NFL
How are the Cincinnati Bengals preparing for the noise in Arrowhead Stadium?
Kansas City Chiefs fans are famous for the noise they generate at Arrowhead Stadium, but the Cincinnati Bengals are seriously getting ready for it.
It's the last stage before the Super Bowl, and the competition will only heat up and get noisier at the Conference Finals.
In the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, this is particularly literal- their fans hold the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd noise ever recorded in a stadium. The Cincinnati Bengals however are getting ready for it.
The deafening roars of Kansas City fans
Since the AFC Conference Finals will be held at Arrowhead Stadium, the Bengals will have to contend with the Chiefs’ home field (and home field noise) advantage. Aside from the ability of loud cheering to energize the home team and deflate the visitors, it can also interfere with the game.
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When the visiting team is in a huddle, calls and snap counts can be drowned out by shouts of the home team despite the in-helmet headsets of the players.
The loudness record that Chiefs fans set during their Sept. 29, 2014 game against the New England Patriots registered 142.2 decibels. That’s a lot of sound to talk over.
Preparing for the decibels
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been warned by former KC kicker Lawrence Tynes that he should not underestimate the crowd noise at Arrowhead.
But Burrow is confident that the Bengals will be ready to face the challenge, as they will be working on their communication and non-verbal cues before Sunday’s game.
To be able to take away some of the Chiefs’ home advantage, Cincinnati is practicing to the sound of simulated Arrowhead Stadium noise.
Bengals on the road
The Bengals have played in and won the AFC championship two times. This is the first time they will be playing in one on the road, and they are making sure they are as well-equipped as possible to deal with the roars of more than 75,000 Kansas City fans, who are sure to give their all as they cheer on their team in a high-stakes matchup that has a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line.
The AFC Championship between the Bengals and the Chiefs will kick off on Sunday, January 30 at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. ET. US viewers can watch the match on CBS.
You can also catch the action on AS USA’s live text coverage and commentary.