The Cincinnati Bengals are heading back to the AFC Championship Game for the second season in a row after defeating the Buffalo Bills, 27-10.
Now, they will turn their attention to the Kansas City Chiefs as they will look to defeat Patrick Mahomes for the fourth-consecutive time. Game time is set for 6:30 pm ET on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call.
We’ve already got one prediction logged on how the game will go from TeamRankings (via ESPN), which has the Chiefs coming away with a 25-23 win. However, that likely isn’t factoring in Patrick Mahomes will be playing with a high ankle sprain, an injury that typically knocks players out for multiple weeks. For now, the plan is for Mahomes to play, but this will be something to monitor when practice for the game begins Wednesday.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Chiefs opened as a 1.5-point favorite for the second matchup of the season between the Bengals and Chiefs.
In the first matchup of the season, Joe Burrow completed 25/31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-24 win at Paycor Stadium. That game saw the defense force a fourth-quarter turnover from Travis Kelce, eventually followed by Burrow hitting Chris Evans for an eight-yard touchdown, which proved to be the game-winning score.
The Bengals got off to a hot start in the first matchup, scoring on their first two possessions and taking a 14-3 lead. They will be looking to get off to another hot start next week after jumping out to a 14-0 lead over the Bills today.
Last year’s AFC Championship game required the Bengals to make a second-half comeback, as they trailed 21-10 at the break and were down 21-3 at one point in the first half. Thankfully, the defense held the Chiefs to just three points in the second half and forced an overtime turnover, which Cincinnati converted into the game-winning field goal.
As we all know, they were able to make that happen and advance to the Super Bowl. Hopefully, we won’t have to see a big comeback this time around, but the end result remains the same: A trip to the Super Bowl for the winner.
The Bengals are once again underdogs, but that is what this team is built for, and they will be ready for the challenge.
Are you betting on the Bengals to win? Let us know in the comment section!
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