3 keys to victory for the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game

For the second straight year, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals will be headed to Arrowhead Stadium for a meeting with the number one-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals have won the last three meetings all by thin margins (two coming in Cincinnati). Patrick Mahomes will be playing on a high ankle sprain that he suffered against Jacksonville, However, he fully participated in practice Wednesday.

The Bengals will look to do something that isn't done often and that is return to the Super Bowl the year after losing in it. Although, the winner of Sunday evening's game will be facing a new team as the Los Angeles Rams failed to make the postseason.

The San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles kick off at 3 PM ET, so Cincinnati or Kansas City will know its opponent heading into the matchup.

Here's how the Bengals can win this game and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

3. Get ball out quickly

The critics were all worried about how the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line would fair without three starters all year but they rose to the occasion and dominated the front of the Buffalo Bills all game long.

Jackson Carman made his first career start at left tackle and showed major improvements from the last time he got reps for the Bengals as a starting guard. Burrow was sacked one time on Sunday and he ended the day throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bengals also rushed for over 170 yards on the ground. Burrow did get the ball out relatively quickly but there were multiple occasions where he sat back in the pocket, made his read, and executed with time to step into his throws.

The Chiefs' pass rush isn't a powerhouse but Frank Clark and Chris Jones will present struggles throughout the game. If Burrow can continue to get the ball out quickly this Cincinnati offense is tough to stop.