Ty’s Take: Looking Back on the AFC Championship Game

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime to win the AFC Championship game. The Bengals were coming into this game as 7 point underdogs even though they had beaten the Chiefs at Paul Brown Stadium 34-31 in their last matchup. Most of the national media believed that the Bengals have had an amazing run but beating the Chiefs a second time at home was going to be a difficult task.

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I arrived in Kansas City on Saturday along with four of my buddies, all of them lifelong Bengal fans. Much like me, they were very excited to watch our Bengals play for a chance to win the AFC title and a shot at getting into the Super Bowl. We pretty much spent the day getting to know the area and driving by Arrowhead Stadium since none of us had been there before. Every Chief fan we encountered was friendly and willing to go out of their way to help us. Real quick if you want to place a bet on this year’s Super Bowl click here for the best places to bet!

Gameday was electrifying and we all headed down early in the morning to tailgate with the thousand other Bengal fans who made the eight-hour trip to watch their favorite team. The sea of orange and black that filled the stadium parking lot was overwhelming and a sense of pride for this team showed on each Bengal fan I encountered. Much like in Nashville many Kansas City fans were shocked by the sheer number of fans that entered their stadium with their steady chant of “Who Dey”. The game started much as it did in week seventeen with the Chiefs taking a commanding lead of 21-3. The Bengal’s defense had a huge stop right before halftime when Eli Apple tackled Tyreek Hill before the end zone which led to the end of the half and the Chiefs with no extra points.

Stats have proven time and time again that this is a second-half team. The Bengals came out to play and rolled off 24 consecutive points to take the lead. The Chiefs were able to tie the game up at regulation and their fans were looking for their quarterback Patrick Mahomes to save the day. The Chiefs won the coin toss and Arrowhead stadium went crazy only to be disappointed when Patrick Mahomes threw an interception and Bengals kicker Evan “Shooter” McPherson kicked a field goal to seal the deal for the win.

All my life I have been a devoted Bengals fan so to be sitting in the stands of Arrowhead Stadium and watching McPherson kick the winning field goal to send us to the Super Bowl LVI was an incredible experience. The emotions that came over me were hard to explain but looking around I knew I was not the only one. The stands were filled with old and young Bengal fans alike who have been waiting a lifetime to experience this feeling. Most of the Bengal fans stayed around to see this team be awarded the AFC Lamar Hunt Trophy. Unfortunately, the Chiefs organization took the loss super hard and decided to turn off the jumbotrons and shut off the PA system so many fans were unable to fully experience the Lamar Hunt Trophy celebration. Once again this has no reflection on all the loyal Chiefs fans that were gracious and friendly even after their loss.

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I would like to thank my buddies Gene Williams, Bill Hutson, Steve Hutson, and Scott Hauff for sharing their love for the Bengals as well as making this the best Bengals trip yet. These are true Bengals fans who, like me, have spent their entire lives going to Bengal games always hoping and dreaming that one day our team would compete for a Super Bowl. All that is left now is to watch the Bengals defeat the L.A. Rams at SoFi Stadium and hear the two best announcers in Dan Hoard and Dave Lapham say at the end of the game “Coffin nails….Bam, Bam, Bam.