Getty Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws the ball from the pocket against the Kansas City Chiefs defense.
We are officially three days away from the Kansas City Chiefs’ fourth straight AFC championship game.
Their opponents — the Cincinnati Bengals — are less familiar with this territory. Although the franchise had postseason runs in years past, it’s their first under head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow.
This conference title matchup will also be held at Arrowhead Stadium, not Paul Brown Stadium. Despite all this, some NFL analysts seem to be talking about the Chiefs like they’re the underdog since KC lost to Cincy in Week 17.
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BK Corrects Brandt
On the January 27 segment of Good Morning Football, analysts Cris Carter and Kyle Brandt discussed the upcoming battle in the AFC final based on the talking point: “How significant is the Bengals win over the Chiefs in Week 17?”
How significant is the Bengals win over the Chiefs in Week 17?
@KyleBrandt: “What is especially relevant to me is the Chiefs didn’t make any mistakes in that game and they still lost.”
Carter called it an opportunity for the Bengals to feel out the Chiefs. “That’s what Cincinnati was able to do in a must-win situation for Kansas City,” he said. “You can’t make any excuses, everything was on the table. Cincinnati, they stood up… and they were able to do what Buffalo couldn’t do, they didn’t leave Patrick Mahomes any time on the clock.”
He continued: “These are young players that were great in college and now they’re getting their taste of being good at pro football, and it’s significant. When you go up against the Bradys, the Mahomes, the Rodgers, and you get some success? That’s significant. These young kids, they smell the blood in the water and they’re suddenly [like] I want to get more of that.”
That led to the comments in question. Brandt followed Carter, stating: “I think it has to be relevant, really has to be relevant, because what’s especially relevant to me is the Chiefs didn’t make any mistakes in that game and they still lost. Like, the Bengals beat Serena [Williams] and she had no unforced errors. There were no Chiefs turnovers in that game.”
Brandt went on to note that Mahomes is 20-3 all-time in games where he doesn’t turn the ball over. Before long, these remarks caught the attention of a Chiefs expert on Twitter, however.
KC radio host Brandon Kiley of “BK & Ferrario” and “The Danny Mac Show” wrote: “The Chiefs went with a zero blitz on 3rd & 27. They had 10 penalties for 83 yards, including one which wiped out a kickoff return for a touchdown & six (!!!) which led directly to Bengals first downs.”
The #Chiefs went with a zero blitz on 3rd & 27. They had 10 penalties for 83 yards, including one which wiped out a kickoff return for a touchdown & six (!!!) which led directly to Bengals first downs. t.co/NgCRThRsrw
Kiley added in a separate tweet: “Other than that, of course, the Chiefs were perfect and had no mistakes.”
‘BK’ is right on the money here. Maybe Mahomes didn’t throw any interceptions or lose any fumbles but this football team was far from perfect in Week 17 and they definitely did not play mistake-free as Brandt alleged.
They led by two touchdowns three different times in this game before blowing it late with penalties and defensive errors. There were also one or two calls that went Cincinnati’s way late in the game.
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Please, Take KC Lightly
We’ve seen this story hundreds of times in the NFL. The Bengals are the new kids on the block with the chip on their shoulder and after Week 17, they finally have the hype and support of the media.
The Chiefs are the modern-day juggernaut though, and Mahomes is the AFC’s new Brady. Until you beat the kings in a playoff game, the crown does not shift.
That’s not fandom talk, that’s a fact of the NFL world. This is nothing like Week 17, where Kansas City got out to a 14-0 lead before shooting themselves in the foot. This is a postseason matchup in a global spotlight and by the way, it’ll be played in front of the full-forced intensity of Chiefs Kingdom.
KC is still the favorite in this game and they should be, but there isn’t a player alive that doesn’t enjoy being looked at as the underdog. If the media is going to give this Chiefs roster reason to believe they’re being labeled as such at home, that’s extra motivation that both sides don’t need.