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"See you in the playoffs."
Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals (12-7) hit the road for the
AFC Championship game on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium with
Mahomes and the Chiefs (14-5) riding high following a 42-36
overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoffs.
"We play really good on the road," a red-nosed Burrow, replete
with stocking cap and sweatshirt, said before Wednesday's frigid
practice of the team's 6-3 road record this season. "You want to
get out to a strong start. You can't let a team like this get
out in front of you. They put a lot of pressure on you on
defense."
Cincinnati has the only win over the Chiefs since Oct. 24 and
Burrow passed for 446 yards and four scores. He was sacked four
times.
"These young quarterbacks are great for this league and he's one
of them," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Burrow. "He's a
heckuva football player. He does a nice job. He's a coach's kid
that knows the game and kind of gets it."
Perhaps the biggest health concern on either team is Chiefs
safety Tyrann Mathieu. He missed practice Wednesday and remains
in concussion protocol, but Reid said there's a chance he'll be
on the field Thursday.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the Bengals plan to spend "a
lot of time" working on protection of Burrow. He was hit 13
times at Tennessee and sacked five times in the first half
alone. Taylor said noise at Arrowhead comes with the territory,
and the peripheral complications -- silent counts, Burrow
calling plays due to headset challenges -- aren't easy to
replicate in practice.
"Arrowhead is pretty loud," Mahomes said. "I don't think you can
get around that. I'm sure it'll be pretty loud this weekend.
They're coming in trying to win a big football game. But I'm
glad we're at Arrowhead and we're able to use our crowd to our
advantage in trying to get a win."
Burrow offers mostly a pained smirk when the prospect of being
cast as the underdog bubbles up again for the Bengals. The Jan.
2 win over Kansas City has been a confidence-building rallying
cry since the 34-31 win in Ohio. Rookie first-round pick Ja'Marr
Chase was fourth in the NFL with 1,455 receiving yards and 13
touchdowns. Chase set career bests with 11 receptions for 266
yards and three touchdowns against Kansas City in the Week 17
clash.
Chase said he "didn't watch" last week's game to study how the
Chiefs handled Gabriel Davis of the Bills, who exploded for 201
yards and four TDs, while Buffalo's No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs
had three catches for seven yards plus a two-point conversion
pass.
"They're a great defense, they're a great secondary," Chase said
Wednesday.
But familiarity is a two-way street. Mahomes gets another look
at the Bengals defense, too, playing in his fourth straight
conference title game. He's 8-2 in the playoffs with 25
touchdowns and five interceptions.
"It's hard to beat a team twice," Bengals safety Vonn Bell said.
"Especially that caliber, those guys are always in the
postseason, the Super Bowl. That's what we're trying to do."
A win would put the Bengals in the Super Bowl for the first time
since 1988 (SB XXIII). Kansas City is the first team to host
four consecutive NFL conference championship games. A Chiefs'
victory puts the franchise in elite company with three others
who have played in three consecutive Super Bowls (Miami
Dolphins, 1971-73), Buffalo Bills (1990-93) and New England
Patriots (2016-18).
"I've been in some of these situations before, I've been in some
big games ... I know what it takes to go out there and find a
way to win," Mahomes said. "I think preparation and experience
helps me in those situations."
In his playoff career, including LSU, Burrow is 6-0 with a 69.7
completion percentage, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions. He's
2-0 in the NFL playoffs, beating the Raiders and Titans despite
being sacked 11 times this postseason. He's the first No. 1
overall draft pick to start in a conference championship game
within his first two seasons.
--Field Level Media
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