Cincinnati Bengals Lose AFC Championship but Promise to Keep 'Building a Legacy'

It wasn't the outcome that Cincinnati wanted. But it was the outcome that capped off another season of improvement, pride and hope.

In their second AFC championship game in as many seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals lost 23-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 29 at KC's Arrowhead Stadium ("Burrowhead" Stadium, to some). As with the 2022 version – also against the Chiefs – the Bengals rallied from behind to tie things up in the second half. But unlike last season, there was no overtime magic or last-second field goal that would lead Cincinnati to another Super Bowl appearance.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company had both the offense and defense going against the Bengals, capitalizing on a series of mistakes made by Cincinnati. Over the course of the game, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked five times and the team committed nine penalties worth 71 yards.

But it was the fourth quarter when the big dream fell apart. After the Bengals tied the game at 20 with 13:30 remaining, officials made some – er, questionable – clock calls that seemed to give Kansas City an extra play and essentially swiped a minute of the time the Bengals would later need. Burrow ran the ball up the field a bit, but the Chiefs then knocked away his pass to wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase. With a two-minute warning, Kansas City then pushed toward their own goal before deciding to punt. Burrow eventually got his hands on the ball again but was penalized for intentional grounding, despite running back Samaje Perine being in the area with a reasonable expectation to catch. The Bengals couldn't convert on third down and Burrow was sacked again.
The Chiefs maneuvered headed into field goal territory and Mahomes ran down the line for a first down. The Bengals' young defensive end Joseph Ossai dutifully chased Mahomes, who was playing through an ankle sprain, but was penalized for unnecessary roughness. According to officials, Mahomes already was out of bounds when Ossai made contact. Some sports analysts have argued, though, that referees had missed Kansas City offensive tackle Orlando Brown holding Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson just before that, which could have erased Ossai's move and prevented the Chiefs from getting 15 yards.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker nabbed his team three, mimicking what Bengals kicker Evan McPherson had done so many times in postseason games. But with three seconds left on the clock, there wasn't much left that Cincinnati could do to tie things up again this time. Kansas City won for the first time in the last four matchups.
The Bengals ended one of the franchise's most successful seasons trying everything they could. Fifty-six seconds. Seventeen seconds. Then eight. Finally three. Through a slew of challenges, Cincinnati didn't throw their hands into the air or stare at the ground until time completely ran out and it was truly over and the whistles were blown. It summed up the 2023 team, which in itself was an evolution of the 2022 scrappers.

"Even last year, the expectation was to always be in this game and to win it," Burrow told reporters after the game. "I think we have the guys in that room going forward that will put us in that position along with the front office and the coaching staff."

"I feel very good about the direction that we're headed in," Burrow continued. "We've been in this game for two straight years. We have won one and lost one. Obviously, this one hurts but we will come back stronger."
Head coach Zac Taylor, who was visibly angry during several of the refs' calls, praised his team after the game.

"I am just proud of this team. I am proud of the character of these men, and this is where character is going to be tested the most in moments like this when it is fresh," Taylor told reporters. "You were so close to winning an AFC championship back-to-back and going to the Super Bowl on the road. There have been a lot of obstacles thrown at this team, and they knocked them all down. We just couldn’t get past this last one here."

As for the 22-year-old Ossai, who tried to carry the weight of the loss on his shoulders at the end? His coach and teammates made sure to take some of that burden away.

"It is hard. We are emotional. We worked really hard to get here. Any play that people feel for, you are going to take it hard," Taylor said. "We want guys like that this means a lot to. They care about it and their teammates. Joseph [Ossai] comes to work everyday, man. He loves ball. He loves being a part of this team."

"It [the loss] did not come down to that play," Taylor stressed.

With their surprising, miraculous, drought-ending Super Bowl journey in 2022, the Bengals helped Cincinnati fans rediscover some swagger. And despite still being dismissed at the beginning of the season, the Bengals continued to prove that they belong in the same conversations as the perpetual top teams. How could they not, with a 12-4 regular-season record and a 10-game winning streak that until Sunday dated back to the beginning of November?

It's all been an indication of what's to yet come.

"We're building a legacy," Chase said.


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