The five most important numbers from Chiefs vs Bengals

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to yet another Super Bowl, continuing another golden age of the franchise. What are some important stats from their win over the Cincinnati Bengals?

The Kansas City Chiefs’ win was something nearly out of Hollywood. The injuries piled up, the tide turned in the Bengals’ favor, but a few decisive plays saw the Chiefs bring the Lamar Hunt Trophy home. Looking back, the AFC Championship game was a hell of a ride.

We have all heard about the heroes of Kansas City’s win. Defensive tackle Chris Jones logged his first two postseason sacks during a dominant performance up front. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes kept the Kansas City Chiefs’ magical offense running on one leg and with only half a receiving corps.The rookie defensive backs stepped up when veteran leader L’Jarius Sneed only played four snaps. There are so many storylines to glean from this game, and everyone has two weeks to do it.

Before moving on from the AFC Championship game, let’s look at some key statistics that really tell the story of this year’s AFC Championship.

133.7 – Patrick Mahomes passer rating when blitzed

Chiefs fans know how great Mahomes has historically been when the defense has blitzed him. But Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen surpassed Mahomes as the NFL’s best quarterback against the blitz this season. Mahomes threw seven interceptions when blitzed, accounting for most of his interceptions in 2022. After a high ankle sprain hobbled him, fans wondered how Mahomes would perform against the Bengals’ exotic blitzes. Well, day to day, he performed excellently.

Mahomes recorded a 133.7 passer rating against the Bengals’ blitz packages. He also completed 84.6% of his passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, a great pace in the face of pressure. Granted, the Bengals blitzed 13 times, but Cincinnati had success against Mahomes and other teams without bringing another pass rusher. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo did have a different game plan for Mahomes to battle against, but Mahomes still hurt Cincinnati when they blitzed.

0 – Skyy Moore fumbles

If you have been watching Kansas City play at all this season, you know how disenfranchised people are with rookie Skyy Moore in the return game. It was justified, as shown by Moore’s PFF grade of 34.4 as a return man. He was the second-worst returner in the league, and he had ample opportunity as well. The Chiefs eventually pulled him out of that role until injuries forced Moore to replace Kadarius Toney against Cincinnati.

You could feel the anxiety when Moore prepared to return punts. After all, his three muffed punts in 2022 were tied for the most in the league. But Moore very much redeemed himself against the Bengals. He had two punt returns, including a 29-yard return that set up kicker Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal. He had another called back on a penalty, but Chiefs fans should be feeling better about seeing Moore deep again if needed.

100% – Harrison Butker’s field goal percentage

Speaking of his game-winning kick, what a turnaround from kicker Harrison Butker! He had an atrocious 2022 season, with the second-worst field-goal percentage among kickers with at least 20 attempts. He was injured for eight games, but he still had seven games with at least one missed field goal or extra point kick. However, postseason wins quickly erase bad memories and Butker had a stellar performance.

Butker has not missed a field goal or extra point this offseason, including his three against the Bengals. He owns the Chiefs’ record for most postseason points and is the 10th kicker with at least 100 postseason points. It was a great day for Butker, and the game-winning kick was the cherry on top.

5- Times Chiefs sacked Joe Burrow

The Chiefs’ defense stepped up big time against the Bengals, especially the pass rush. Kansas City may have finished second in the league in total sacks, but it lacked a dependable pass rush with four or fewer pass rushers. They flipped that narrative on its head against the Bengals, with 4.5 defensive line sacks and five sacks total.

Jones finally recorded the elusive postseason sack, and defensive end Frank Clark continued his historic postseason performances with 1.5 sacks. Rookie George Karlaftis got in on the sack party with one of his own. Ultimately, the defensive front made Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow very uncomfortable in the pocket and impacted the Bengals’ offense all night long.

1 – Arrowhead Stadium defended

After all of the trash talk and hot takes, this number matters the most. Bengals players and fans disrespected Arrowhead Stadium, nicknaming it “Burrowhead” after Burrow’s two wins in the stadium. Those statements clearly fueled the Chiefs on Sunday, with multiple Chiefs players chastising the nickname postgame.

Chiefs fans love Arrowhead Stadium, but it is truly one of the best venues in all of football. When people began to disparage Arrowhead, it became a rallying point for the Chiefs’ Kingdom. Another undefeated postseason in Arrowhead restores some of the stadium’s glory entering the 2023 season.