Five historic storylines for Chiefs, Bengals in AFC Championship
By Grant Tuttle
3. The Chiefs are finally the, “Nobody believes in us” team.
In truth, this game is a toss-up according to most metrics. The moneyline has shifted back and forth all week. However, the biggest movement as of press time was in favor of the Bengals. Perhaps that is due to Mahomes’ injury or the dominance of the Bengals against the Bills. Either way, the Chiefs have found themselves in a role that they have rarely played: The underdog.
While it was both pathetic and annoying to watch Tom Brady and Julian Edelman act as though no one thought they could win the Super Bowl in 2019, the Chiefs find themselves in a similar position today—except the receipts really are piling up in favor of the Bengals.
The media narrative has swiftly become: “Is Joe Burrow better than Patrick Mahomes?” or “How can you believe that Mahomes could beat Burrow this time, when he hasn’t done so in the last three?” This is truly excellent bulletin board material for the Chiefs.