Getty Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (left) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (right).
When the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 34-31 in Week 17, second-year quarterback Joe Burrow had a near-perfect outing and one of the best games of his young career.
In that game, Burrow completed 30-of-39 pass attempts for 446 yards, four touchdowns, and had zero turnovers. The ability to exchange blows with the high-powered Kansas City offense panned out well for the Bengals, even if a few calls by the officials did work in Cincinnati’s favor late in that game.
The Bengals used that game as a measuring stick for what they need to do to beat the Chiefs yet again when they face each other in the AFC Championship Game. That’s why Burrow knows exactly what he needs to do in order to beat Mahomes for the second time this season.
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Burrow Needs to be ‘Near Perfect’ vs. Mahomes
During his press conference on Friday, January 27, Burrow detailed what it takes to beat Mahomes, especially in January.
“Near perfect [play]. I think, you know, every week of the playoffs has proven that. It goes through Kansas City, and Patrick Mahomes has been near perfect for four years — however many years he’s been starting — so that’s what it’s going to take for me,” Burrow explained.
“It’s not just a quarterback-driven game, it’s a team-driven game. But I think wins and losses usually come down to how each quarterback plays.”
Mahomes’ Message to Young Quarterbacks
For young quarterbacks that don’t quite have the experience Mahomes does in big moments, the Chiefs’ star quarterback offered some advice on how to stay calm and keep control of the huddle.
“I think it all goes down to focus. It’s about doing what you’re expected to do every single play, Mahomes said during his press conference on Friday, January 27. “You kind of have a little checklist of what you’re looking for, what you need to recognize and the answers that you have. Coach (Andy) Reid, Coach (Eric) Bieniemy, and Coach (Mike) Kafka give me those answers before every single play, so I try to recognize the coverage, diagnose that, have answers and then go and do my job.
“You can’t put too much on yourself. You have to let these other guys make plays and we have a lot of great guys around me so I think that’s why it kind of goes down,” Mahomes continued. “I’m just going through my checklist and trying to focus on what I need to do in order to have success and luckily enough it worked in our favor this last week.”
This is advice that could be helpful to Burrow, who is in the midst of his first-ever NFL postseason. However, he’s already proving to be very focused in big moments, much like he was during his time at LSU.
Key to Chiefs Beating Bengals
If Kansas City’s defense wants to prevent the kind of performance Burrow had in Week 17 from happening during the Conference Championship, they need to consistently collapse the pocket around him. That’s something the Tennessee Titans showed is very possible in the postseason against a weak Bengals offensive line.
During Cincinnati’s 19-16 win over Tennessee in the AFC Divisional Round, the Titans’ defense sacked Burrow nine times, which tied an NFL postseason record. The constant pressure on the young QB kept the score low and the big plays seldom for a Cincinnati offense that thrives on big plays.
Titans get their 6th sack, their Defense is doing all they can to stop Joe Burrow and this Bengals Offense
#Titans | #Bengals | #RuleTheJungle | #NFL
With a front that includes Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and Melvin Ingram, winning one-on-one matchups and pressuring Burrow is something the Chiefs’ defensive line should be able to do. However, if they don’t, and Burrow has ample time in the pocket, we’ve seen what he can do to Kansas City’s defense.
If the latter were to be the case, then the Chiefs will need a Patrick Mahomes performance nearly identical to the one he displayed against the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. It’s only then that Kansas City could beat the Bengals and advance to the Super Bowl.
The AFC Championship Game will take place on Sunday, January 30 at Arrowhead Stadium at 2 p.m. Arrowhead time.