:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71917554/1459372639.0.jpg "NFL picks: Player prop bets for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes vs. Bengals in AFC Championship")
The Kansas City Chiefs have their sights set on making it back to the Super Bowl as they welcome the Cincinnati Bengals in Sunday's AFC Championship Game. But an ankle sprain suffered last week by Patrick Mahomes has been the hot topic leading up to Sunday's matchup. Regardless, the MVP finalist is set to take the field and with that, we're taking a look at some of the prop bets worth considering for Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes prop bets for AFC Championship Game
While the ankle sprain does provide some cause for concern, make no mistake that Mahomes will take the field Sunday night, which means bet against him at your own risk. This isn't his first rodeo playing after an ankle injury either. Back in Week 2 of the 2019 season, Mahomes threw for 443 yards and four touchdowns against the Raiders despite suffering an ankle injury the week prior.
The Chiefs' quarterback has thrown for two or more touchdowns in five of his last six games, which included last week's win over Jacksonville. Someone has to get the ball to Kansas City's receivers in the end zone, and Mahomes should still have ample opportunities with a Super Bowl trip on the line.
With Andy Reid likely to make the running game a focal point as a means to lighten the load on Mahomes, that should mean fewer opportunities to air it out. We saw this last week when Isiah Pacheco stepped up to finish with 95 rushing yards, including a 39-yard run in the second quarter after Mahomes was clearly hobbled by his injury. Even in spite of the ankle sprain, Cincinnati managed to hold Mahomes under 300 passing yards the last time they met.
Back in Week 13, the Chiefs quarterback threw for 223 yards, and to their credit, the Bengals' defense only allowed 238.3 passing yards per game through the regular season.
With more rushing attempts for Pacheco and the backfield, it should mean fewer chances to drop back in the pocket for Mahomes. Chances are Andy Reid will limit the number of throwing attempts for his franchise quarterback, which in turn should put a cap on his overall completions. Back when these two teams met last, Mahomes had just 16 completions on 27 attempts, and in the regular season, Cincinnati surrendered just 20.4 completions per game to opposing signal-callers.