Patrick Mahomes completed one of the greatest late-game comebacks in NFL history last week. Now, Mahomes will face off against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship.
As was the case with the game against the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes will have to beat a team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs during the regular season. The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Bengals by three points in Week 17, but the Chiefs are favored by 7.5 points in the AFC Championship according to NFL betting lines from BetMGM.
Will Mahomes continue to dominate, or will the Bengals pull off the upset? Read on to learn more about how this Bengals defense stacks up against the Kansas City offense.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs Game Information
- Date: Sunday, January 30th
- Time: 3 PM ET
- Venue: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Line: Kansas City Chiefs -7.5
Mahomes Already Proved He Can Beat the NFL’s Best Defense
The Buffalo Bills allowed the fewest yards per game of any team during the regular season, but Patrick Mahomes carved up the Bills for 378 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Not only is Mahomes playing at an elite level right now, but he has playmakers all around him. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce accounted for over 256 yards of offense against Buffalo, and few teams in the NFL have players on defense who can match up with either of them.
The Bengals pass defense ranks 26th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Cincinnati is giving up an average of 248.3 passing yards per game this year. The Chiefs are giving up 251 passing yards per game, which makes me think this could turn into a shootout. Cincinnati has a stout run defense that ranks eighth in the NFL in yards allowed per game, so I believe Kansas City might lean heavily on its passing game.
The Bengals Didn’t Let Mahomes Beat Them in Week 17
The Chiefs successfully ran the ball the last time they played the Bengals, rushing for 155 yards as a team. However, the run game didn’t help the Chiefs win, as the Bengals put up 475 yards of offense. I believe the Chiefs may be more aggressive with the passing game in the AFC Championship.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 259 yards in the Week 17 matchup against the Bengals. I’m expecting Mahomes to go over this number this week. The Chiefs could be without their best pass defender in Tyrann Mathieu, making it more likely this game turns into a shootout.
Analyzing Patrick Mahomes’ Chances to Perform Well on Sunday
Patrick Mahomes is playing exceptionally well right now. The best defense in the NFL couldn’t stop Mahomes, and there’s little reason for me to believe the Bengals will slow him down. Neither the Chiefs nor the Bengals have a good pass defense, which means there should be plenty of opportunities for Mahomes to rack up passing yards.
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