Bengals’ Zac Taylor addresses media after win over Buffalo Bills

On Jan 23, 2023

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is aware of what will be talked about in the media this week as they get ready to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC Championship game.

It’s the fourth meeting between these teams in 13 months and Cincinnati is 3-0 against the Chiefs with Joe Burrow starting at quarterback.

Can they make it four times in a row? That’s not how Taylor is looking at it.

“We have to beat them one time in a row,” Taylor said on Monday afternoon.

The Chiefs are hosting the AFC Championship game for the fifth straight year. This extends the Chiefs’ NFL record of four straight home conference championship games. To put into context how important star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been to this franchise, Kansas City never hosted an AFC Championship game before he arrived in 2018. Mahomes has played in this game every year since he’s been the team’s starter.

If there’s one team that has the Chiefs’ number, it’s the Bengals.

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Cincinnati’s first win against the Chiefs came on Jan. 2 of the 2021 season. These clubs met again in the AFC Championship game when the Bengals came from behind to upset Kansas City in overtime and advance to Super Bowl 56. The third meeting came this season when the Bengals hosted the Chiefs and won 27-24.

Each time these teams have played, the win margin has been three points. It’s safe to think Sunday’s contest will follow suit.

Taylor is focused on keeping the Bengals focused on the future, not the past. It’s a disservice for his team to get caught up in what they’ve been able to do to Kansas City in previous meetings because of how much NFL teams change week in and out.

“At the end of the day, it feels like we played them a really long time ago,” Taylor said. “I don’t even know how many games ago it was, to be quite honest with you. I don’t even know what month it was in but you know teams continue to evolve. And different strengths pop up, different weaknesses pop up. So you got to do the whole game planning thing all over again and get your guys ready to go play in a tough environment against a great team.”

The Bengals have won 10 games in a row. The last time they lost was on Halloween night in Cleveland.

Kansas City finished the regular season 14-3 to secure the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They earned a first-round bye and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round at home. Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain in the game and it significantly impacted how the Chiefs played on offense.

Known for his mobility, Mahomes’ ability to scramble and make off-schedule plays is his biggest strength. So, if his ankle limits him, it could be a factor in the outcome of the game.

Kansas City head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes will play against the Bengals regardless of the injury. His injury status will be monitored throughout the week but regardless of if he’s dealing with an injury, the Bengals have plenty of respect for what he can do.

Mahomes is likely to win the NFL’s MVP for the second time in his six-year career after this season.