2022 NFL Playoff Picks: Kansas City Chiefs Look Primed to Beat Buffalo Bills

Eric Uribe
By , Updated on: Jan 21, 2022 12:00 AM
2022 NFL Playoff Picks: Kansas City Chiefs Look Primed to Beat Buffalo Bills

There was a moment in time midway through the 2021 NFL regular season when betting odds for the Super Bowl no longer prominently featured the Kansas City Chiefs. They had dropped below .500, looked out of sorts on both ends of the field and flirted with complete implosion. 

Almost just as quickly as they entered their malaise, though, the Chiefs returned to form. They might have even improved. And as our latest 2022 NFL playoff picks will show, Kansas City looks primed to take down the AFC East-winning Buffalo Bills.

Let's begin by analyzing all the current betting odds on the 2022 NFL playoffs for the Divisional Round taking place on January 22 and 23:

FavoriteBetOnlineBetOnlineUnderdog
Tennessee Titans-171+151Cincinnati Bengals
Green Bay Packers-240+200San Francisco 49ers
Kansas City Chiefs-135+115Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-150+130Los Angeles Rams

Because all 2022 NFL playoff betting odds are subject to shift right until the opening kickoff of each game, you should double-check them for accuracy prior to making your Chiefs vs. Bills betting picks. And while you're at it, we also suggest perusing our reviews of the top online sportsbooks. They remain a one-stop shop for all the best 2022 NFL playoff betting sites.

Chiefs Will Not Falter vs. Bills

It once looked like the Chiefs' offense was broken. Patrick Mahomes was playing like a shell of his MVP self, and defenses were party crashing so many of their big-play attempts, both in the backfield and the secondary. 

That's all over now. The Chiefs have been on a tear since dropping below .500 roughly midway through the regular season. They are easily averaging more than 30 points per game, and what's more, they've now drastically improved their defense by forcing more turnovers and tightening up operations when backed into the red zone.

This isn't to say Kansas City has morphed into the perfect Super Bowl favorite. Their defense continues to have flaws. Most notably, the Chiefs are prone to letting up huge yardage plays in the middle of the field; they are 31st in net yards per rushing attempt from opposing running backs and 26th in net yards allowed per passing attempt from opposing quarterbacks.

Kansas City's weaknesses could be a real problem against a Bills offense piloted by Josh Allen at QB that ranks seventh in total passing touchdowns. To make this even more of a close call, there's Buffalo's passing prevention. The Bills rated as the best defense in the league when it comes to net yards allowed per passing attempt and total passing touchdowns surrendered.

Many will see this matchup as a coin toss—and it might be. But Buffalo is more turnover-prone when running their offense through the air, and the Chiefs finally have the defensive personnel and scheme to capitalize on the one to three noticeable mistakes the Bills will invariably make.

OSB Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs (-135)

Kansas City Chiefs To beat the Buffalo Bills
BetOnline
-135

Kansas City is No-Brainer to Cover Point Spread Against Buffalo

Here are the current point spread betting odds on Chiefs vs. Bills: 

  • Buffalo Bills: +2.5 (-110)
  • Kansas City Chiefs: -2.5 (-110)

A 2.5-point spread is just enough to make us think about favoring Buffalo. After all, given how both of these offenses play, this game could turn into a punch-for-punch shootout. It would surprise absolutely no one if the final score was something like 33-31 or something along those lines.

Ultimately, though, it's just too thin of a margin for the losing side to get our investment. The Chiefs don't exactly play it safe and favor the run after they build leads, preferring instead to run up the score as much as possible through the first three to three-and-a-half quarters. 

And in the event this does turn into a closely contested shootout, we're still banking on the final score being determined by at least a single, solitary field goal.

OSB Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs will cover at -2.5 (-115)

Kansas City Chiefs To cover at -2.5
BetOnline
-110

The Over is Your Friend in Chiefs vs. Bills

Below are the latest over/under betting odds for Packers vs. 49ers: 

  • Over 55: -110
  • Under 55: -110

This should theoretically be the easiest over/under bet you make of the NFL playoffs. 

Together, the Chiefs and Bills combine to score more than 56 points per game on the season. Buffalo's offense did sputter a bit toward the middle of the year, but they scored at least 27 points in all five of their final regular-season games and then proceeded to hang 47 points on the New England Patriots' league-best defense during their Wild Card playoff game.

Cold weather in Kansas City shouldn't impact either of these offenses. The Chiefs are used it. The Bills are used to even worse. If this game finishes with a combined score lower than somewhere between 58 and 62 points, we will be legitimately, genuinely flabbergasted.

OSB Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills will go over 55 points (-110)

Chiefs vs. Bills To go over 55 points
BetOnline
-110

Take a look at this list of the best online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all your 2022 NFL playoff betting:

Meet the author

Eric Uribe

Born and raised in Nevada, Eric was exposed to the world of sports betting at an early age. He yearned to be 21 just to hit the sportsbook, and when that day finally came, he became a regular at the smoke-filled room, sweating out bets with sketchy characters. Eric'...

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