One year after Kansas City ended Cincinnati's season in a dramatic AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs ended the Bengals' postseason hopes entirely in the exact same place on a cold New Year's Eve. Applying relentless pressure on Jake Browning, including four sacks on the final possession as he was trying to rally the Bengals for the tying score, the Chiefs held one of their biggest conference nemeses without a point over their final seven possessions in a 25-17 victory Sunday that clinched their eighth consecutive AFC West title. The Chiefs will be the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
The Bengals' confidence and playoff hopes came crashing down in Pittsburgh two days before Christmas. Cincinnati had won three straight games to sneak back into the playoff picture. Instead, Cincinnati (8-7) took a thorough beating by one of the worst offenses in the league.