The Bengals have clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 win against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase rewrote the Bengals record books in the shootout.
In the first half, Joe Burrow passed Andy Dalton for most passing yards in a single season in franchise history. In the second half, Burrow passed Dalton’s touchdown mark as well.
On the day, Burrow had over 400 yards for the second week in a row, with Chase adding another 200 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
In the fourth quarter, Burrow threw up a 39-yard lob to Tee Higgins on the sideline. The Bengals got some help from penalties on the Chiefs, and Burrow lobbed a fade to Tyler Boyd in the corner of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Bengals had their first lead of the game, up 31-28 with 11:44 to go in the game.
The Chiefs, who hadn’t scored all second half, tried to get back to what they did in the first. They drove down the field, but the Bengals forced the Chiefs to settle for a field goal for the first time all game. Harrison Butker’s kick was good, and the Chiefs had the game tied at 31-31 with 6:01 until the final whistle.
Chase continued to confuse Chiefs defenders, and the Bengals got the ball to the eleven-yard line. The Bengals then got the ball to the goal line, and thanks to penalties had nine opportunities to punch the ball in.
Instead of scoring a touchdown, the Bengals forced the Chiefs to burn all of their timeouts. They kneeled and spike the ball to give McPherson an easy chip shot to win try to win the game.
The kick was good, and the Bengals won not only the game, but the division.
With that, the Bengals improve to 10-6 and clinch the AFC North. With Tennessee’s win over Miami, the Titans are currently the top seed in the AFC with the Chiefs at number two.