The No. 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs are one game away from making it back to the Super Bowl for a third consecutive season.
After a 3-4 start, the Chiefs rallied to win eight straight games and nine of their last 10 during the regular season. Kansas City got off to a slow start against the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Wild Card Weekend, but it didn’t take long for Patrick Mahomes to heat up en route to a five-touchdown performance that resulted in a dominant 42-21 victory.
Next up was the Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of the AFC Championship game from the 2020 season. It was the final game of an incredible slate of Divisional Round matchups. After the first three games of the weekend were all decided by a walk-off field goal, the Bills and Chiefs decided to add even more spice, combining for 25 points in the final two minutes of the game and heading into overtime after a Harrison Butker 49-yard game-tying field goal. The Chiefs scored on the opening possession, and because of the NFL’s overtime rules, the Bills didn’t get a chance to respond. The Chiefs won it 42-36 and will now face the Bengals in the AFC Championship game.
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Wild Card round results
- 42-21 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Divisional round results
- 42-36 victory against the Buffalo Bills (OT)
2021 NFL Draft picks
- Round 2: No. 58 – Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
- Round 2: No. 63 – Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
- Round 4: No. 144 (compensatory) – Joshua Kaindoh, DE, Florida State
- Round 5: No. 162 (from MIA through LV and NYJ) – Noah Gray, TE, Duke
- Round 5: No. 181 (compensatory) – Cornell Powell, WR, Clemson
- Round 6: No. 226 (from CAR through NYJ) – Trey Smith, G, Tennessee
READ MORE: Chiefs draft picks 2021: All of Kansas City’s selections, NFL draft results
Key personnel: Coaches and players
- Head coach: Andy Reid
- Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes
- Wide receiver: Tyreek Hill
- Tight end: Travis Kelce
- Safety: Tyrann Mathieu
- Defensive end: Melvin Ingram
Chiefs regular season results
- Overall record: 12-5
- Key wins/biggest win of the season: 48-9 victory against Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14
Chiefs recent playoff history
- Won sixth straight AFC West title this season… Lost Super Bowl LV to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 season
Looking ahead to Bengals vs. Chiefs in the AFC Championship
Mahomes and the Chiefs will host Joe Burrow and the Bengals on Sunday. The two teams met in Week 17 of the regular season in Cincinnati, with the Bengals pulling off one of the biggest wins of their season, a 34-31 victory on a 20-yard Evan McPherson field goal in the final seconds. This time, however, they’ll be in Chiefs country at Arrowhead Stadium, with Kansas City coming off a thrilling overtime win over the Bills. That Divisional game was one of the all-time greats, with Mahomes showcasing what makes him so special at the quarterback position, and playmakers like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce stepping up in key moments (Hill had 11 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown, while Kelce snagged the game-winning eight-yard touchdown reception in overtime).
The Bengals win in the Divisional Round came despite Burrow being sacked nine times, which equaled a playoff record, and Kansas City will likely look to exploit an offensive line that’s shown its shortcomings in protecting the quarterback. On the offensive side of the ball, the Chiefs have scored 42 points in each of their playoff wins, with Mahomes going 33/44 for 378 pass yards and 3 touchdowns against the Bills. The Bengals pass defense struggled in the regular season, allowing 248.4 yards per game (7th-most in the NFL).
Including playoffs, the Chiefs are 9-2 at home this season, but the Bengals have already shown their ability to win on the road in the postseason against a higher-seeded opponent.
RELATED: Chiefs favored by 7 over Bengals, Rams favored by 3 over 49ers
Regular season record against playoff teams
In the regular season, the Chiefs went 6-3 against the Bengals.
Wins:
- 42-30 vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4
- 13-7 vs. Green Bay Packers in Week 9
- 41-14 vs. Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10
- 19-9 vs. Dallas Cowboys in Week 11
- 48-9 vs. Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14
- 36-10 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16
Losses:
- 38-20 vs. Buffalo Bills in Week 5
- 27-3 vs. Tennessee Titans in Week 7
- 34-31 vs. Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17
How can I watch and live stream Super Bowl 2022?
- When: Sunday, February 13, 2022
- Where: SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California
- TV Channel: NBC
- Live stream: Peacock, NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com
- Follow along with ProFootballTalk and NBC Sports for NFL news, updates, scores, injuries and more
Be sure to check back after each game for final scores and follow ProFootballTalk for more on the 2022 NFL Playoffs as well as game previews, recaps, news, rumors, and more.
