2022 Pro Bowl betting picks & top odds | Sunday, Feburary 06

The AFC will be looking for a fifth straight Pro Bowl win this Sunday when they take on the NFC in the latest edition of the Pro Bowl. This year’s event will take place in Las Vegas for the first time at Allegiant Stadium.

AFC (-1.5) vs. NFC (+1.5) betting tips

In an attempt to liven up the Pro Bowl and make it a more competitive contest, the NFL moved away from the AFC vs. NFC format in 2013 and instead let NFL greats Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders draft teams. This “fantasy draft” style Pro Bowl lasted for three seasons before the NFL switched back to the classic AFC vs. NFC format in 2016. And since then, the AFC hasn’t lost, reeling off four straight wins to take a 25-22 edge in the all-time record department over the NFC.

The AFC’s recent success likely has a lot to do with the early surge of betting action on them, which has driven the Pro Bowl line from its opener as a pick’em to its current spot with the AFC as a 1.5-point favorite with the online betting sites.

As you’d expect from an all-star game, both teams are loaded with elite talent. The AFC will boast a quarterback trio of Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes and Mac Jones (who is replacing Lamar Jackson) and a running back trio of Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb and Najee Harris (who is replacing Joe Mixon). The NFC’s quarterbacks are Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson (with Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady both opting out) and the running back core features Dalvin Cook, James Conner and Alvin Kamara.

There isn’t much to handicap when it comes to the Pro Bowl, so bettors that have a favorite NFL team or player they want to root for can do no wrong betting on the side that features that team or player. But there are a few reasons to like the AFC here. Mahomes and Herbert should both thrive in the all-star format, and Mahomes (along with the other five Chiefs selected to the game) might have fun playing in this game after missing it the last two years in preparation for the Super Bowl.

The total is set at 62 points, and we like the UNDER here. Before last year’s 38-33 shootout, the previous three Pro Bowls averaged 37.7 total points. Sportsbooks know that most fans are going to bet on the OVER, as the average NFL fan watching the Pro Bowl is going to have more fun rooting for points than stops. So the value is pretty much always on the UNDER in these types of games.