FEELING GOOD ABOUT FOUR
Three wins in 13 months give Bengals confidence in rematch at Arrowhead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs have lost three straight games to the Bengals, including last year’s AFC title game, in which they blew an early 21-3 lead in an overtime defeat before a sea of stunned fans at Arrowhead Stadium.
Patrick Mahomes, who will lead the Chiefs against the Bengals on a sprained right ankle in the rematch Sunday, is likewise winless against Bengals counterpart Joe Burrow, the only quarterback to have beaten him three straight times.
In other words, there’s a reason the AFC North champion Bengals are imbued with a certain degree of confidence as they return to Kansas City, where this burgeoning rivalry will again determine who represents the AFC in the Super Bowl.
“Your preparation leads to confidence — that’s just what you see from Joe and all of our players,” said even-keeled Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who somehow has outschemed, out-coached and gotten his team to out-execute Andy Reid and his Chiefs over the last 13 months. “So, when they walk on the field on Sunday, they’re relaxed.”
The Bengals are so confident, in fact, that some of them have even taken to calling the Chiefs’ home “Burrowhead Stadium,” which, as you can imagine, doesn’t sit well with the AFC West champs.
“I’m sure a lot of guys are aware of the comments they’re making,” Chiefs wide receiver JuJu SmithSchuster admitted. “The Bengals have always been the rah-rah team, and they back it up. And they’re doing so again in the postseason.”
Yet, it’s not as if the Bengals, who roared past the Bills in the divisional round, have dominated the Chiefs, who took care of the Jaguars despite losing Mahomes for most of a quarter after his injury. All three of their meetings have been decided by three points.
“We know what team we’re playing — a team that has been to this game the last five seasons, and they’ve all been in that stadium,” Burrow said. “So to me, they’re still the team to beat, and we’re coming for them, but we know it’s going to be tough. We know it’s going to be hard-fought, and we know the kind of players they have on that side.”
Their matchup in last year’s title game was a classic. Mahomes threw three first-half touchdown passes before Burrow led a dramatic comeback. And when the Chiefs’ Harrison Butker kicked a 41-yard field goal with no time left to send the game to overtime, the Bengals quickly picked off Mahomes to set up Evan McPherson’s winning kick.
“Listen, they probably should be confident — they’ve won three games,” said Reid, who’s trying to guide the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons. “That’s OK. We’re still going to play the game.”
Besides, the Chiefs have a quiet confidence about them, too.
“I would say they know us,” Reid said. “We know them. And we’re all searching for that little extra that you can throw at them. We’ve played each other enough that I’m sure both sides feel the same way.”
Mahomes practiced as usual this week, and his ailing right ankle did not appear more heavily taped than the left. His ability to scramble is a big part of his game, though, particularly when it comes to finding time to make off-schedule throws, and any hesitation could be costly for the Chiefs.
“It’s about being a competitor,” Mahomes said. “You want to be out there, especially in these games.”