Bengals 27-24 Chiefs, Burrow leads stunning comeback, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL AFC Championship Game
The Bengals are headed to the Super Bowl!
Bengals clinch Super Bowl in 27-24 OT victory
I was sure the Bengals were losing this game going into it and even more sure when they were down 21-3 at halftime, but the Bengals are a second half team, and a determined one.
Their comeback from an 18-point deficit ties the AFC Championship Game record. The Bengals took the lead with a McPherson field goal before the end of the game to make it 24-21. Mahomes took the Chiefs right back down the field to tie it back up again with a Butker field goal at the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime.
Just last week, the Chiefs beat the Bills in overtime in much the same way. A field goal at the last second and a win on the coin toss, but that's where the similarities end. This time, instead of getting a touchdown on their first drive of OT, Mahomes threw an interception to Vonn Bell to give the Bengals the ball.
Burrow sent the Bengals into field goal range and it was McPherson with the game-winning field goal just like it was McPherson with the game-winning field goal last week against the Titans. This time, though, that field goal sent them to the Super Bowl.
Follow Dane's live coverage of the 49ers vs Rams game to find out who the Bengals will play in Super Bowl LVI.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the blame after the Chiefs collapsed to defeat to the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium.
You can follow all the action from the NFC game where the 49ers are taking on the Rams.
The Bengals made a huge comeback in the 2nd half, the Chiefs sent them into OT, but the Bengals defense saved the day and gave them the opportunity to make the field goal and now they are headed to the Super Bowl!!
McPherson 31-yard field goal is GOOD!!! THE BENGALS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!
Mixon gets the Bengals down to the 12!
The Bengals are already in field goal range at 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 32!
Mahomes NEARLY sends an interception to Apple, but not quite...but then...he DOES send an INTERCEPTION to Bell!! The Bengals get the ball back at the Chiefs 46!
The Chiefs win the toss and they'll get the ball first, just like last week!
The Chiefs tie up the game with a Butker field goal and the game is going into overtime for a second week in a row!
And this game is going into OVERTIME!!
Butker 44-yard field goal is GOOD!
Mahomes had a ton of time but in the end, he was SACKED by Hubbard and FUMBLED the ball, but it was recovered by the Chiefs, but now they're back another 9 yards at 4th and goal, back at the 26, for a 44-yard attempt for Butker.
The Chiefs take their first timeout
Mahomes is SACKED by Hubbard for a loss of 5, 3rd and goal at the 9
McKinnon runs it for a gain of a yard, 2nd and goal
Kelce gets the 1st down and it's 1st and goal for the Chiefs, who still have 3 timeouts to burn
Mahomes danced around again for several seconds but it was all for not. He gets away but with no gain. 3rd and 2.
That brings us to the two-minute warning. The Chiefs have the ball at 1st and 10 at the Bengals 15.
McKinnon gets another big gain of 14 yards to take the Chiefs to the 15!
At 3rd and 1, Mahomes makes a bullet pass to Kelce who's wide open for an 18-yard gain!
The KC Wolf is STRESSED.
The Bengals get ahead with a McPherson 52-yard field goal with 6:04 to go in the game!
CLUTCH! McPherson makes the 52-yard field goal!
Perine gets them to the 34 and it'll be a 52-yard attempt, the same distance that won them the game over the Titans
A False Start penalty sets the Bengals back to 1st and 15 and Burrow sends a pass too high above Higgin's head for an incomplete pass but they get to 3rd and 10 to get close to FG range
Burrow passes inside to Higgins for a gain of 16! The Bengals are at 1st and 10 at the Chiefs 34
Burrow gets away again!! He scrambles for 11 yards and the 1st down at the Bengals 45!
Wow! Burrow was nearly sacked TWICE by Chris Jones, but he gets away AND the 1st down at the 31!
Yikes, Burrow threw a pass to...a Chiefs player? Lucky for him, he didn't catch it!
The Chiefs get the ball back at their 47 and get held to 3rd and 6 before Mahomes is SACKED again by Hendrickson to put them at 4th and 14 and force a punt!
It's the Chiefs turn for an INTERCEPTION!! It's Sneed who steals the pass away from Chase!
Mahomes is SACKED by Hendrickson and Hill! He had a ton of time and looked like he'd get away, but no dice.
That takes us to the end of the 3rd quarter and it's a tie game!
The Burrow/Chase duo comes through when Burrow passes to him for 2 yards in the end zone and he's only got one man covering him! They go for two and they get it with a pass to Taylor in the end zone! The Bengals have come back with a quarter to go! We have ourselves a football game.
Burrow sends it to Taylor just like he did to Chase and we have a tie game!!!
The Bengals go for two to try to tie it up...
BENGALS TOUCHDOWN!!!
Burrow pass intended for Chase is incomplete, they have to convert on this 3rd and goal
Mixon gets up to the 2, 2nd and goal
Burrow sends it to Chase with a gain of 17 yards and suddenly the Bengals have another chance at 1st and goal!
Mahomes pass INTERCEPTED Bengals Hill at the Chiefs 29! The Bengals needed this play badly!! They'll take over at the 27!
The Bengals get into the red zone and make it to 4th and goal, but Ingram was not having it. Back-to-back stops on Burrow and a short pass to Perine held them to kicking a field goal instead of getting a much-needed touchdown. McPherson is solid and he makes the 31-yard attempt. Chiefs are still up with 02:58 to go in the 3rd.
McPherson 31-yard field goal is GOOD!
Burrow passes short to Perine to set them up for 4th and goal and it'll be a 31-yard attempt
At 2nd and goal, it's Ingram again who knocks down Burrow's pass
Joe Burrow is SACKED by Ingram! His first of the game today.
Another 18-yard run by Mixon puts the Bengals within the 10!
Burrow avoids the sack and gets the pass completion to Chase for 22 yards! To the Chiefs 32.
The Bengals defense respond by holding the Chiefs to 4th and 6 at their own 24, forcing them to punt it away again. The Bengals get another chance to make something happen and they need it.
After that huge pass to Higgins, the Bengals get a Delay of Game penalty and a few incomplete passes to bring them nowhere and they'll have to punt it away again at 4th and 14 at the Chiefs 43
Burrow makes the deep pass to Higgins for 44 yards! Takes them to the Chiefs 39
The Chiefs start us out on offense in the 2nd half and the Bengals hold them to 4th and 6 at their 37 so they punt it away. Now it's up the the Bengals offense to make it down the field again and get some points in the second half.
The Chiefs NEARLY got the touchdown before the half but Mahomes threw behind to Hill and the Bengals made the stop! The game stays 21-10 at the half.
Mahomes pass incomplete to Hill but the panalty is on the Bengals Apple for Pass Interference - 14-yard penalty
Mahomes sends another pass to Hill for a pickup of 14 yards!
Mahomes sends a DEEP pass 33 yards to Hill! The Chiefs are at the Bengals 48!
Burrow makes the pass to Perine who runs it 41 yards into the end zone!! The Bengals put themselves back into the game before the half!
McPherson PAT is GOOD!
BENGALS TOUCHDOWN!!!
Two-minute warning
Burrow makes a few completions to Higgins to take them 31 yards down the field and they're at the Chiefs 39 with 2 minutes left in the half. They'll try to get a score here before halftime.
Mahomes sees Hardman and makes the connection without a problem and the Chiefs mean business today. They're up 18 points with 5:04 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Butker PAT is GOOD!
CHIEFS TOUCHDOWN!!!
At 3rd and 1, Mahomes gives it to Kelce for a 12-yard gain right next to the end zone and the Chiefs are back again at 1st and goal!
Mahomes makes another deep pass to Kelce this time for 19 yards! The Chiefs are at the Bengals 38
First penalty of the day so far is on the Bengals, Offsides
The Bengals don't get far and are forced to punt it away after a few incomplete passes and pressure on Burrow
Mahomes scrambles away and he dances around to get out of the pocket and make the connection to Kelce in the end zone!! The Chiefs get their second score of the night less than 3 minutes into the second quarter.
Butker PAT is GOOD!
CHIEFS TOUCHDOWN!!!
Mahomes throws a DEEP pass to Hardman for a huge 45-yard gain on their first drive after the Bengals field goal! And that brings us to the end of the first quarter.
The Bengals were able to get themselves down the field but couldn't get past the Chiefs defense throwing into the end zone. They go for the field goal instead and it is good. The Bengals have some points on the board before the end of the 1st (00:36 left to go).
McPherson, the hero! Hits the32-yard field goal, no problem
Burrow throws to Chase in the end zone but he's well-covered by Ward and they're at 4th and 10 and will try for the field goal
Burrow tried to throw a TD pass into the end zone but with Uzomah out, it didn't work. He tries it again with Higgins and he ALMOST had it but Fenton was all over him! That should have been a Holding penalty on the Chiefs, but he got away with it and the Bengals are at 3rd and 10 again.
The Bengals have converted on 3rd down a few times now, and the Chiefs defense is all over Chase. Burrow is throwing it elsewhere and it's working! Mixon just gave them a 23-yard play to take them to the Chiefs 15
Burrow threw a pass to Uzomah and it was nearly picked off. Uzomah went hopping on one foot off the field. He would be a huge loss for the Bengals if he's hurt.
A couple runs by Mixon and Boyd gets the Bengals down to another 1st down at the Bengals 49
Burrow scrambles to get out of the pocket for the 1st down to move down the field for the first time today.
At 1st and goal, Mahomes connects with Tyreek Hill on a bullet bass into the end zone to put the Chiefs up with 7:17 left to go in the first quarter!
Butker PAT is GOOD!
CHIEFS TOUCHDOWN!!!
Mahomes scrambles, as he does, and gives the Chiefs another 13 yards and another 1st down at the Bengals 25
The Chiefs won the challenge, the call was REVERSED.
CHALLENGE: At 3rd and 1, Mahomes gives it to Burton and it looks like he had the ball over the line but the refs are calling it short. Reid throws the challenge flag. A good call from where I'm sitting.
Chiefs on offense, Mahomes hands it off to McKinnon for 8 yards and then another toss to take them near the 40-yard line and the 1st down! Mahomes is so good at getting out of the pocket and finding the open guys, how will the Bengals defend against that?
On the first drive, Burrow hands it off to Mixon, then to Chase to bring them to 3rd and 5. Burrow throws an incomplete pass to Uzomah, knocked away by Gay and they've gone 3 and out!
Butker gets the game underway and the Bengals will get us started on offense!
Chiefs win the toss and elect to defer
We're just minutes away from kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium!
Bengals inactives vs Chiefs:
DE Cam Sample
DT Josh Tupou
CB Vernon Hargreaves
WR Stanley Morgan
WR Trenton Irwin
HB Trayveon Williams
OL Fred Johnson
Tyrann Mathieu is playing!
Kelce's kingdom
Chiefs tight end Travis Michael Kelce was brought in during the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and later won Super Bowl LIV with the team over the San Francisco 49ers, a match up that could well be repeated on 13 February.
Oh, out of interest, given tonight's opponents, he played college football at the University of Cincinnati. Just saying.
Will the kickers play as important a role as they have been?
In the Bengals Divisional Round win over the Titans, it was kicker Evan McPherson who kicked the game-winning 52-yard field goal. It was also McPherson who carried the Bengals through the first half of the game.
In the Chiefs Divisional Round win over the Bills, it was their kicker, Harrison Butker who sent them into overtime with his 43-yard field goal. Butker has proven he can make the long attempts, but besides the field goal to send the Chiefs into OT last week, he actually missed an extra point and a field goal in that game, which could have cost them if not for Mahomes’ and Hill’s connection to set him up with seconds left on the clock.
Mcpherson, on the other hand, has been flawless. He hasn’t missed a single attempt in the last three games and it was his game-winning field goal that sent the Bengals to victory over the Chiefs in week 17 of the regular season. He has accounted for 27 of the Bengals’ last 45 points.
If the kickers do play as big of a role in this game, who will be more reliable?
The Kansas City Chiefs are the first organisation to host a Conference Championship Game in four consecutive seasons. If the Chiefs beat the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium, they’ll be the fourth team to reach three straight Super Bowls.
The Bengals travel to Arrowhead Stadium for the third AFC Championship Game in their history. Cincinatti won their two previous appearances, against the San Diego Chargers in the 1981 season and the Buffalo Bills in 1988.
Ariel Velázquez digs into this game and that in the NFC.
Chef targets the Chiefs
CJ Uzomah arrives at the Arrowhead and looks focused on the job in hand.
Arrowhead shining
What a view! So beautiful, so tranquil.
All that is about to change...
Two of the NFL’s seven best passing offences face off in this one and we remember that the franchises met in Week 17 of the regular season, the Bengals winning out thanks to a 20-yard field goal by Evan McPherson with time running out.
As the teams now battle it out to represent the American Football Conference at Super Bowl LVI, we look at five key players... yes, there is more to this game than just Mahomes and Burrow.
Can the Burrow/Chase duo do what they did in week 17 again?
In week 17, Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase went absolutely wild on the Chiefs, setting multiple records, including Chase’s 266 receiving yards were the most in one game by a rookie receiver. Burrow threw for 466 yards that game. Can the two be expected to have that explosive of a game a second time?
Well, odds aren’t bad.
Quarterbacks who threw for over 400 yards against opponents in the regular season are 2-2 in conference championship rematches. The last quarterback to win in that situation was actually Patrick Mahomes in 2019.
Weather Report
It looks like the weather won’t be much of a factor going into the AFC Championship game today. Highs are around 47 degrees and lows are in the upper 30s, and it should be nice and sunny.
It’s possible we could see some high winds, but otherwise it should be a nice, crisp, dry day on Championship Sunday in Kansas City.
In a year where many NFL fans expected the Bengals to finish last in their division, quarterback Joe Burrow took Cincinnati to a whole new level.
Last Saturday, Burrow led the Bengals to their first road playoff win in the franchise’s history. A week before that, he broke the 31-year playoff curse with the Las Vegas Raiders by beating them 26-19.
And two weeks before, the 25-year-old helped Cincinnati clinch the AFC North as he put up 446 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
When it’s grim, be the grim reaper and go get it.
Mahomes/Hill vs Burrow/Chase
The Cincinnati Bengals will be looking to reach their third Super Bowl (the last one was in 1988), but they will have their work cut out for them against the two-time defending AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs will be hoping to make it to their third Super Bowl since 2019 and this will be their fourth consecutive AFC Championship game. The Bengals have held their own against the Chiefs in recent times, though. In week 17 of the regular season, the Bengals beat the Chiefs 34-31 to clinch the AFC North crown and have won five of their last six meetings.
The Chiefs are led by the talented quarterback Patrick Mahomes. In the playoffs so far, he has completed 63 of 83 passes for 782 yards and eight touchdowns. His favorite target seems to be wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and you can easily see why. Hill has 16 receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns in the post season. In the Chiefs’ dramatic win over the Bills last week, Hill caught 11 of 13 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown.
For a quarterback who was sacked nine times in one game last week, the Bengals Joe Burrow is still dominating with 52 of 71 passes for 592 yards and two touchdowns in the post season. Not quite as impressive as Mahomes, but still quite good. His favorite target has been wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the two have an undeniable connection. In the Bengals game against the Chiefs in week 17, Chase caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns. In the post season so far, he has had 14 receptions for 225 yards.
Chiefs vs Bengals: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Chiefs vs Bengals AFC Championship playoff game!
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. My name is Jennifer Bubel and I'm here to give you live updates, scores, and commentary throughout the game along with some insight into the players, coaches and everything else I can think of.
Stay with me for all the excitement as we find out who is the first team into Super Bowl LVI.