11 shining stars from Bengals’ AFC Championship victory vs. Chiefs
Cincinnati Bengals Shining Stars
9. Joe Mixon
It was baffling why Zac Taylor continued to run the ball, especially on first downs, but even with that being the case, Joe Mixon had a good game. He finished with more carries than fans would have cared to see (21 but for 88 yards) and also had three catches for 27 yards including a clutch-one-hander.
It’d be nice to see Mixon get more chunk plays when he does get the ball but for now, it’s hard not to consider him a star when he finished with 115 scrimmage yards.
8. Ja’Marr Chase
This wasn’t the kind of game fans were expecting to see from Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with six catches for 54 yards but did find the end zone for a clutch-as-they-come touchdown reception to put the team ahead for the first time in the game.
Chase destroyed the Chiefs the first time these two teams met and it was clear that Steve Spagnuolo wasn’t going to let that happen again. They did a good job for the most part of bottling Chase up but he still got his at the end of the day. He also had another incredible block that helped get Perine into the end zone in the first half.
Ja’Marr Chase did it again.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) January 30, 2022
Just like in Detroit, Chase created a touchdown with an incredible block down the field. Few No. 1 receivers are making that type of play.
With the touchdown on the screen to Perine, the Bengals make it a 21-10 game.
7. Offensive Line
After giving up nine sacks on Burrow against the Titans, the o-line tightened up for this game. Burrow was sacked just one time and hit four times in total. There were several Houdini acts by Burrow to get away from the pass-rushers and that’s the stuff of legends, man.
Either way, let’s give the o-line some props here. They were ridiculed all week long but protected their quarterback well on Sunday afternoon.