The Kansas City Chiefs are looking for a repeat, but the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens will stand in their way on Sunday in the 2024 AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs (13-6) held off the Buffalo Bills to notch a 27-24 victory last Sunday to earn their sixth straight trip to the AFC Championship Game. The Ravens (14-4) come in as the AFC’s top seed and pulled away from the Houston Texans for a 34-10 victory last Saturday. Kansas City has won four of the past five meetings between the teams, but the Ravens edged the Chiefs in a 36-35 thriller the last time they met, in Week 2 of the 2021 season in Baltimore.
Sunday’s kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is set for 3 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The latest Ravens vs. Chiefs odds list Baltimore as a 3.5-point favorite, according to the SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 44.5. Before you make any Chiefs vs. Ravens picks, you need to see what proven SportsLine NFL expert Mike Tierney has to say, considering his mastery of picks involving the Ravens.
A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He had a typically strong NFL season in 2022, going 68-54-6 on his picks and returning $815 to $100 players. In addition, he is an amazing 48-19-2 on his last 69 NFL picks in games involving the Ravens, returning a whopping $2,702. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Tierney has broken down Chiefs vs. Ravens and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several NFL odds and betting trends for Ravens vs. Chiefs:
- Ravens vs. Chiefs spread: Baltimore -3.5
- Ravens vs. Chiefs over/under: 44.5 points
- Ravens vs. Chiefs money line: Baltimore -186, Kansas City +154
- KC: Chiefs are 20-10-1 as road underdogs under Andy Reid (since 2013)
- BAL: Ravens are 14-7 ATS in the playoffs under John Harbaugh (since 2008)
- Ravens vs. Chiefs picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Ravens vs. Chiefs live stream: Paramount+ (try for free)
Why Ravens can cover
Baltimore’s defense led the NFL in sacks (60) and takeaways (31) in the regular season and allowed just 16.5 points per game, fewest in the NFL. The likes of Justin Madubuike (13 sacks), Jadeveon Clowney (9.5) and Kyle Van Noy (nine) should make it rough on Patrick Mahomes. Linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen have combined for 291 tackles, five sacks and three takeaways. The Ravens are 12-6 ATS and 10-3 ATS in their past 13 playoff games.
The Ravens also have the league’s No. 1 rushing offense, in large part because of All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson. The 2019 league MVP could earn that honor again after throwing for 3,823 yards and 921 yards, including last week’s game. He threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more as Baltimore outscored the Texans 24-0 in the second half and outrushed Houston 229-38. The defense is also sixth in the NFL against the pass (191 yards per game). See which team to pick here.
Why Chiefs can cover
Kansas City is 11-7-1 ATS this season and is 9-4 ATS in its past 13 playoff games. The Chiefs are well-versed in playing at this stage, while the Ravens are making their first conference title game appearance since 2012. Jackson’s four TDs last week matched his total in his previous four playoff games, and he had seven turnovers in those games. K.C.’s Patrick Mahomes has won 13 playoff games and has topped 340 passing yards in all four showdowns with Jackson.
Mahomes is 3-1 in those meetings and has won five straight playoff games, with 10 TD passes and no interceptions. The two-time league and Super Bowl MVP threw two TD passes to Travis Kelce last week, and the tight end has 146 yards in the two games. Rookie receiver Rashee Rice has 177, and Isaiah Pacheco rushed for 97 last week as K.C. averaged 6.1 yards per carry. The Chiefs allowed 17.3 points per game in the regular season, second-fewest in the league. See which team to pick here.
How to make Chiefs vs. Ravens picks
Tierney has analyzed Ravens vs. Chiefs from every angle and is leaning Under the point total, but he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Chiefs vs. Ravens in Sunday’s 2024 AFC Championship Game, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Ravens vs. Chiefs spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 48-19 on picks involving Baltimore, and find out.
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Author: CBS Sports Staff
January 24, 2024 | 2:05 pm
