The AFC has been the dominant conference in football in recent years, with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs leading the charge.
The quarterback gauntlet of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson has made the AFC the conference to watch for football fans.
As we head into the back half of the 2023 NFL season, let’s take a look at the latest AFC Championship odds.
AFC Championship Odds 2023-24
NFL odds used for these best bets are current as of Thursday, Nov. 16, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Kansas City Chiefs (+210)
- Baltimore Ravens (+450)
- Miami Dolphins (+500)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+700)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (+1000)
- Buffalo Bills (+1500)
- Cleveland Browns (+2000)
- Los Angeles Chargers (+3000)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+3000)
- Houston Texans (+4000)
- New York Jets (+8000)
- Indianapolis Colts (+10000)
- Denver Broncos (+15000)
- Las Vegas Raiders (+15000)
- Tennessee Titans (+25000)
- New England Patriots (+50000)
AFC Championship Best Bet
Kansas City Chiefs (+210)
Kansas City hasn’t looked exactly Chiefs-like offensively, yet it has the clearest path to the Super Bowl since it currently sits in the top spot in the AFC, one game clear of Baltimore.
The Chiefs have the tiebreaker over the Dolphins thanks to their 21-14 win in Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 5. They are 4-1 at home this season — their only loss was by one point to the Lions without tight end Travis Kelce and defensive end Chris Jones — and are 13-2 in their past 15 games at Arrowhead.
If KC earns the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, it’ll be awfully tough to beat.
AFC Championship Favorites
Baltimore Ravens (+450)
The Ravens have been the AFC’s clear No. 2 team all season. They are mere percentage points behind the Chiefs for the top seed and have a pair of statement victories over NFC powers Detroit and Seattle.
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Baltimore will have a great opportunity to wrest control of the No. 1 seed from Kansas City. But Lamar Jackson is 1-3 in his career in the playoffs, with a pair of home losses, which could make things problematic even if the Ravens steal the top seed.
Miami Dolphins (+500)
I know, I know. The Dolphins haven’t beaten anyone yet. But winning on the road is tough, and Miami hasn’t had the benefit of home-field advantage for any of its marquee games yet.
The Dolphins will get healthier and could be dangerous if they edge out Baltimore and KC for the No. 1 seed. Their offense is highly dynamic, led by Tua Tagovailoa, and their running game will get a huge boost when De’Von Achane returns from injured reserve.
AFC Championship Contenders
Cincinnati Bengals (+700)
The Bengals have been to the AFC Championship Game in consecutive seasons, and quarterback Joe Burrow won the title game at Arrowhead in 2022.
Cincinnati is dangerous, especially as it lurks within striking distance of the AFC North crown or a wild-card berth.
The Bengals have not left themselves much margin for error due to their 1-3 start. However, Cincinnati clearly is comfortable playing on the road in January based on its 3-1 record in such situations over the past two seasons.
Buffalo Bills (+1500)
Buffalo is down bad and may have a hard time making the playoffs at this point. But it still has a highly dynamic offense, spearheaded by perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen, and an electric defense, too.
The Bills currently sit outside the postseason field and close with an extremely difficult slate. But with Buffalo’s talent and experience winning in hostile environments like Arrowhead, an upstart Super Bowl run can’t be counted out.
AFC Championship Sleepers
Cleveland Browns (+2000)
The Deshaun Watson shoulder-surgery news is devastating for the Browns’ chances, and there’s a non-zero chance the organization is actually cursed since Watson and No. 1 running back Nick Chubb are out for the year due to injury.
- Wager on NFC futures with our latest NFC Championship odds.
But Cleveland has a Super Bowl-caliber defense and a top-two rushing attack, which traditionally travels well in the postseason. This has already been true in the regular season since Cleveland is 2-1 in games where P.J. Walker plays at least 50% of QB snaps despite the fact he is averaging 206 passing yards in those games and has a 1-5 TD-INT ratio — though rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will initially get a shot as starter in Watson’s absence.
The Browns have famously never made the Super Bowl and have just one playoff win in the past 25 seasons. But they’ve already knocked off Cincinnati and San Francisco and won in Baltimore, making them a solid AFC sleeper.
New York Jets (+8000)
The Jets have fallen on hard times, especially on offense. But if, and this is an extremely large if, Aaron Rodgers can somehow return from an Achilles tear before the end of the regular season, New York will have all the pieces to win the AFC.
Rodgers makes it sound like a foregone conclusion that he’ll be back, though history begs to differ. But at these odds — a $10 bet will pay out $810 if New York reaches the Super Bowl — and with New York’s otherworldly defense, it’s surely worth a sprinkle.
Previous AFC Championship Winners
2022: Kansas City Chiefs
2021: Cincinnati Bengals
2020: Kansas City Chiefs
2019: Kansas City Chiefs
2018: New England Patriots
2017: New England Patriots
2016: New England Patriots
2015: Denver Broncos
2014: New England Patriots
2013: Denver Broncos