Chase treble leads Bengals to dramatic win over Chiefs

Evan McPherson kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired as the Cincinnati Bengals overcame a 14-point deficit to clinch the AFC North title with a 34-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Story of the Game

Ja’Marr Chase scored three touchdowns, including 72 and 69 yarders, while finishing with an NFL rookie record 266 receiving yards as an unrelenting thorn in the Chiefs, who squandered the opportunity to lock down the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The No. 5 overall pick hauled in a crucial 30-yard sideline catch on third-and-27 to keep Cincinnati’s decisive drive alive, before the Bengals were denied at the one-yard line on seven straight plays in the final two minutes only to be rescued by a penalty that gifted them a new set of downs and set up McPherson’s eventual winner after an unsuccessful fourth-and-one call.

A win elsewhere for the Tennessee Titans over the Miami Dolphins means they can snatch the No. 1 spot in the conference away from Andy Reid’s side with victory over the Houston Texans in Week 18 having beaten Kansas City earlier in the season.

Joe Burrow finished 30 of 39 for 446 yards and four touchdowns on the night, while counterpart Patrick Mahomes went 26 of 35 for two touchdowns as Kansas City’s eight-game win streak came to an end.

The Bengals took the lead for the first time in the contest with 11.44 remaining when Burrow floated a five-yard touchdown to Tyler Boyd to make it 31-28.

Chase’s 69-yard score had marked the only points of the third quarter, pulling the Bengals within four of the Chiefs after trailing 14-0 and then 21-7 before the break.

Mahomes capped the first of four successive first-half touchdown drives for the Chiefs with a 29-yard dagger to Demarcus Robinson after Blake Bell had converted on fourth-and-one, before Travis Kelce’s three-yard reception on the sneak doubled Kansas City’s lead.

In a year when defenses have adopted two-deep coverages as a means to thwarting the likes of Chase downfield, Burrow’s old LSU teammate reminded all of his yards-after-catch explosiveness with a stunning 72-yard catch-and-run to halve the deficit.

Eli Apple was punished for dropping a would-be interception when Darrel Williams punched in another from one-yard out after Mahomes had found Mecole Hardman down the sideline for 53 yards.

But back came Chase, grabbing an 18-yard touchdown over Chavarius Ward, who endured a miserable day against the rookie, having come off second best in a near-identical matchup two plays earlier.

Williams’ second one-yard rushing score extended the Chiefs’ cushion before McPherson’s 46-yard field goal pulled three back for the Bengals to leave them trailing 28-17 at the break.

The Bengals out-scored the Chiefs 17-3 in the second half, Kansas City having seen Byron Pringle’s kickoff return for a touchdown scratched off prior to the interval due to a penalty against Zayne Anderson.

Stats Leaders

Chiefs

Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 26/35, 259 yards, 2 TDs
Rushing: Darrel Williams, 14 carries, 88 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: Mecole Hardman, one catch, 53 yards

Bengals

Passing: Joe Burrow, 30/39, 446 yards, 4 TDs
Rushing: Joe Mixon, 12 carries, 46 yards
Receiving: Ja’Marr Chase, 11 catches, 266 yards, 3 TDs

Scoring Summary

What’s Next?

The Chiefs (11-5) complete the regular season on the road against the Denver Broncos, while the Bengals (10-6) visit the Cleveland Browns.

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