Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs win controversial AFC Championship vs. Bengals

Patrick Mahomes completed 29 of 43 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns as the Kansas City Chiefs booked their tickets for Glendale and Super Bowl LVII.

So much for all the trash-talking by the Cincinnati Bengals. 23-20 later, they return the Lamar Hunt Trophy back to Arrowhead, yes, Arrowhead Stadium. Perhaps mayor Aftab Pureval should have kept quiet. The same with Eli Apple and Mike Hilton.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom gets set to meet Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles in two weeks. Kelce? That surrounds familiar. Oh yes, it is Travis’ brother. Brother vs brother in the big show, with bragging rights at stake. Kansas City certainly has the arsenal to do it, and they proved it against a team that got the better of them a year prior.

Kelce’s seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown made a key difference, as did Marquez Valdes-Scantling with his six catches for 116 yards and a score and rookie Isaiah Pacheco’s 59 yards on five catches. Defensively, the Chiefs took advantage of an undermanned Bengals offensive line, making life extremely uncomfortable for Joe Burrow all day long.

Burrow finished 26-41 for 270 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Joe Mixon was held to 19 yards, and Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for 158 yards and one touchdown on twelve receptions. Cincinnati’s defense, though strong at times, wasn’t able to close the deal, especially their secondary (Mike Hilton and Eli Apple), who made the most noise leading up to the conference championship.

Patrick Mahomes takes the Kansas City Chiefs to Super Bowl LVII as the AFC representative

However, we can’t leave without addressing the elephant in the room. Officiating in the fourth quarter. Don’t kid yourselves, it was beyond atrocious, and at times, you had to wonder if, as many would say, “the fix was in.” Still, it should never have to come to that for the Bengals, and they have to deal with the loss as a result.

Additionally, the trash-talking backfired in the worst way, and there is no telling what will happen to the Bengals in the future. Seizing the opportunity is rare, and unfortunately, Cincinnati didn’t do it. They will still be a good team, but they were given a raw end of the deal at the end of the game.

In contrast, the Chiefs are heading to the big show. It will be Andy Reid going up against the team he once coached and had years of success with. Moreover, as stated before, Jason Kelce will get the opportunity to go up against Travis Kelce.

The question is, which brother will get the last laugh? That will be determined in two weeks’ time. For now, they have a chance to enjoy the moment and prepare for travel to the desert.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs, the 2022 AFC Champions. They are bound for Super Bowl LVII.