Revenge and Rivalry Ramp Up in Rematch for Chiefs and Bengals
This Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will battle it out for the third time in less than a year. There’s a sense that this game has a little more juice behind it than most of the Chiefs' regular season games.
Yes, they’ve taken on the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans multiple times in the same season over the past couple of years, but the Chiefs got the better of those teams each time the playoffs rolled around. Even though those teams can occasionally beat the Chiefs in the regular season, the Chiefs have taken control come playoff time when they truly play their best ball. The Bengals, however, have what the Bills and Titans don't: a playoff win over the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs.
The Bengals got the best of the Chiefs twice last year, both in the regular season and the postseason. Crazily, both games played out very similarly. The Chiefs jumped out to a big lead in the first half only to watch the lead slip away in the second half and ultimately see the Bengals take advantage and celebrate as the victors each time. The regular season game took place at the beginning of January in Cincinnati while the postseason game in Kansas City was played a few weeks later. Different location, same result.
The NFL world loves to look for potential rivals for Patrick Mahomes. Some crowned Andrew Luck vs. Patrick Mahomes the next great quarterback rivalry. After Mahomes and the Chiefs beat Luck at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs, Luck retired at a young age. Then the masses were clamoring for a budding rivalry with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Then it was going to be Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen after a few back-and-forth battles in the regular season and postseason. Maybe Justin Herbert vs. Mahomes could become the truest rivalry, as they are division rivals that will face off twice a season, at minimum.
Maybe some of those rivalries will end up being Mahomes's best battles, but as of 2022, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has earned the spotlight. Mahomes is 0-2 against Burrow and the Bengals, and Mahomes has never lost three games to any one team throughout the entirety of his career to date as a starter. That mark is on the line on Sunday.
The Bengals are also the reigning AFC Champions. After Burrow defeated Mahomes twice last January, many began to crown Burrow as the next NFL superstar quarterback in the AFC. After the Super Bowl loss, the narrative was put to bed for a bit, but the next trend was to jump back on the Josh Allen bandwagon rather than to believe in Mahomes to overcome some offseason offensive personnel changes.
All Mahomes has done so far this season is lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He has a little bit of Michael Jordan in him in the sense that he may read some comments or hear rumblings and tuck it away for motivation on a rainy day. He knew the media was ready to crown Burrow, and then after he failed in the Super Bowl, to crown Allen, as the next MVP before the season began. As offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy once said, it’s the “competitive prick” in him. It’s seasons like this that make you really appreciate the type of quarterback Mahomes is and how his game continues to evolve.
There’s another streak is on the line this week: Mahomes and the Chiefs have won 26 consecutive games in November and December. Mahomes went 4-0 in November this year and won AFC Offensive Player of the Month. Now the team is riding a five-game winning streak into Cincinnati.
The players seem to know there's something a little bit extra going into this one. Chiefs safety Justin Reid told reporters that he would "lock him down" referring to Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase took notice and clapped back via Twitter. The two exchanged pleasantries there, and it could spill onto the field this Sunday.
This game could have significant playoff implications. A bye, home-field advantage and higher seeding in the AFC are all on the line this Sunday, even with a month's worth of games still to play after this weekend. The defending AFC champions are looking to regain their footing as one of the best teams in the conference while the Chiefs are trying to maintain their place in the conference as the team to beat. Both squads are feeding into the hype, and that makes it even more intriguing for everyone with the privilege of watching this rematch on Sunday.
