Well, well, well, here we are. It’s the AFC Championship game and somehow, someway the Cincinnati Bengals are in it! This is an exciting time for Bengals fans and the city of Cincinnati but the one opponent standing in the way of Cincy punching their ticket to the Super Bowl is the very team that has represented the AFC in it the past two years — the Kansas City Chiefs.
KC has now hosted four-straight AFC title games, going 2-1 during that time. They lost to the Patriots, beat the Titans, and then beat the Bills in the past three AFC title games, for those who couldn’t remember.
Madden incorrectly picked the Bengals-Titans divisional round game last week, predicting a 7-point victory for the home team. It did look as though Tennessee would win but with less than two minutes remaining, Ryan Tannehill threw a pick, and, Well — The rest is history.
Let’s see how Madden thinks things will go this week!
Madden Simulation – Bengals 24, Chiefs 33
Bengals Stats
- Joe Burrow – 32-of-43, 343 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, Lost fumble
- Joe Mixon – 13 carries, 82 yards, TD
- Tee Higgins – 7 rec, 98 yards, TD
- Tyler Boyd – 5 rec, 64 yards
- C.J. Uzomah – 2 rec, 18 yards, TD
- Logan Wilson – 12 tackles
- Sam Hubbard – Sack
- Mike Hilton – INT
Chiefs Stats
- Patrick Mahomes – 37-of-50, 406 yards, 3 TD, INT
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 17 carries, 62 yards
- Jerrick McKinnon – 14 carries, 38 yards, TD
- Travis Kelce – 11 rec, 116 yards, TD
- Tyreek Hill – 7 rec, 97 yards, TD
- Mecole Hardman – 3 rec, 48 yards, TD
- Nick Bolton – 9 tackles; Fumble recovery
- Chris Jones – 2.5 sacks
- Melvin Ingram – Sack
- Frank Clark – Sack
- L’Jarius Sneed – INT
- Rashad Fenton – INT
The Bengals get the ball first and it ends with a bad punt that gives KC great field position. Mahomes takes advantage of the opportunity and the Chiefs go up 7-0 when he connects with Hill for a 17-yard touchdown.
On their next drive, the Bengals manage to get something going but unfortunately, Burrow is sacked and loses the ball. Bolton scoops it up and once again, the Chiefs are in business. Once again, Kansas City takes advantage, this time with a McKinnon 9-yard touchdown run. 14-0 bad guys.
Cincinnati gets on the board with their next possession, as Evan McPherson knocks through a 43-yard field goal. It’s 14-3 Chiefs as the first quarter comes to an end.
The second quarter is a boring one in comparison, as the teams trade punts a few times before KC once again finds themselves in the red zone. With three minutes to go until the half, they start running the ball to wind the clock and the half ends with a Harrison Butker chip shot field goal. It’s 17-3 Kansas City at halftime.
Unfortunately for Cincy, the Chiefs get the ball first to start the half and they double up on points. Mahomes finds a wide-open Hardman just four plays into the second half to get KC a 23-3 lead. Butker misses the extra point.
With the good guys now trailing by 20 points, it’s time to get this offense in gear! Burrow doesn’t waste any time, getting his squad down the field in just a few plays. On the seventh play of the drive, he connects with Uzomah on a 14-yard touchdown to make the score somewhat respectable at 23-10.
Things get interesting when Mahomes throws a pick to Hilton on the next drive, setting Cincy up in a goal-to-go situation. The stripes take advantage, as Mixon punches it in from seven yards out. It’s now 23-17 Chiefs.
With the Bengals now breathing down their necks, KC makes it a point to hold onto the ball as long as possible. Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon combine for 10 carries on this drive and it takes us down to the end of the third quarter with the score favoring Kansas City.
Three plays into the fourth quarter, the Chiefs are faced with a 4th-and-5 and opt to kick the field goal. Butker connects from 24 yards out and it’s 26-17, Chiefs.
Just as it looks like Burrow is about to make magic happen once again, he throws a costly pick to Sneed, who gives the KC offense great field position. Mahomes doesn’t waste time in trying to put a nail in the Bengals’ coffin, hitting Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown, making it 33-17 Chiefs.
There’s still time in this game for Burrow to make something happen but unfortunately, he’s sacked in field goal range on 2nd-and-3 and then throws a pick on the next play. The Chiefs’ offense runs the ball on three straight plays to run the clock and Cincinnati gets the ball back just before the 2:00 warning.
While Burrow does find Higgins in the end zone to get the game within reach, the Chiefs recover the onside kick and bleed the rest of the clock. Ball game. The Bengals come up one game short of making the Super Bowl and the Chiefs advance to their third straight.
This would be a heartbreaking game for Cincinnati, so let’s hope Madden is wrong with its simulation.