AFC Championship Game: 5 bold predictions for Chiefs vs. Bengals

2. Andy Reid will write another chip in his book of bad clock management

Outside of the Bengals offense carving up the Kansas City secondary in the latter part of the game, the self-inflicted nonsense will largely contribute to this game being closer than expected. Lost in the Chiefs’ thrilling win over Buffalo was the worst play call in Andy Reid’s coaching career. Blowing it on third-down with a Travis Kelce read-option in the red zone was just unfathomable.

Though he will not have another Joe Judge-level special with he and Bieniemy’s game plan, once again, the Andy Reid School of Clock Management will rear its ugly head. Look for him to burn a timeout in the worst possible moment and giving the Bengals way too much time to attempt their come-from-behind upset bid. Reid may be beloved by everyone, but he struggles with the clock.

1. Kansas City pass rush will prove too powerful for Joe Burrow to overcome

This is the biggest reason why the Chiefs will be going back to the Super Bowl. Though Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is not going to sack Burrow a Ferris Bueller nine times on Sunday, Cincinnati’s offensive line will be the Bengals’ undoing. Look for Kansas City to sack Burrow four times with a flurry of quarterback hurries sprinkled in between but he will have only one turnover.

Down six with two minutes and change left, Burrow will have a chance to lead the Bengals to a Super Bowl. One methodical pass after another, he will have the Bengals in the red zone with two timeouts left inside of a minute. Unfortunately, a well-designed pass rush will result in a tipped pass that lands in the hands of a Chiefs safety. Chiefs Kingdom rejoices during victory formation.

The Chiefs will be going back to the Super Bowl, but the Bengals are now a major AFC contender.

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Bengals 28.