl champion Patriots are back in the postseason. The last time the Patriots were in the postseason was Jan. 4, 2020, Brady's last game in a Patriots uniform. That was a 20-13 loss at home against the Tennessee Titans as the UNDER cashed. Prior to that, the Patriots won the Super on Feb. 3, 2019, topping the Los Angeles Rams 13-3. The Pats were 3-0 ATS that season, and New England is 7-3 ATS across the past 10 postseason games.

MATCHUP - CINCINNATI BENGALS VS. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

• Date: Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022
• Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
• Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
• TV-Time: NBC, 4:30 p.m. ET

OPENING LINE: BENGALS -6.5, ML -275, O/U 48.5 (-110)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Bengals made quick work of the Raiders in a Week 11 game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, blasting the Silver and Black 32-13 as 2.5-point favorites as the UNDER connected, now they get the Raiders at home at Paul Brown Stadium. Prior to that, these met in Oakland on Nov. 17, 2019, with the Raiders winning 17-10 while the Bengals cashed as 13-point underdogs with the UNDER connecting. The last win by the Bengals in this series was Dec. 16, 2018, a 30-16 win as three-point favorites as the total pushed.

PLAYOFF NOTES

The Bengals are back in the postseason for the first time since Jan. 9, 2016, an 18-16 loss at home in the AFC wild-card round to push as a two-point underdog at most shops. The UNDER (45.5) easily cashed that day, too. Prior to that, the Bengals were dumped 26-10 as 3.5-point underdogs as the UNDER cashed on Jan. 4, 2015 in the wild-card round. It sounds like a recording, but the Bengals lost to then-San Diego Chargers in a wild-card home game as 6.5-point favorites as the UNDER hit on Jan. 5, 2014. And before that, on Jan. 5, 2013, the Bengals were dumped in Houston in the wild-card round 19-13 as the UNDER cashed again. In fact, the Bengals are 0-7 SU/1-6 ATS in the previous seven playoff games for Cincinnati since its last win in the postseason Jan. 6, 1991 against the then-Houston Oilers at Riverfront Stadium.

The Raiders are back in the playoffs for the first time since Jan. 7, 2017, a 27-14 loss at Houston as four-point underdogs as the OVER (38) connected. Raiders QB Connor Cook started that day, as QB Derek Carr was out with a broken ankle. The team's last playoff win was during the 2002 playoffs, a 41-24 win against the Tennessee Titans in Oakland in the AFC Championship, prior to losing the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-21.

Where to place a bet this NFL Season?

• Use our exclusive BetMGM Bonus Code VIBONUS1500 to unlock BetMGM’s welcome offer for new sportsbook users!
• Compare the latest NFL Odds from the best sportsbooks before placing a bet on this week's games.
• Check out the North Carolina Sportsbooks just before they launch legal online sports betting.

Kevin Rogers

Kevin has been handicapping professionally since 2007 at VegasInsider before shifting to ScoresAndOdds. He focuses on MLB, NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, and NHL and mainly uses trends, systems, and situations as his top handicapping angles. More from Kevin Rogers