Afc championship preview: bengals vs chiefs

Photo by Sam Jarden

Kanas City, Missouri (PSF) — So here we have it once again; Chiefs vs Bengals in the AFC Championship for the chance to go to the Super Bowl. This is the second year in a row that both teams meet each other with the same type of stakes on the line and taking place in the same stadium: Arrowhead Stadium.

Last year the Bengals shocked everyone by beating the Chiefs with a score of 27-24 in OT thanks to a 31 yard field goal by then rookie Evan Mcpherson. The stakes couldn’t be much higher tomorrow and the winner will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 57.

The big storyline heading into the game is how Patrick Mahomes ankle will hold up heading into the game. He suffered the injury last week in the Divisional Round against the Jaguars in the 1st quarter. He did however finish the game even though backup Chad Henna played the second quarter. The question is will the ankle sprain affect him tomorrow where he’s ineffective outside the pocket and can’t scramble?

Going into the season people were discussing whether Cincinnati’s playoff success last year was a fluke and by luck; with them being back in the conference championship they proved they weren't a fluke and that this team could be title contenders for years to come. Joe Burrow is proving he has that dog in him and is showing that he’s a top 5 QB in the NFL. Now, will he get the job done once again and give the Bengals the chance to redeem themselves and have a chance to win the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history?

This will be an exciting matchup going into tomorrow’s game and could be a close game just like last year. If the Bengals want to win again they need to go after Mahomes and the offense needs to puts the pressure on just like they’ve been doing the whole year. For the Chiefs to win they need all of Mahomes in the game, slow down the Bengals receivers of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and prevent the Bengals defense from going after Mahomes.