The Road to Super Bowl LVI continues as the 2022 NFL Playoffs head into Conference Championship Weekend. Saturday’s American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game is a Week 17 rematch between the 12-5 Kansas City Chiefs and the 10-7 Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals were down 28 to 17 at halftime during the Week 17 game and rallied back to win 34-31, thanks to a 20-yard game-winning FG by Evan McPherson as time expired.
During their first game against the Chiefs, the Bengals went into Arrowhead Stadium and completed an improbable comeback. Second-year QB Joe Burrow is playing with an unshakeable swagger and has led the Bengals to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988. During last week’s Divisional Round game against the Titans, he was sacked 9 times but was still able to lead Who Dey Nation to a 19-16 win. Burrow threw for 348 yards in last week’s game and connected with former LSU teammate rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase 5 times for 109 yards.
The reigning and defending AFC Champions are looking to advance their third-straight Super Bowl with a win against the Bengals. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are coming off of what some are saying was the “game of the year” after a thrilling overtime victory against the Bills. Things were looking grim for Kansas City, as they needed a FG with 13 seconds remaining in regulation, Mahomes led a 3 play 44-yard drive capped off by a Harrison Butker FG, which forced overtime, where the Chiefs scored a touchdown and won 42-36. Mahomes will have to be the Grim Reaper again this week if they want to advance to the Super Bowl.
When to Watch the AFC Championship Game
Kickoff for the Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 AFC Championship Game is scheduled for Sunday, January 30, at 3 PM ET on CBS.
How to Watch the AFC Championship Game Without Cable
Fans will have plenty of options to watch every moment of the AFC Championship Game on the gridiron without spending a fortune.
AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to find out which affiliate in your area will broadcast the local games on CBS.
The AFC Championship Game is available to stream through NFL digital properties such as NFL.com, the NFL app, and the digital properties of the respective teams. Plus, fans can watch the game on their phones via the Yahoo Sports app.
Most of the major subscription live TV streaming services carry this week’s games, so fans can watch the game from anywhere.
- DIRECTV STREAM has CBS for $70/mo.
- fuboTV offers CBS in their Starter plan for $65/mo.
- Hulu + Live TV includes CBS for only $70/mo.
- YouTube TV has CBS for only $65/mo.
- Paramount+ is an inexpensive way to watch live games on CBS for only $9.99/month or $99.99/year.
Predicting the Winners
The AFC Championship Game is shaping up to be the better of the two playoff games this weekend because of the quarterbacks. Burrow, or Joey B, has proved that he is cool under pressure and has actual ice in his veins. To get sacked 9-time against the top-seed in the AFC, a year after a sack led to a gruesome knee injury, and taking the Bengals further in the playoffs than they have in his life is something special. Burrow has shown a lot of a lot of confidence and it will not be suprsing if the Bengals pull off an upset.
After last week’s win against the Bills, it is hard to make the case against Patrick Mahomes being the greatest quarterback we’ve ever seen, and one of the best winners in NFL history. He has quarterbacked the Chiefs to four straight AFC Championship Game appearances, they haven’t had to play a road playoff game that wasn’t a Super Bowl since he’s become the starter, and he’s an unheard of 3-1 when the Cheifs’ in-game win probability dips below 5%, the rest of the NFL is 1-38 in those situations.
If Sunday’sgame becomes a shootout, the Bengals may have a chance but the lack of offensive line protection will ultimately be their downfall if KC’s defense can get a pass rush all game, or when it matters the most. Chiefs win a thriller by at least 7 with a combined score over 60.