AFC Championship Betting Odds: The Bills' Hot Stretch Can't Be Ignored

The AFC has produced some seriously dangerous football teams this season. Three of the four teams left standing in the conference rank inside the top four teams leaguewide in current Super Bowl odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, illustrating just how strong their half of the NFL was in 2023. While the San Francisco 49ers (+175) look down on the rest of their conference, any one of the AFC's remaining contenders has a legitimate shot at a title this season.

If you're interested in the fate of the AFC, consider placing a bet on whichever team you believe can rise above its peers and claim the AFC Champion title. Each of the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans earned their spot in this weekend's Divisional Round, and each of them would make for a fine AFC Champion in two weeks' time.

All NFL odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Lines may change after this article is published.

AFC Championship Winner Betting Odds

AFC Championship Winner Analysis

Baltimore Ravens (+115)

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the AFC's top-seeded team carries the strongest odds of taking home the AFC Champion title. The Ravens surged to 13 wins in the regular season by barely dropping a trio of losses (including a Week 18 game in which they rested a significant number of their starters). They're heavy 9.5-point favorites for their upcoming Divisional Round game against the Texans, giving them the "easiest" path to the AFC Championship Game two weeks from now.

The Ravens boasted the league's best defense this season, shutting down elite offenses throughout the year. Over a three-week span at the end of the season, they surrendered just 45 total points to the 49ers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Miami Dolphins while hanging 112 points on those teams' defenses. No team allowed fewer points this year (280), no team sacked opposing quarterbacks more (60), and no team created more turnovers (31) than the Ravens did this year. Their defense is terrifying.

It's possible their defense alone could have earned them the top seed in the AFC, but they've had serious support from the offense, as well. Under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, soon-to-be two-time MVP Lamar Jackson set a career-high in passing yards while ranking third in the NFL in adjusted yards per attempt (8.4 yards). His offense even appeared to take a huge leap forward after their late Week 13 bye; Jackson's offense averaged an insane 37.25 points per game in his last four starts of the season.

Each remaining team in the AFC has a shot to take the conference crown, but the Ravens sure seem like they have the inside track to winning it.

Buffalo Bills (+220)

The Bills have been knocking on the door to an AFC Championship title in each season since quarterback Josh Allen's ascent to stardom. Gatekeepers -- primarily the Chiefs -- have kept them from advancing past the conference finals, but these playoffs could be Buffalo's chance for revenge.

While the Chiefs claimed victory over the Bills in back-to-back playoffs, they did so at Arrowhead Stadium. This time around, the Bills will be the team with the home field advantage. Their Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers wasn't quite as crisp as fans might have hoped, but a win is a win -- especially in the playoffs.

Allen's ability to put points on the board regardless of his opponents' defense could give his team the edge in this one. According to numberFire's schedule-adjusted metrics, the Bills' offense ranked third-best in the NFL this season. They scored 80 more points than the Chiefs did during the regular season and even claimed victory over Kansas City earlier in the year.

Buffalo was not the most consistent team this year. They fell to the lowly New England Patriots and narrowly avoided losses teams like the New York Giants and Justin Herbert-less Los Angeles Chargers. But, they rose to the occasion when it counted, recording a 5-1 record against playoff teams. They have as good a shot as anyone to claim the conference title.

Kansas City Chiefs (+330)

When you live in the Patrick Mahomes era, it's hard to find a reason to bet against the Chiefs.

After their Wild Card Round win over the Dolphins this past weekend, the team has now won at least one playoff game in each season since Mahomes took over the starting job back in 2018. His reign has already produced two Super Bowl wins, a Super Bowl loss, and a pair of losses in the AFC Championship Game.

This Chiefs team is a little different, though. As opposed to the offensive juggernauts we've seen them be in past seasons, this iteration of the Chiefs has relied on an elite defense to shut down their opponents while counting on Mahomes to make just enough something out of nothing on the offensive side of things. It hasn't been as pretty as we've been used to, but Kansas City still coasted to its eighth-straight AFC West title using that strategy.

That strategy couldn't quite earn them a win over the Bills earlier this season, which likely factors into their current status as 2.5-point road underdogs for their upcoming Divisional Round matchup with the Bills. However, they did seem to finally lean into utilizing rookie receiver Rashee Rice as their top playmaker in their Wild Card win over Miami, which could be a sign of better things to come for their offense. The yards-after-catch menace, whose 8.3 YAC per reception trailed only Deebo Samuel at the receiver position, caught 8 of 12 targets last Saturday on his way to producing 130 yards and a score for his team.

Houston Texans (+1300)

The road ahead looks pretty rocky for the Texans, who will be tasked with taking on the AFC's top seed this coming Saturday. They're the clear underdogs for the AFC crown, which their +1300 odds reflect. But, they're not the kind of underdog that can just be counted out.

The Texans' young team is rounding into form, with rookies C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. leading the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, respectively, and first-time head coach DeMeco Ryans steering the ship. They came into the playoffs with a fantastic plan for taking down the Cleveland Browns and executed on it, dismantling that team in a 45-14 blowout. They were able to take advantage of some real flaws in Cleveland's roster but will struggle to find flaws in any of their remaining opponents this season.

Rather than talk about the ways in which these underdogs are, in fact, underdogs, let's instead focus on what gives them a path to victory -- Stroud's elite play. The rookie played top notch ball straight out of the gates this year, leading the league in passing yards per game (273.9) while leading an offense that committed the fewest turnovers (14) in the NFL. He accomplished those feats without much help from Houston's rushing attack (ranked fourth-worst in numberFire's rankings) while dealing with an offense that committed the fourth-most penalties (114). It's already feeling safe to say that he's elite.

That kind of quarterback play makes his team a tough out for the Texans' opponents, regardless of the quality of their defenses. So, even if he needs to take on and defeat two of numberFire's top-six defenses from the season to claim an AFC Conference Championship title, he seems capable of doing that.

If you're betting on any of Saturday, January 20th's NFL playoff action, you can take advantage of FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL Playoffs No-Sweat Same Game Parlay. Check the promotions page for more information.

Looking for the latest NFL odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NFL betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.