Bengals Upset Chiefs in OT; Joe Burrow Leads Biggest Championship Game Comeback Ever
Are the Kansas City Chiefs better than the Cincinnati Bengals? Maybe by a little bit. Is Patrick Mahomes better than Joe Burrow? Maybe not for long. But yes, maybe by the little bit.
But after four quarters plus in this AFC title game .. 27-24 in OT, with Burrow leading an improbable comeback from an 18-point deficit - the biggest rebound in championship round history?
Burrow gets to say he’s the best.
Mahomes had the Chiefs up 21-10 at halftime, with three TD passes from the Texas Tech product.
Mahomes’ young-vet superiority is why the Chiefs were the smart - maybe even "easy'' - pick today. The third TD pass may have cemented things here ...
But in this AFC Championship Game, the second-year sensation Burrow in his first such appearance, led the Bengals back in the second half, with the winner getting the reward of a trip to Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI.
Similarly, you recognize that Dallas’ chances of ever advancing this far (as Matthew Stafford’s Rams and Jimmy Garrapolo’s Niners are doing today in the NFC) hinge on the QB, Dak Prescott.
That, obviously, is Jerry Jones’ $140 million bet.
The Chiefs came in favored by seven, with an O/U of 54.5 points. That suggests a shootout that the Bengals seemingly cannot win. But they are 2-0 in this postseason, a run that includes the upsetting of the No. 1-seeded Titans in the divisional round. They've also seen the Chiefs, pretty much at their best in Week 17 ... and Cincy came out ahead, 34-31, as the Bengals won in the final seconds on a field goal by rookie kicker Evan McPherson.
Maybe this would be "a Kickers Game,'' too. Problem? Cincy could really only muster one major defensive stop, at the goalline as the first half ended.
Experience matters; this is the Chiefs' fourth consecutive conference title game, and they are even more seasoned (and maybe more confident) after a matchup thriller against the Bills last week that was decided in overtime, with the strategic brilliance of Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce playing a key role.
But rookie Ja'Marr Chase has been a weapon for Burrow, and turnovers have been key - including Mahomes throwing one to open up the OT period.
In the first half, game, Burrow was 10 of 18 for 101 yards; Mahomes is 18 of 21 for 220.
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Those numbers evened out. Burrow finished 23 of 38 for 250 and two TDs. Mahomes was 26 of 39 for 275 - but two interceptions.
Early on? Tyreek Hill took over this game in the air for K.C, with a TD. Travis Kelce has done the same. And Mecole Hardman has the third TD catch.
But now? The Bengals are superior to the Chiefs, with McPherson kicking the OT winner on the way to a Super Bowl, while the Cowboys and Dak, Mahomes and the Chiefs, and the rest of us, watch and hope.
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