What’s Going To Happen, Who’s Going To Win the AFC Championship
The Bengals are in the AFC Championship for the first time since 1989, and before that it was 1982 in the epic deep freeze game against the Chargers. If you’re into the whole idea of a team’s mindset mattering, Buffalo needed that win over Kansas City – that’s the wall it can’t get through.
Obviously Cincinnati is thinking Super Bowl or Bust, but it’s – to cliché up – playing with house money.
While Buffalo is in the midst of what’s supposed to be its big run, Cincinnati feels like it’s just getting started as the Next Big Thing. It can play a little looser, it can truly roll with the “no one believes in us” thing, along with the “why not us?” mantra – because I haven’t gone cornball enough here – and it’s got the weapons and the talent to pull this off if the Kansas City secondary really is just that banged up.
But the Chiefs are playing too well.
There’s a reason why the team is 11-1 in its last 12 – and it took that monster performance by Cincinnati to force that 1 – and it’s because Mahomes has been smart, careful, and he’s not taking any unnecessary chances.
There might have been two turnovers against Pittsburgh in the Wild Card win, but that’s been about it. Mahomes’ interception in that was hardly awful.
There haven’t been any turnovers in four of the last five games, the defense should be too strong against Joe Mixon and the ground attack, and the pressure of being expected to win and go to a third straight Super Bowl will actually be a positive.
After a great battle for about 50 minutes – including a hot start by the Bengals – the big play will come to finally push ahead with some breathing room.
Cincinnati vs Kansas City AFC Championship Prediction, Line
Kansas City 34, Cincinnati 23
Line: Kansas City -7, o/u: 54.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Rating: 5
5: The last five minutes of Buffalo vs Kansas City
1: NFL overtime format
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