Kansas City Chiefs (1) – Cincinnati Bengals (3): 23-20
At the end of the suspense. The match opposed two teams who knew how to produce big offensive actions, and particularly in the air, but it was above all the defenses that stood out and decided the fate of the match. Both squads were able to take the measure of their opponent to produce a stifling match that was decided at the last second.
At the fateful moment, 2 minutes from the end of the match, the enormous pressure from Kansas City took away the possibility of Joe Burrow going to snatch the win. And with 20 seconds to go, Cincinnati’s defense cost him the win with an inexcusable error.
Key Moment: Penalty for unnecessary violence with 20 seconds left
The stress is at its peak when the Chiefs are in midfield, with the hope of going for the winning field goal when the two opponents are tied and overtime is the most likely scenario. Patrick Mahomes, under pressure escapes on the right and runs along the sideline to gain a few yards, snatch a first down and stop the clock.
It was then that Joseph Ossaï decided to flatten the Chiefs quarterback out of bounds… The fault was called, 15 yards penalty and Harrison Butker only had to return the winning field goal. The Bengals can blame themselves, the Chiefs triumph.
Mahomes gives it his all for the first down!
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/fM5ertlhHi pic.twitter.com/z78Phcfkyp— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2023
Movie of the game
The start of the game is marked by the imprint of the Chiefs. Regularly putting Joe Burrow under pressure, the reds chained the sacks and immediately muzzled the Ohio Tigers. Offensively, they don’t hesitate to try exotic games straight away and it’s only because of penalties that they have to content themselves with sneaking in two field goals to light up the scoreboard.
The Bengals start the second inning with a nice series where Burrow alerts Tyler Boyd several times, and Cincinnati catches up somewhat with a kick. However, not enough to panic Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes connects with Marquez Valdes-Scantling before finding Travis Kelce in the paint. Especially since in the process the defense steals an interception on a forced pass, all is well for the reds. Cincinnati has its head under water, but isn’t drowned yet. In the last two minutes, the Tigers recover the leather, cross the whole field and snatch a new field goal to send the two teams back to the locker room with a single score difference.
The game resumed at the start of the second half. Burrow finds Tee Higgins in double coverage for an acrobatic touchdown reception, and the Tigers come back to even. For a short time, because arrived in the red zone the magician Mahomes delivers a laser to MVS which puts the Chiefs in front. The round ends with a new twist when Sam Hubbard lands on a fumble at the snap which returns the leather to the Bengals.
A splendid opportunity for the Tigers who convert a 4th&6 thanks to a 35-yard reception from Ja’Maar Chase. Samaje Perine forces full center to conclude, Cincinnati picks up again. And even if Burrow is intercepted on a long attempt on Higgins, he recovers the ball for what is meant to be the decisive drive. It is not the plans of Chris Jones who offer the possibility of winning his attack. The decision is made by a twist of fate. There are 20 seconds left and Mahomes is stuck in the middle of the field, too far to hope for a freeing kick. It will therefore be the tiger defense that will do the job. After Ossaï’s error, Harrison Butker only has to put an end to the match.
The MVP: Chris Jones (DT)
The Kansas City defensive tackle delivered an exemplary game. From the first playoffs Joe Burrow was under enormous pressure, and Jones was able to stop the Bengals quarterback when Cincinnati had the opportunity to win.
In the end Jones makes a statistical record of 4 tackles including 3 for loss, 2 sacks, and 5 QB hits. He is the true inner strength of the Chiefs defense
The flop: the indiscipline of the Bengals
Cincinnati can blame themselves. If the attack was unable to conclude 2 minutes from the end of regulation time, it was mainly the repeated penalties that regularly cut off the Tigers’ momentum. Like the incredible fault of Joseph Ossaï which costs the victory, the Bengals could have been much more decisive if they had been more disciplined. In the end, the 9 whistled penalties cost 71 yards and the game.
The stat: 41+34 = 75 yards
The racing game was not in the spotlight during the meeting. If we remove the flights of the two quarterbacks, the two teams were limited to producing 75 cumulative yards on the ground. This is simply half the yards garnered on kick returns in special teams. The proof that the two defensive lines were up to the event and forced the two formations to find the solutions by air.
And now ?
Despite the bravado of Eli Apple or the mayor of Cincinnati before the meeting, the Bengals stop on the penultimate step of the competition. Given the conditions of this setback, the defeat will be bitter in the locker room of the tigers.
For Kansas City, it’s the long-awaited return to the finals for a confrontation with the Eagles, which will simply offer an opposition between the two best NFL teams of the season.
