Bengals News (1/24): Stage set for AFC Championship

The Bengals and Chiefs will meet for Round 2.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship
The Bengals, the only team to beat the two-time AFC champion Chiefs in Kansas City’s dozen games since Nov. 1, get a rematch in Sunday’s AFC title game (3 p.m.-Cincinnati’s Local 12) at Arrowhead Stadium. Remember when the two quarterbacks said “See you in the playoffs,” after the Bengals won back on Jan. 2?

Social Media reaction to the Bengals AFC Divisional round win over the Tennessee Titans
Evan McPherson blew the dust off the Cardiac Cats nickname after he drilled a walk-off 52-yard field goal that sealed the 19-16 win over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. The team celebrated on the field with ‘Shooter’ McPherson and then celebrated some more on social media.

Playoff Quote Board: Superman Reader; Uzomah Cowboys Up; Bengals Assistants Getting Noticed; Injury Update
The Bengals defense was stout against one of the best running backs in the league, Derrick Henry, and a lethal play-action offense with quarterback Ryan Tannehill and wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown. But Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader flashed even brighter all night long. Reader posted five solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hit.

NFL betting: Chiefs are 7.5-point favorites over Bengals
Kansas City is a 7.5-point favorite over Cincinnati in the AFC championship game despite the Bengals’ 34-31 win in Week 17. The Chiefs are hosting the AFC title game for a record fourth consecutive season after defeating the Buffalo Bills, 42-36, in an overtime thriller that will go down as one of the best playoff games in NFL history.

NFL playoff conference championships – Previews, bracket schedule, X factors and overreactions for 49ers-Rams, Bengals-Chiefs
It doesn’t get a whole lot better than that. The NFL’s divisional-playoff weekend produced four of the most entertaining games of the entire season. All four were decided on the final play, and all four featured elite-level quarterback play. In the end, however, the NFL’s 2021 season is down to four teams.

NFL conference championship games: Dates, times, previews, early odds for Chiefs vs. Bengals, Rams vs. 49ers
Given what transpired during the past weekend, don’t be surprised to see “I survived divisional round weekend” shirts made for the four remaining teams in the NFL playoffs. The first three games of the weekend were decided on last-second field goals by the visiting team. The fourth game wasn’t decided until Patrick Mahomes hit Travis Kelce in overtime to lift Kansas City to a wild win over Buffalo.

NFL Playoffs — Clutch kickers dominate in divisional-round showdowns
According to Elias Sports Bureau, there have only been 10 games in NFL postseason history which have ended with game-winning field goals as time expired in regulation. Three of them came this weekend — the first time there has been three in a single postseason.

Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow Makes Bold Declaration After Win Over Tennessee Titans
“I’m tired of the underdog narrative,” Burrow said after the Bengals’ win over the Titans. “We’re a really really good team. We’re here to make noise. Teams are gonna have to pay attention to us. Like I said, we’re a really good team with really good players and coaches and we’re coming for it all.”

Bengals give 4 Game Balls to Cincinnati businesses
The Cincinnati Bengals are AFC Championship-bound

Around the league

The First Read: Six initial thoughts heading into Championship Sunday
There are times in the NFL when you watch something that defies comprehension and challenges the limits of the imagination. It’s a moment when you realize you’re witnessing unparalleled brilliance combined with historical significance and future implications. This is what happened when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills by a score of 42-36 in overtime of the AFC Divisional Round. The football-watching world just got a glimpse of which two quarterbacks are going to rule this league for the foreseeable future.

Bills QB Josh Allen not complaining about OT rules: ‘If it was the other way around, we’d be celebrating, too’
Bills quarterback Josh Allen played superbly, connecting with Gabriel Davis for a 19-yard TD to put Buffalo up, 36-33, with 13 seconds remaining. But that was all the time Mahomes needed to lead a game-tying field goal drive. Then Allen sat on the sidelines as the Chiefs took the opening kickoff of overtime and then drove the distance for a game-winning touchdown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady-led late rally comes up short vs. Rams in Divisional Round
First they bloodied Tom Brady and then they sent him off into the twilight — of the lost evening and perhaps of much more. The Los Angeles Rams are returning home for the NFC Championship Game after a 30-27 victory, where they will face the San Francisco 49ers and have a chance to get the answer to the question that has defined their season

Chiefs’ Andy Reid to Patrick Mahomes before game-tying drive: ‘When it’s grim, go be the Grim Reaper’
The Chiefs and Bills entered a full-blown shootout in the final stages of the fourth quarter, trading scoring drives like a heavyweight prize fight. Buffalo took a 29-26 lead with a 27-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with 1:54 remaining. Kansas City then covered 75 yards in 52 seconds, regaining the lead on a 64-yard Tyreek Hill touchdown.