What’s changed with Cincinnati Bengals since Week 17 (and what hasn’t)

At a glance, it might seem easy to look at the AFC Championship Game and say that it’s a similar matchup to the Week 17 game that these two teams—the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs—played just four weeks ago. To be sure, there are a lot of palpable factors that are completely or mostly the same: personnel, weather, and team identities.

However, there are a handful of x-factors that should be considered when comparing and contrasting the Bengals’ 34-31 victory on January 2nd in Cincinnati with today’s AFC Championship Game.

First and foremost, that game was not a must-win game for the Chiefs. Entering that matchup, the Chiefs did hold the inside track on the conference’s #1 seed, but there was no level of urgency resembling anything like a playoff game. The Bengals, on the other hand, had a division title in their sights. Sunday is a different game.

There are also two other factors that play into Kansas City’s hands. This game is at Arrowhead, where the Chiefs are the NFL’s first team to win six home playoff games in three years. They now have a shot to win a seventh.

Even more importantly, “Playoff Pat” is a version of the Chiefs quarterback the Bengals have never seen before, and if they fail to plan accordingly, it will be a very long afternoon for their defense.

Let’s unpack a few other variables for the AFC Championship Game.