Chiefs lean on experience again
Young Bengals new to playoffs, but confident
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have been in this position before. Walking across the cold Arrowhead Stadium parking lot, dressing in their revamped lockerroom, strolling through the narrow tunnel and spilling onto the field for the AFC titlegame.
In fact, the Chiefs have done it each of the past three years.
Itwill be a wholly new experience for the Cincinnati Bengals,though, when they follow the same path Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Only a couple of special teams players were alive, and coach Zac Taylor just starting out in elementary school, when they beat the Bills in January 1989 in their previous trip to a conference championship.
“I think it helps this time of year having a pretty good idea of what this is all about,” acknowledged Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who can tie Tom Landy for second in NFL history with his 20th playoff win. “They know how we go about our business, the intensity, whether it’s practice or what weexpect out of the game.”
That experience came in handy last Sunday, when the Chiefs went 44 yards in 13 seconds to kick a field goal and force overtime against Buffalo. Patrick Mahomes and Co. proceeded to win the coin
toss, and ultimately the game, by marching right downfield for a touchdown without giving the Bills another chance withthe ball.
It was the kind of unforgettable, heart-stopping victory that can give an NFL team plenty of momentum for the rest of the postseason — provided they get over it quickly enough to prepare for the next one.
“It was an awesome game and win that we’ll remember forever,” Mahomes said, “but we’re not done. We’re trying to get out there and win an AFC championship and try to getto the Super Bowl.”
The Bengals had a thriller in their own right to get past top-seeded Tennessee last weekend.They blew a 16-6 second-half lead, then put rookie Evan McPherson in position to kick a winning 52-yard field goalas time expired.
It was the first road playoff winin franchise history. Now, they’re after another in KansasCity.
“We’re excited about the opportunity,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. “If you want to do the things that we want to do, that’s a team that you’re going to have to beat every single year. The AFC has run through them forfour straight years.
“So, you know, we’re
excited about the opportunity. We’re gonna have a great week of practice and be ready togo.”
Familiar faces
TheBengals beat the Chiefs Jan. 2 in Cincinnati in a backand-forth thriller that ended when McPherson drilled a 20yardfield goal as time expired. Burrow threw for 446 yards and four touchdowns, most of it going to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, while Mahomes threw for 259 yards andtwo scores.
“The Chiefs do a good job of employing a variety of schemes to try to keep you off balance,” Taylor said. “I thought Joe and Ja’Marr did a good job of being on the same pagein that game.”
Star power
Thetwo teams combined to send nine players to the Pro Bowl this season, six from Kansas City and three from Cincinnati, and there’s another half-dozen players from each team that probably had a goodargument to make it.
As it stands, the Chiefs have Mahomes joining wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones and safety Tyrann Mathieu along with new left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. The Bengals are sendingChase along with running back Joe Mixon and defensive end Trey Hendrickson.