In the week leading up the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was in concussion protocol due to a hit he suffered to his head in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In wake of head coach Andy Reid providing positive updates on Mathieu as he progressed through the protocol, it looks like Mathieu will suit up and play in the AFC Title Game. Mathieu is “expected” to play on Sunday, January 30 against the Cincinnati Bengals, according to NFL Media’s James Palmer.
This is big news for Chiefs Kingdom. As one of the best defensive players Kansas City has, getting Mathieu back in the lineup against a high-powered Bengals offense is arguably necessary if Kansas City wants to come out with a win and advance to a third-straight Super Bowl.
Williams Trending Towards a Return To Lineup
Along with Mathieu, another Chiefs player that is trending towards returning from injury is running back Darrel Williams.
Williams, who injured his toe during the Chiefs’ 28-24 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 18, has struggled to return to the lineup since then. He attempted to play in Kansas City’s Wild-Card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the pain in his toe was apparently too much to handle, which is why he played just eight snaps and had one carry, per Pro Football Reference. Williams then missed the Chiefs’ playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Williams is feeling better and plans to play against Cincinnati, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. However, it’ll ultimately be up to the Chiefs to decide if he’s ready to return, per Fowler.
If Williams were to return, Kansas City would have a fully healthy backfield, which includes Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, and Derrick Gore.
Key to Chiefs Beating Bengals
When the Chiefs lost to the Bengals 34-31 in Week 17, second-year quarterback Joe Burrow had a near-perfect outing and one of the best games of his young career.
In that game, Burrow completed 30-of-39 pass attempts for 446 yards, four touchdowns, and had zero turnovers. The ability to exchange blows with the high-powered Kansas City offense panned out well for the Bengals, even if a few calls by the officials did work in Cincinnati’s favor late in that game.
If the Chiefs’ defense wants to prevent that kind of performance from happening during the Conference Championship, they need to consistently collapse the pocket around Burrow. That’s something the Tennessee Titans showed is very possible in the postseason against a weak Bengals offensive line.
During Cincinnati’s 19-16 win over Tennessee in the AFC Divisional Round, the Titans’ defense sacked Burrow nine times, which tied an NFL postseason record. The constant pressure on the young QB kept the score low and the big plays seldom for a Cincinnati offense that thrives on big plays.
With a front that includes Chris Jones, Frank Clark, and Melvin Ingram, winning one-on-one matchups and pressuring Burrow is something the Chiefs’ defensive line should be able to do. However, if they don’t, and Burrow has ample time in the pocket, we’ve seen what he can do to Kansas City’s defense.
If the latter were to be the case, then the Chiefs will need a Patrick Mahomes performance nearly identical to the one he displayed against the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. It’s only then that Kansas City could beat the Bengals and advance to the Super Bowl.
The AFC Championship Game will take place on Sunday, January 30 at Arrowhead Stadium at 2 p.m. Arrowhead time.
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