Tag: AFC Championship

Cincinnati Bengals will play Kansas City Chiefs in AFC title game

We now know the details for the Bengals in the AFC championship game.

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The Cincinnati Bengals will visit the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship on Sunday, January 30 at 3 p.m. ET.

That bit of housekeeping went final on Sunday night as the Kansas City Chiefs defended Arrowhead Stadium and escaped with a 42-36 victory over the Buffalo Bills in an instant classic that went to overtime.

Those Bengals had upended the Chiefs in early January so a rematch would have been interesting. Perhaps a game against the Bills would have been even more of an exciting unknown for onlookers since we’ve yet to see Joe Burrow vs. Josh Allen.

In the end, it’s Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes for the second time. Mahomes had predicted the Bengals and Chiefs would see each other again, too.

The Bengals, of course, are through to the conference title game for the first time since ’88 thanks to upending the Las Vegas Raiders in the wild card round and the Tennessee Titans on the road in last Saturday’s divisional round.

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Could Dolphins be a surprise adversary for the Browns in AFC?

While the Cleveland Browns are being talked about at the top of the AFC, could the Miami Dolphins be a surprise adversary?

The Cleveland Browns have very high goals for the 2021 season after a winning season and a playoff victory in the Wild Card round.

With Kansas City coming off multiple trips to the Super Bowl, the Baltimore Ravens dominating the AFC North, and the Buffalo Bills taking control of the AFC East from the New England Patriots, those three have been the focus of attention along with the Browns related to the AFC Championship.

Like most years, surprises should always be expected in the NFL. While the focus will likely be on the Chiefs, Browns, Ravens, and Bills, the Miami Dolphins could be one of the teams that barges their way into the conversation.

The Dolphins missed the playoffs in 2020 despite a quality 10 – 6 season. Since, the team committed to Tua Tagovailoa, signed Will Fuller to add speed, and traded for Benardrick McKinney.

The Dolphins followed with an impressive draft class. Speedy receiver Jaylen Waddle joins Fuller and holdover, DeVante Parker, as a top-level receiving corps. With their next two picks, the Dolphins upgraded their defense with edge rusher Jaelan  Phillips and safety Javon Holland. The offense continued to get upgrades with Liam Eichenberg on the offensive line and Hunter Long at tight end.

With Brian Flores steadying the ship, the Dolphins have a solid balance between young veterans and new additions to make a charge at the Browns and the rest of the top of the AFC.

For Miami, the key will be the development of Tagovailoa at quarterback after being in and out of the lineup as a rookie last year. In 10 games, threw for over 1,800 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions. While he completed 64% of his passes he only averaged 6.3 yards per attempt while doing so.

Playing it safe, especially with the speed additions of Fuller and Waddle, won’t get it done for the Dolphins offense.

On defense, two of the Dolphins’ biggest moves were releasing veteran Kyle Van Noy and trading Shaq Lawson in the move that brought in McKinney. Miami will now rely on Emmanuel Ogbah and Phillips, in his rookie season, to provide the pass rush.

Going 10 – 6 a year ago, the Dolphins pushed the Browns, and others, for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. With additional talent and very few losses, the Dolphins should be better than they were a year ago. Thankfully for the Browns, they also added talent and had very few losses from their roster.

While the Browns will be talked about amongst the top of the AFC heap with the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills, there are a few teams that could join that conversation this season. Don’t be surprised if the Dolphins are one of them.

Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII win ranked among the best since 2000

The Baltimore Ravens second Super Bowl victory was dubbed 5th best of the last two decades and even that might be underselling it.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will headline Super Bowl LV. In celebration of yet another champion being crowned, List Wire ranked every Super Bowl over the last 20 years. While the Ravens are naturally featured twice on the list, having won twice over that timespan, it’s Super Bowl XLVII that got the blood pumping.

According to Barry Werner of List Wire, Baltimore beating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII ranks fifth. It’s easy to see why when Werner breaks down the basic story of the game.

“The Ravens were a force and then there was a blackout that turned an apparent easy victory into a nail-biter. Baltimore boasted a tremendous defense that had all sorts of issues with Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers.”

Come on, that’s something you’d expect to see in a movie or made-for-TV special. The Ravens had gotten to a 28-6 lead early in the third quarter thanks to a Jacoby Jones 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. But a power issue caused the stadium to go dark for more than 30 minutes, ultimately seeing the 49ers rally in the second half to put the victor in question. As we all know, Baltimore prevailed, beating San Francisco 34-31 to claim their second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

While the game itself was magical and full of twists and turns, the lead up to it was somehow even better.

The Ravens hadn’t been great throughout the regular season, finishing with a 10-6 record to squeak into the playoffs. But, between linebacker Ray Lewis announcing he’d retire at the conclusion of the season and quarterback Joe Flacco having arguably the greatest postseason in NFL history, Baltimore seemingly had everything fall in their favor in what can only be described as a Cinderella story.

The Ravens got matched up with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round, giving Lewis one final home game before riding off into the sunset. Up 24-9 in the closing minutes of the game, Lewis lined up at running back while Baltimore was in victory formation, doing his famous squirrel dance to close out his career at M&T Bank Stadium to the cheers of the crowd.

With one game down, the Ravens were matched up against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the divisional round. It would take double-overtime and a miracle to get the job done, however. Down seven points in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, Flacco heaved a pass to Jacoby Jones just over the outstretched arms of safety Rahim Moore, seeing him streak into the end zone untouched for an improbable 70-yard touchdown pass that has since been dubbed “The Mile High Miracle.” Kicker Justin Tucker put the final nail in the coffin after a Corey Graham interception gave Baltimore the ball in Denver territory, nailing a 47-yard field goal to win, 38-35, in double overtime.

Now in the AFC Championship, the Ravens needed to go through a familiar foe in Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. It was a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from a year prior that saw New England barely edge out Baltimore, 23-20. This time, however, there would be no Brady heroics. After a tight first half, the Ravens’ defense ratcheted things up in the second half, forcing four turnovers (including a turnover on downs). Meanwhile, Flacco and the offense feasted, putting up 21 unanswered points to win 28-13 to head to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.

Though other Super Bowls were ranked higher, the playoff storylines and the big game itself make the Ravens’ run something special. It’s certainly one Baltimore will never forget.

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Bills Wire AFC Championship Player of the Game: RB Taiwan Jones

Taiwan Jones was Buffalo Bills’ Player of the Game in AFC Championship vs. Kansas City Chiefs.

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It was a heartbreaking end to the Buffalo Bills 2020 campaign, but we still have to honor our player of the game.

For our final issuing of the award, running back and return specialist Taiwan Jones is our recipient of Buffalo’s Player of the Game, who came up big with a punt fumble recovery. It set up Buffalo for a quick touchdown score in the red zone in the AFC Championship game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, giving Buffalo a 9-0 lead that could not be held onto.

That’s what 21-unanswered points in the second quarter does to you.

Buffalo will enter the offseason now with many questions and what-ifs, but with the team spirit that they’ve shown, this loss could provide extra motivation for the Bills in 2021.

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Bills vow to use AFC Championship loss to fuel them

Bills promise to use the pain of defeat to grow and improve next season.

The Bills’ magical season came to an end on Sunday, when the team lost 38-24 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Following the game, Bills players and coaches echoed a similar sentiment to one we heard last year when the team’s season ended in the Wild Card round against the Texans. That this loss and the pain the accompanies it, will only fuel them going forward.

“It’s not fun falling one game short of the Super Bowl,” Bills QB Josh Allen said via Zoom after the game. “It’s gonna fuel us. I’ve got no doubt in my mind that we will be back. This is a team that fought hard till the end. A team that loves each other. We’re still young and we’re only gonna get better. We’re close.”

It wasn’t a feeling used by young kids on the block, either. Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, the longest-tenured player on the team, also spoke to using the loss as a means to propel this team in the offseason.

“This is a tough one to swallow, just because, you know, we got to where… we were so close,” Hughes said. “Climbing that mountain and to be so close and then to get knocked down sucks, but we got a great group of guys in the locker room and I know we’re gonna have a tremendous offseason where guys are gonna feel this feeling and know what it takes to get back here… We’re gonna remember this feeling in the offseason and it’ll be something that carries us through.”

Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who had some questionable decisions throughout the loss, spoke to what a moment like this can mean for a franchise moving forward.

“Give credit where credits due,” McDermott said via video conference. “They played a really good game… this is a learning experience for us. That’s how you have to look at it. We had a great season and came up a little bit short tonight and that’s a great football team on the other side. It stings to get this far… sometimes the further you go, the harder it is to lose. Again, it’s a learning experience for us as an organization and we’ve obviously got to get back to work.”

When asked specifically what the Bills can take away from this loss to improve going forward, McDermott spoke to his own experience having lost in the postseason back in Carolina and Philadelphia.

“Certainly wanted to win, but what you take from this as an organization of how you handle the week, how you handle the potential division of the next step, the speed and intensity of this game, in particular on somebody else’s field, home field… so all that, just having been here before myself, we as an organization, players, staff, coaches, all of us collectively, can learn a lot from this… At the end of the day, this is our measuring stick.”

While there are certainly no consolation wins on this stage, this Bills team should be awfully proud of what they accomplished. Ending many postseason droughts, shattering records and being one step away from the Super Bowl is nothing to hang your head about.
Couple that with the fact they did this all in a year when fans, perhaps more than ever, needed a distraction given all that is going on in the world. 
Losses, especially of this magnitude are never easy to swallow, but if last year’s playoff exit is any indication of what Josh Allen and this Bills team are capable of doing in the face of defeat… the NFL better lookout for the 2021 Buffalo Bills. They’ll be back.
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Chiefs vs. Bills live tweets and scoring updates

Follow along as Chiefs Wire staff and other media members tweet throughout the Chiefs vs. Bills AFC title game.

Are you ready for some playoff football, Chiefs Kingdom?

Kickoff is coming up at 5:40 p.m. CT as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. You can find all the important details about how to watch the game and more here.

Looking for live scoring updates? We’ll update those in the chart below. Be sure to bookmark the page or click this link for the latest updates.

Chiefs vs. Bills score

Quarter Chiefs Bills
First – 3
Second – –
Third – –
Fourth – –
Final – –

53-man roster guide

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Inactive players

Inactives for Chiefs vs. Bills, AFC Championship Game

Follow along as the Chiefs Wire staff and other media members tweet during the game. Get the absolute latest updates on our Twitter list down below.

Live Tweets

https://twitter.com/TheChiefsWire/lists/chiefs-gameday

Chiefs’ 2020 schedule

Week Opponent Time (CT) | Date Channel
1 vs. Houston Texans 7:20 p.m. Thu, Sept. 10th NBC
2 at Los Angeles Chargers 3:25  p.m. Sun, Sept. 20th CBS
3 at Baltimore Ravens 7:15 p.m. Mon, Sept. 28th ESPN
4 vs. New England Patriots 6:05 p.m. Mon, Oct. 5th CBS
5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders 12:00 p.m. Sun, Oct. 11th CBS
6 at Buffalo Bills 4:00 p.m. Mon, Oct. 19th FOX/NFLN/Amazon
7 at Denver Broncos 3:25 p.m. Sun, Oct 25th CBS
8 vs. New York Jets 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 1st CBS
9 vs. Carolina Panthers 12:00 p.m. Sun, Nov. 8th FOX
10 BYE BYE BYE
11 at Las Vegas Raiders 7:20 p.m. Sun, Nov. 22nd NBC
12 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3:25 p.m. Sun, Nov. 29th CBS
13 vs. Denver Broncos 7:20 p.m. Sun, Dec. 6th NBC
14 at Miami Dolphins 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 13th CBS
15 at New Orleans Saints 3:25 p.m. Sun, Dec. 20th CBS
16 vs. Atlanta Falcons 12:00 p.m. Sun, Dec. 27th FOX
17 vs. Los Angeles Chargers 3:25 p.m. Sun, Jan. 3rd FOX

 

2 Panthers rookies set their sights on the NFL playoffs

This morning, defensive tackle Derrick Brown replied with a promise that it will come very soon.

It’s Championship Sunday and we’re in for a couple of classic matchups. First, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers host Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the NFC title game. That will be followed by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs facing the upstart Bills in the AFC Championship.

There’s not many things more fun than watching the NFL playoffs. Actually participating in them has to be a rush on an entirely different level, though. While the Panthers finished their season 5-11, some of their youngest and most important defensive players have spent the weekend setting their sights on competing in the postseason.

On Saturday, hybrid DB/LB Jeremy Chinn tweeted that he just wants to play in January and February.

This morning, defensive tackle Derrick Brown replied with a promise that it will come very soon.

These are two foundational pieces for a defense that improved a lot down the stretch of the regular season. At their best, the unit stifled the likely 2020 league MVP in Rodgers, holding him to just 143 passing yards and under five per attempt. Brown’s pressure up front (he had two sacks) was a huge factor in that breakout performance.

While there were coverage issues peppered throughout, Chinn played at a high level for a rookie. He was inevitably overtaken by Chase Young in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race, but Chinn is clearly going to be an impact playmaker as long as he’s healthy.

In-between these two picks, the Panthers added another defender who also looks to have a high ceiling. Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos missed four games due to injuries but flashed enough to be nothing but bullish about his future. He finished with 2.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits and 11 pressures.

These three rookies plus defensive end Brian Burns and cornerback Donte Jackson represent the young nucleus of this defense. If general manager Scott Fitterer can find the right pieces to add around them, then Brown’s “very soon” prediction will prove correct.

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Chiefs opponent preview, AFC Championship Game: Scouting the Bills

Here is everything you need to know about the Bills ahead of the AFC Championship Game.

One more win gets a team to the biggest game in the world of football. On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will host their third consecutive AFC Championship Game, welcoming the Buffalo Bills as their opponent. In a return match from Week 6, many of the same names that captured the headlines then are playing vital roles yet again. The Bills have not lost since that game against Kansas City.

After five days of being in the concussion protocol, quarterback Patrick Mahomes will suit up for Kansas City. Who will represent the AFC and get the chance of a lifetime to win a Lombardi Trophy?

Here is everything you need to know about the Bills ahead of the AFC title game:

Browns LB Mack Wilson sent well wishes to Patrick Mahomes, who cleared concussion protocol

This is pretty cool.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes status for this weekend’s AFC Championship game was up in the air for most of the week.

Last weekend during the Cheifs’ Divisional Round game against the Cleveland Browns, Mahomes was hit by linebacker Mack Wilson and suffered a concussion.

It was a clean hit, but Mahomes ended up hitting his head on the turf badly enough to keep him out of the game. Luckily for them, though, Mahomes was cleared by team doctors on Friday to play in this weekend’s game against the Bills.

And with that news, Wilson sent his own well-wishes to Mahomes as he prepares to play on Sunday.

This is pretty nice to see. Especially after Wilson was called out by Mahomes mother last week after the hit. Of course, he explained that there was no disrespect and he was just playing hard.

They peaced everything up.

Shouts to Wilson for being a great sport. It’s good to see Mahomes back and healthy again. Football is better when he’s at his best.

AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs Prediction, Game Preview

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs prediction, NFL Playoff AFC Championship game preview.

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs prediction, NFL Playoff AFC Championship game preview.

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs Broadcast

Date: Sunday, January 24
Game Time: 6:40 ET
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Network: CBS

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

AFC Championship: Buffalo Bills (15-3) at Kansas City (15-2) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on the NFL, go to BetMGM

Why Buffalo Will Win The AFC Championship

You really think Patrick Mahomes is right?

He’s expected to play – at least that’s the hope after passing several tests and checkmarks early in the week – but even if he’s able to go will he still be at 100% full strength?

Chad Henne is a fine, restaurant-quality veteran, but – duh – Patrick Mahomes is Patrick Mahomes.

Even if No. 15 is just fine and back to normal, it’s not like the Chief offense is operating at peak efficiency. Yeah, it was ripping up and down the field before Mahomes got hurt against Cleveland, but that was a bit of an aberration over the second half of the season.

Maybe the O was just saving itself for when it was Game On, but counting the 22-17 victory in the Divisional Round, the last time the Chiefs won a game by more than six points was back on November 1st – Week 8 – against the Jets.

Even in the Week 6 win over the Bill, KC managed to put up a whole lot of yards, but struggled to put the biscuit in the basket in the 26-17 win.

The Buffalo defense is a whole lot better since then.

The run defense got ripped up in the first meeting, and there have been a few issues here and there, but even when there’s been bending there hasn’t been a ton of breaking. The Bills haven’t allowed more than 26 points in any of the last eight games – all wins.

The defense has to hold KC to field goals like Cleveland was able to do last week – the Chiefs settled for four attempts, hitting three – and the offense that leads the NFL in third down conversions has to keep things moving because …

– Why Kansas City Will Win
– What’s Going To Happen, Who’ll Win

NEXT: Why Kansas City Will Win The AFC Championship

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