Last weekend’s NFL Conference Championship matchups lived up to their billing. On Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles dropped the hammer on the San Francisco 49ers 31-7, and on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 on a last-second field goal.

Here is a recap of last weekend’s AFC and NFC Championship games.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The AFC Championship Game had its share of drama. Two evenly-matched teams in Kansas City and Cincinnati went down to the wire. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes put forth a gutsy performance despite playing with a badly injured right ankle.

With the score tied at 20 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs’ defense got the ball to Mahomes one more time. But, as they drove downfield, an unnecessary roughness call on the Bengals’ Joseph Ossai set up a 45-yard field goal by Harrison Butker with three seconds on the clock.

The Chiefs scored in the first quarter on a Butker 43-yard field goal and would go into halftime leading 13-6. The Bengals tied the game in the third quarter of a 27-yard catch by Tee Higgins, but the Chiefs would reclaim the lead with 4:15 left in the third quarter.

The see-saw battle continued as the Bengals tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run by Samaje Perine. Then, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense set up the game-winning kick with eight ticks left on the clock.

Bengals’ Loss 

For the Bengals, it was a devastating loss. They had come into this game riding their hopes on star QB Joe Burrow. While Burrow threw for 238 yards, the Chiefs picked him off twice and sacked him five times. The Bengals’ 71 rushing yards kept them in the game. However, the difference-maker in this contest was MVP candidate Mahomes.

Mahomes threw for 315 yards and two TDs. While the Bengals sacked him three times, it wasn’t enough to stop him from completing 29 of 43 passes. The story for the Chiefs’ offense was their running game. Kansas City only managed 42 yards on the ground, with 26 coming from Isiah Pacheco.

Ultimately, the Chiefs did not disappoint as the moneyline favorites in this tight matchup. The Chiefs also covered the two-point spread by beating the Bengals by three. Unfortunately, the game was under 48.5 total points, as the teams combined for 43.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.