Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season includes a Sunday afternoon showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Times are dire for both teams these days, so to say that this game is crucial would be an understatement. Cincinnati (8-7) absolutely has to have it for its playoff hopes, while Kansas City (9-6) has not yet wrapped up the AFC West title or even a wild-card berth.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which kick off at 4:25 pm ET on CBS. Also be sure to check out our full Bengals vs Chiefs predictions.
Chiefs -6.5 (-110)
Travis Kelce to score a touchdown (+115)
Joe Mixon to score a touchdown (+170)
Parlay odds: +1089
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce finding the endzone would obviously work well with a big win by Kansas City. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon to score a touchdown. But even if he does, there is no reason why the Chiefs can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Chiefs -6.5 (-110)
It is true that these aren’t the Chiefs of old. However, it’s not like we are picking them to win the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon; we just need them to beat the Bengals by a touchdown. That shouldn’t be too much to ask. Cincinnati has done well to stay afloat in the AFC playoff picture following Joe Burrow’s season-ending injury, but this team is by no means anything special. Its recent 3-game winning streak came against opponents who all could miss the playoffs, and the streak ended with a resounding thud last week in the form of a 34-11 setback at the hands of a mediocre Pittsburgh squad. Backup QB Jake Browning has been a nice story, but he has been picked off 5 times in the last 3 contests – including 3 times by the Steelers. This shapes up to be a nice get-right spot for Kansas City in front of the home crowd.
Travis Kelce to score a touchdown (+115)
Off the field, 2023 has been a smashing success for Kelce. On the field, the story has been a fair bit different for both him and his team. The veteran tight end has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in only 2 games and has gone 5 consecutive contests without a touchdown. On the bright side, Kelce did score 5 TDs prior to this cold spell. I don’t really like the “he’s due” argument, but…well…he’s due! An even better argument for Kelce putting up 6 points on Sunday is that he is facing a Cincinnati squad that stinks at defending opponents’ TEs. In fact, the Bengals have given up the second-most fantasy points to tight ends this year. Patrick Mahomes will be eager to get back on track this weekend and in that effort he should eye his favorite target early and often – especially in the red zone.
Joe Mixon to score a touchdown (+170)
In what has been a somewhat tumultuous 2023 campaign for Cincinnati, Mixon has been the constant. He has already gone way over 1,000 yards from scrimmage to go along with 9 touchdowns (8 rushing, 1 receiving). Eight of his 9 scores have come in the last 9 games, so he really is on fire at the moment. Mixon has scored 4 TDs in the last 4. As for Kansas City’s run defense, it is overrated. It allows the fifth-most rushing yards per attempt at 4.6. With Browning having cooled off, the Bengals will be sure to give Mixon a ton of work on Sunday and he should be able to parlay those chances into a touchdown.
