Bengals clinch AFC North. Browns eliminated – WQKT Sports Country Radio

Patrick Mahomes had a message for young Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase when the two met on the field after Cincinnati’s dramatic 34-31 win over Kansas City to clinch the AFC North title.

“Keep going — we’ll see you in the playoffs,” the Chiefs quarterback told Chase.

The Bengals (10-6) are finally back in the postseason, thanks to Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow, who both shattered team records on Sunday. Chase’s 266 receiving yards was more than Mahomes had passing (259) in the game.

Kansas City (11-5) had its eight-game winning streak snapped and fell out of the top seed in the AFC, ceding that spot to Tennessee.

The last Cincinnati playoff appearance was 2015 when the team started 8-0 and won the division, only to lose a bizarre wild-card game to the Steelers. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game in three decades.

Joe Burrow threw for 466 yards and four scores while outdueling Mahomes, and the Bengals rallied from three 14-point deficits against the AFC West champs, finally closing them out when rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired.

“That was fun,” said Burrow, who puffed on a victory cigar in the locker room that running back Joe Mixon had left for him a couple weeks ago.

The Bengals’ winning drive was filled with drama.

On fourth-and-inches with under a minute left, Cincinnati decided to go for a touchdown instead of calling on McPherson for a field goal and giving the Chiefs the ball back with a chance to win.

“I knew we’d go for it,” Burrow said. “They’ve got Patrick Mahomes on the other side. He could go down and win the game.”

Burrow threw incomplete in the end zone, but Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was flagged for illegal use of hands, giving the Bengals a fresh set of downs. With Burrow limping on the sideline, backup quarterback Brandon Allen was called on to kneel twice before McPherson came on for the game-winner.