Chiefs notes:
bounce-back performance . ... Tyler Boyd has been solid on third down and adds 828 yards and five touchdowns . ... The defense went from recording 17 sacks in 2020 to 42 in 2021. Trey Hendrickson led the team in the regular season with 14 sacks, and Sam Hubbard added 7.5. Larry Ogunjobi, who had 7.0 sacks, suffered a season-ending foot injury in the wild card round . ... The Bengals bring the fifth-best run defense in the league, allowing 102.5 rushing yards per game . ... Rookie kicker Evan McPherson has four game-winning kicks at the gun this season, including last week against the Titans and in Week 17 to beat the Chiefs.
■ The Chiefs had the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league with 28.2 points per game in the regular season, and they scored 42 points in both of their previous playoff games against the Steelers and in overtime against the Bills. Kansas City also finished third in net offense with 396.8 yards per game, including 281.8 yards passing . ... Mahomes threw for 4,839 yards and 37 touchdowns with 13 interceptions in the regular season, and he was sacked 28 times (almost half as much as Burrow). He had 11 touchdowns of 40 yards or more, which ranks fourth best in the league. Hill led the receivers this season with 1,239 yards and 9 touchdowns, while tight end Travis Kelce followed with 1,125 yards and nine touchdowns . ... The Chiefs didn’t have running back Clyde EdwardsHelaire in the first matchup in Cincinnati, but he returned last week against the Bills and rushed for 60 yards on seven carries. He had 517 yards and four touchdowns through 10 games before a shoulder injury sidelined him. Darrel Williams stepped up in his absence and had 14 carries for 88 yards against the Bengals. He led the team with 558 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season . ... Defensively, Tyrann Mathieu is the player to watch and it seems he is on track to return after suffering a concussion in the first quarter against Buffalo last week. He had three interceptions, three fumble recoveries and 76 combined tackles in the regular season. Defensive tackle Chris Jones sacked Burrow twice in Week 17 and is the anchor up front, recording nine sacks in 14 regular-season games . ... The Chiefs gave up a lot of yards this season but were eighth in scoring defense, allowing 21.4 points per game, including holding opponents to 14 points or less in six of the last nine games in the regular season.
■ “(It will take playing) near perfect. I think every week of the playoffs has proven that. It goes through Kansas City, and Patrick Mahomes has been near-perfect for four years, however many years he’s been starting. So that’s what it’s gonna take for me. It’s not just a quarterback-driven game. It’s a team game, but I think wins and losses usually come down to how each quarterback plays.” — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ■ Chiefs 28, Bengals 24
— Laurel Pfahler, Contributing Writer
Quoted: Prediction: