The Kansas City Chiefs are getting the rematch they’ve wanted since last year’s AFC Championship Game. The Cincinnati Bengals are the only team standing in the way of a trip to Super Bowl LVII.
Cincinnati hasn’t stopped talking about their three-game winning streak over the Chiefs, including this year’s regular season game. Mike Hilton was seen on the sidelines in the AFC divisional round calling Arrowhead Stadium by the name “Burrowhead.” They’re highly confident in their abilities and deservedly so.
A Chiefs player who has only experienced the rivalry from different lenses is wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran receiver is quite familiar with this opponent from his time in Pittsburgh, but he also played the Bengals with K.C. earlier this season. The veteran wideout shared his thoughts on Cincinnati during Wednesday’s press conference.
“I just think, honestly, they’re just a physical team,” said Smith-Schuster. “They just play physical from start to finish, all four quarters. That’s something I saw playing them in Cincinnati, and it felt like a playoff atmosphere game, and that’s kind of what I’m expecting to see here.”
Smith-Schuster had only three catches for 35 yards on the December 4th loss in Cincinnati. He has battled with the franchise throughout his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North. Having some good moments and bad ones against their team.
“I’m sure a lot of guys are aware of the comments that they’re making,” said Smith-Schuster. “I’ve been playing against this team since I’ve been in NFL, so it was nothing new to me. The Bengals, they’ve always been the rah-rah team. And you know, they back it up. And so they’ve been doing that this whole season. So it’s just more so for us, for me to go out there and just play, just play ball and have fun. And just talking with my shoulder pads and helmet.”
The rivalry between these two franchises has gained steam quickly, especially with consecutive AFC Championship Game meetings. Arrowhead Stadium is expected to be loud with plenty of energy for Smith-Schuster and his Chiefs teammates to draw from.
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