2.Bengals were penalized 9 times for 71 yards
The Bengals were one of the least penalized teams in the league coming into this game but you'd never have known that while watching the AFC title game. They had nine flags thrown in their direction, costing them 71 yards.
The most-talked about penalty didn't end up having as big of an impact on the game, fortunately, as it was the infamous "fifth down" situation. Eli Apple then was called for a holding call but the Bengals defense forced a Chiefs punt.
While Joseph Ossai's boneheaded decision to push Patrick Mahomes out of bounds wasn't smart, he can't be doing things like that. Mahomes was out of bounds and there was no need to push him. That penalty got the Chiefs into field goal range and they went on to kick the game-winning field goal.
Comparing the Bengals' nine penalties to the Chiefs' four penalties shows that it was a huge factor in the game. Bengals fans will argue that the team was getting a raw deal with calls but sadly, that's how it goes sometimes.