3 Chiefs weaknesses that the Bengals need to exploit in AFC Championship

For the second straight year, it'll be the Cincinnati Bengals against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The winner advances to the Super Bowl. The loser is mocked until the attention shifts to whoever loses the Super Bowl.

With so much at stake, let's turn our attention to the Chiefs' biggest weaknesses entering this game and how the Bengals can take advantage of those weaknesses.

Chiefs Special Teams Have Been Anything But Special

The Chiefs used to be a team known for their prolific special teams units but those days are far gone. First off, Harrison Butker -- the former kicker who used to be nearly automatic when attempting a field goal or extra point -- has been far from automatic this season.

Butker was injured in the Chiefs' first game of the season and hasn't been the same since, finishing the season just 18-of-24 for a field goal percentage of 75.0, the worst of his career by a wide margin. He did miss four games but still. Butker also missed three extra points during the season.

Butker did have a nice game in the Chiefs' divisional round win over Jacksonville, knocking through all five kicks asked of him. Butker might have rebounded in that game but the rest of the special teams did not, allowing two big returns from the Jaguars' special teams. Heck, Butker made a touchdown-saving play in the fourth quarter that helped keep KC ahead on the scoreboard.

The Bengals need to be aggressive in the return game because this Chiefs special teams unit has not been good in that department. They also need to force KC into field goal situations because Butker isn't the same guy he used to be. It could be the difference in the game.