AFC Championship Game
The Cincinnati Bengals are playing in the AFC Championship game. Yes they are in the AFC championship game, you don’t need to be pinched. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the #1 seed in the Tennessee Titans and won their first away playoff game in franchise history. After facing adversity from the Titans defensive line, that totaled 9 sacks, Joe Burrow led the Bengals to a 19-16 victory. The game was the furthest thing from pretty and that was exactly what the Titans wanted. Instead of succumbing to the Titans game , they focused on attacking the Titans' strengths and limiting their game plan. By doing so, they kept Derrick Henry to 61 yards which caused the Titans play action passing attack to struggle. The Bengals played the Titans style of football and ended up winning, they controlled the clock and never fell behind all game. Now the Bengals get to move on and face their Week 17 matchup and get to play the style of football they enjoy. The Bengals are 1 win away from being in the Super Bowl, so let's break this down.
The previous matchup featured 65 points and 889 total yards, a shoot-out where both offenses couldn’t be stopped. To put it into perspective the Bills Chiefs game, which has everyone freaking out (excluding overtime) featured 72 points and 899 yards. To think that the rematch of the Bengals and Chiefs won’t be another shootout you will be sadly mistaken. Both Quarterbacks will be throwing the ball 40+ times. The winner of this game will most likely be whoever has the ball last.
For the Bengals there are two major guys to look out for. The first one is Tyreek Hill, who might be the fastest player in the NFL. The key to stopping Hill is slowing down the explosive plays. When the Chiefs are down and they need to change momentum, Hill is their guy. It’s never a 50+ bomb down the field, its Hill catching a 10 yard pass and turning it to 70. Tackling and pursuit are the keys to stopping this. Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton will be the two who will have to guard Hill the most. In the previous matchup Tyreek Hill had 10 targets with 6 catches and 40 yards. The Bengals guarded Hill perfectly and allowed his lowest yards after the catch for the season. If the Bengals are looking to win, limiting Hill's explosive plays is a must. The second player to watch for is Travis Kelce, who is Patrick Mahomes 3rd down safety valve. If the Chiefs are in a 3rd down opportunity you can bet the pass is going to Kelce. Kelce, who most consider the best tight end in football, will be giving the Bengals linebackers maybe their toughest challenge yet. The guy who will be dealt this challenge is Logan Wilson who will have to play his best game of the season. Logan Wilson might have to come up with his 6th interception this season to help the Bengals win this game. The guy who also might be called up to help is Tre Flowers.
For the Chiefs there are once again two guys to look out for. The first is Ja’Marr Chase who tore up the Chiefs in the first matchup, Chase had 11 catches for 266 yards and 3 TD. He will most likely be who the Chiefs look to shut down. I believe they will take the approach of stopping Chase by any means necessary. Allowing someone else to beat them. Tyrann Mathieu will most likely shade Chase's direction and will open the middle of the field for Tyler Boyd and CJ Uzomah. If this happens the Bengals offense will be fully unlocked. The second player to watch for is Tee Higgins and I could easily make the case that this is the most important. Over the past two weeks Higgins has been responsible for 4 drops that have each ended a Bengals drive. If the Bengals see the Ravens game Tee Higgins the Bengals will win the game. Higgins against the Ravens had 12 catches for 194 yards and 2 TD. When this happens teams cannot pass rush the Bengals, which leads to Burrow doing whatever he wants. But if the Bengals see Tee Higgins having lapse in concentration, the Bengals will likely be watching a celebration instead of celebrating.
There are a couple of narratives that can come out of this game. The first is Mahomes goes to his 4th straight Super Bowl. Further submitting his legacy towards Tom Brady. People will say the Bengals are 1 year away, and it was a great season they had. Sure they overperformed but the groundwork is there, and they will be the team to watch next season. Now that is one narrative, the other storyline that can come out could define a career. If the Bengals come out victorious, Joe Burrow will be the new poster child for the NFL. Burrow will be the hottest commodity in the NFL and everyone will be talking about the Bengals. Burrow’s career outlook will be drastically different. Burrow could be the first quarterback in NFL history to make it to the Super Bowl after having a season ending surgery the previous season. It would go down as the greatest comeback season in NFL history, and would put Joe Burrow as the front runner for MVP next season. Regardless of what happens everyone should be tremendously proud of this team. They have done things that have never happened in franchise history, and the future is unbelievably bright. My prediction for Sunday is simple. I think we see an exact replica of the first matchup and the Cincinnati Bengals move on to the Super Bowl winning 34-31.
