Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs Preview & Tips - Bengals To Cover In NFL Playoffs

Gary Emmerson

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Last updated: 29 Jan 2022

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Gary Emmerson 29 Jan 2022

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Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs tips for Sunday, January 30
AFC Championship Game gets underway at 18:05 GMT at Arrowhead
Preview, stats & head-to-head

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Arrowhead stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. (Getty Images)

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Cincinnati Bengals Recent Form
Kansas City Chiefs Recent Form
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs FAQ

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs Preview & Tips

Cincinnati are backed to cover the spread in the AFC Championship Game.

The Bengals have already beaten Kansas City this season and have the tools to push the Chiefs again.

They are capable of another upset and we are backing them to at least keep this within to within a touchdown.

Cincinnati beat Kansas City 34-31 in the regular season
Cincinnati Bengals have covered in 7 of their 9 road games
Cincinnati Bengals have covered in each of their last 6 games
Cincinnati Bengals have covered in 5 of their 6 road games as a betting underdog
Kansas City Chiefs have allowed 6 passing touchdowns in the playoffs so far
Ja’Marr Chase scored 3 touchdowns vs Kansas City in the regular season
The Over has hit in Kansas City’s last 7 games
Cincinnati & Kansas City combined for 65 points in the regular season meeting

Head To Head

Cincinnati Bengals lead the all-time series 16-14
Cincinnati Bengals won 34-31 when the teams met on January 2

Cincinnati Bengals Recent Form

Cincinnati go into the AFC Championship Game in good form having won five of their last six games.

The Bengals started December with back-to-back losses but snapped their skid with a 15-10 win in Denver.

They followed that up with a 41-21 home win over Baltimore before knocking off Sunday’s opponents, Kansas City, 34-31.

That three-game streak allowed them to rest their starters for the Week 18 loss at Cleveland.

The stars returned in the Wildcard Round and Joe Burrow led the Bengals to a 26-19 win over Las Vegas

That victory was sealed with a Germaine Prat interception on the Cincinnati two-yard line with just 17 seconds left.

There was further drama in the Divisional Round clash with number one seeds Tennessee.

The game looked to be headed to overtime until Logan Wilson picked off Ryan Tanehill with just 47 seconds to go.

Three plays later Evan McPherson stepped up to nail a 52-yard walk-off field goal to give Cincy a 19-16 win over the Titans.

QB Joe Burrow goes into the AFC Championship Game 418/520 for 5,203 yards, 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase has now had back-to-back 100-yard games in the postseason, taking his season tallt to 1,680 yards and 13 touchdowns off 99 receptions.

Tee Higgins (1,197 yards, six TDs) and Tyler Boyd (871 yards, six TDs) are also key cogs in the passing game.

In the backfield, Joe Mixon now has 1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, as well as 393 yards receiving and three further scores.

Cincinnati’s defense has delivered in the postseason too, giving up just 17.5 points per game while racking up five takeaways.

Kansas City Chiefs Recent Form

Kansas City go into their fourth straight AFC Championship appearance with 11 wins in their last 12 games.

The Chiefs endured an early-season crisis when they lost four of their first seven games, but their response was emphatic.

They won four straight games prior to the bye week, knocking off three playoff-bound teams.

They then extended that streak to eight games before suffered a 34-31 defeat at the hands of Sunday’s opponents, Cincinnati.

KC bounced back a week later though, signing off for the regular season with a 28-24 win in Denver.

That set up a Wildcard Weekend meeting with Pittsburgh and they dominated the Steelers on their way to a 42-21 victory.

Their 42-36 Divisional Round win over Buffalo was much more competitive as the two teams put on a show that eventually went to overtime.

They looked to be heading out when Josh Allen hit Gabriel Davis for a touchdown with 17 seconds to go.

However, that was enough time for Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce to get KC into field goal range, allowing Harrison Butker to convert a 49-yard attempt to force OT

And after winning the toss Mahomes led the Chiefs downfield and hit Kelce for a game-winning TD.

QB Mahomes is now 499/741 for 45 touchdowns and 14 interceptions after his big games against Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

Hill leads the team in receiving with 1,446 yards and 11 TDs, while Kelce has 1,329 receiving yards and 10 scores. He also has a rushing score.

RB Darrel Williams has 1,014 yards from scrimmage and eight TDs for the season, and he will be aiming to make his return from a toe injury in time for this one.

If he is absent, Clyde Edwards-Helaire (746 yards from scrimmage, seven TDs) will be the lead back with support from Jerick McKinnon (389 yards from scrimmage, two TDs).