For the second straight season, the road to the Super Bowl will run through Kansas City in the AFC. And for the second straight season, the will be the ones looking to keep the from making another big-game appearance. A Manny Ramirez Jersey year after edging and Co. to face the in Super Bowl LVI, Cincinnati enters this year's AFC Championship Game with lots of momentum. Whereas Mahomes is nursing an ankle injury after edging the , and his squad are fresh off a rout of the high-powered , making Sunday's anticipated rematch a true to sup for oddsmakers.We already know both teams are talented, considering they're the last two standing in the AFC. But which one has the early edge on paper? Here's a position-by-position a se sment:Bengals: Joe BurrowChiefs: Patrick MahomesTalk about a matchup! Mahomes has the benefit of experience, with five straight AFC title bids and two Super Bowl appearances under his belt. He's also better suited for off-script acrobatics, setting the standard as a big-play artist in and outside of structure. But his high ankle sprain puts a big question mark on his mobility. Burrow, meanwhile, isn't just a proven winner in the face of K.C.'s firepower, owning a 3-0 record against Mahomes. He's quickly cementing himself as this generation's or Peyton Manning, showcasing near-flawle s vision and touch in crunch time. Call it a dead-even draw.Edge: EvenBengals: , Chiefs: , KC RB #1 Att72Yds291TD1FL1 Mixon is the best traditional ball-carrier of the group, and his explosive turn against the Bills helped offset worries from a quiet late-year stretch. But the Chiefs' one-two punch of Pacheco and McKinnon is probably equally, if not more, dangerous in space. At his best, the latter has been a legitimate safety valve for Mahomes this year. Unsexy as it may be, this is another tie. Edge: EvenBengals: , , Chiefs: , , CIN WR #5 TAR109REC74REC YDs1029REC TD7FL0 K.C.'s group has been better than expected: Smith-Schuster has been a solid po se sion target on the outside, and Toney is coming on as a speedy alternative. Carlos Carrasco Jersey But there's just no denying Cincy's star power: Chase is such a fluid downfield threat when healthy, and Higgins remains supremely underrated for the athleticism he offers at his size (6-4, 220).Edge: BengalsBengals: Chiefs: KC TE #87 TAR152REC110REC YDs1338REC TD12FL1 Hurst may have posted career marks as a reliable short-area target for Burrow if not for injuries, but this one's not even a question: Kelce, at 33, is still squarely in his prime. Fresh off a 14-catch showcase against the Jaguars, he has a legitimate case to be called the Chiefs' co-MVP alongside Mahomes. Few players find ways to be so consistently wide open in space. Edge: ChiefsBengals: , , , , Chiefs: Jr., , , , CIN OT #75 Unle s left tackle returns from a kneecap injury, Cincy will likely be without three of its regular starters for a second straight matchup, with and also banged up. The reserves certainly stepped up in snowy Buffalo to pave the way for a big rushing attack, but all in all, K.C. still boasts the more formidable front. At their best, Brown, Thuney and Humphrey are all Pro Bowl-level blockers.Edge: ChiefsBengals: , Chiefs: , KC DT #95 Both contenders' defensive fronts are anchored by ma sive but athletic anchors in Reader (6-3, 335) and Jones (6-6, 310). Hill and Saunders have been solid running mates for the Bengals and Chiefs, respectively, but it's those big boys who command most of the attention. Reader has overcome injuries to remain a force against the run. But Jones' upside collapsing the pocket, with 15.5 sacks, 17 tackles for lo s and a whopping 29 QB hits, gives K.C. the slight advantage here. Edge: ChiefsBengals: , , , Chiefs: , , , Mike Danna CIN DE #91 After another relatively quiet regular season, Clark appears to be coming on at the right time for the Chiefs, getting after alongside Chris Jones in K.C.'s playoff kickoff. And Dunlap, the Mike Napoli Jersey ex-Bengal, has playoff experience. But Cincy, despite totaling fewer sacks than all but three NFL teams this year, has two more consistent, relentle s edge rushers in Hendrickson and Hubbard, who've combined for 48 QB hits, including playoffs, to give Lou Anarumo's defense some bite up front.Edge: BengalsBengals: , Chiefs: , . CIN LB #57 Bolton, 22, looks like a real find as the unofficial QB of K.C.'s "D," logging a whopping 180 tackles to go with two picks and two sacks this year. But the duo of Wilson and Pratt has been paramount to the Bengals' physical push toward another AFC title game; they've combined for 130+ solo tackles, 14 pa s deflections and nine tackles for lo s as multi-level warriors. Edge: BengalsBengals: , , Chiefs: , , KC CB #38 Cincy's coverage unit is often carried by the versatility and physicality of Hilton, who acts more like a defensive Swi s Army knife than traditional corner. Their secondary also gets more from the back end. In K.C., meanwhile, Sneed has gradually elevated his game as a shadow on No. 1 wideouts, staying around the ball (11 pa s deflections, three INTs, 3.5 sacks); and youngsters like McDuffie and Watson have mostly held their own when asked.Edge: ChiefsBengals: , Je sie BatesChiefs: , KC SS #20 Swap any one of these starters, and you'd probably get similar results. True to form, Bates has teamed up with Bell to remain a steady takeaway threat, combining for eight picks in Cincy, whereas Reid and Thornhill have emerged more recently during the Chiefs' secondary upswing, doing a bit more work up front with a combined 150+ tackles, six tackles for lo s and six QB hits. Edge: EvenBengals: (K), (P)Chiefs: (K), (P) CIN K #2 McPherson has been a bit spottier than in his 2021 debut, especially on extra points, but he's been perfect on 50+ yard field goals. Butker, meanwhile, has seen a more dramatic dip from Abraham Almonte Jersey years past while battling injuries, entering with a career-low 75% field goal conversion rate. But he hit a pair of 50-yarders against the Jaguars, and his teammate, Townsend, is one of the game's best punters, averaging more than 50 yards per kick. Chrisman has been solid, too, pinning opponents inside their own 20 on almost half (48.5%) of his kicks.Edge: EvenBengals: Zac Taylor (HC), Brian Callahan (OC), Lou Anarumo (DC)Chiefs: Andy Reid (HC), Eric Bieniemy (OC), Steve Spagnuolo (DC) For all the flak he's gotten for his pre-Joe Burrow record, and his predictable play-calling in Super Bowl LVI, Taylor has succe sfully shepherded another clutch Bengals offense. Even better, Anarumo has gotten the best of Cincy's "D," weathering injuries to bewilder even the best of them. Still, Reid's contingent has been there, done that, for longer. Spagnuolo often knows when to dial up the pre sure, as he did to keep the Chiefs afloat despite Mahomes' injury against Jacksonville. And Big Red himself, even with time-management i sues, remains as creative and playful as ever when his team has the ball.Edge: ChiefsBengals advantages: 3Chiefs advantages: 5Even: 4There you have it. With a quartet of even decisions, you can easily see how this would lean back to the Bengals' side. For now, we like the Chiefs when you factor in every position acro s both sides of the ball. Jose Ramirez Jersey And yet what's especially intriguing about the breakdown is the fact that one of the even decisions comes at the most important spot, where a real case can be made that Cincy deserves the advantage, with Burrow unbeaten against the Chiefs and Mahomes' injury-related limitations unknown. All in all, this one's tight, as predicted. And it should make for yet another nail-biting showdown on Sunday.
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