Expectations for the Chiefs and Bengals in the AFC Championship?

The Kansas City Chiefs will be hosting their fourth consecutive AFC Championship, which has never been done in the history of the NFL. The Chiefs will be looking to go to back-to-back-to-back Super Bowls. First, they must take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Both these two teams met in Week 17 of the regular season, and the Bengals would get the best of the Chiefs with a final second field goal securing a 34-31 win. This win would win the AFC North for Cincinnati. With this game having more implications and a chance at a Super Bowl appearance in Inglewood, California, what can we expect between these two teams?

The Kansas City Chiefs Have Been Here Before

As stated above, this is not their first rodeo.  KC will have played in four consecutive AFC Championships, and they have all been at home inside Arrowhead Stadium, the loudest outdoor venue pumping a record 142.2 decibels. The majority of this KC team has been on a playoff run, and many have experienced a Super Bowl run. The core of this team instills the goals and expectations at the beginning of the season. It has been ingrained into the culture to win football games and return to the Super Bowl or it’s a bust.

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This is starting to become an expectation within the locker room and the front office. The players, coaches, fans, and front office all remember the trouncing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year. The offensive line was abysmal due to injuries, and Mahomes ran for his life most of the game.

The Offensive Game Plan For the Kansas City Chiefs?

For the offense, it will be about establishing their game plan and exposing the weaknesses of the Bengals. I would argue the Chiefs have the greatest quarterback of all-time playing for them. Patrick Mahomes and company scored a game-tying field goal with 13 seconds remaining and then shut the door on the Buffalo Bills, winning in overtime on a Mahomes to Kelce connection.

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The offense has to play at a very high level again. Scoring at will and utilizing the offensive weapons Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Kansas City established a tremendous backfield game plan by starting Jerick McKinnon and sprinkling in Clyde Edwards-Helaire against the Bills. I would expect the same rotation against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals gave up 259 passing yards and 155 yards on the ground in the Week 17 regular-season matchup against the Chiefs.

The Defensive Game Plan For the Kansas City Chiefs?

The defense will need to step up in a big way and apply pressure. This defense was awful in the 4th quarter against the Buffalo Bills. The defense allowed multiple late-game drives that almost cost the playoffs.  Kansas City will be facing a terrible offensive line that allowed an incredible nine sacks to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional round.

The defense will need to force turnovers allowing their high-powered offense to run the time-of-possession. When these two teams met in the regular season, the defense saw rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase catch 11-out-of-12 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

Another Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals will play at 2:00 P.M. CT on Sunday, January 30th. The game will be aired on CBS and played inside Arrowhead Stadium on GEHA field in Kansas City, Missouri. This game is played before the NFC Championship, which is between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. That game will be played at 5:30 P.M. CT and will be aired on Fox.