The Chiefs are out for revenge against the Bengals, who stunned the football world by overcoming an 18-point deficit and winning at Arrowhead Stadium in last year’s AFC title game.
While Kansas City is hosting the game for the fifth consecutive year, the Chiefs have had to fight for their status as favorites. With Patrick Mahomes battling through a high-ankle sprain, oddsmakers and the nation seem split on which team should be favored heading into the latest showdown between two of the game’s brightest young talents.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals are coming off a statement win over the Bills in the divisional round. Playing in snowy conditions, Cincinnati controlled the game in all facets despite entering as an underdog.
The Bengals have thrived on the idea that they’re being overlooked, calling out the NFL for touting ticket sales for a Bills vs. Chiefs AFC championship that never happened. Whether they’re favored or not, the Bengals are certainly going into Kansas City with a chip on their shoulder.
The Chiefs are aiming to avoid a second consecutive AFC championship exit, which would be a major disappointment after they snagged the top seed in the conference. A win would send Kansas City to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years.
The Bengals, on the other hand, are looking to return to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year and complete last season’s unfinished business.
MORE: Watch Bengals vs. Chiefs live with fuboTV (free trial)
The Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights as the Chiefs host the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. Follow along for all of the key moments.
Bengals vs. Chiefs score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
| Bengals | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| Chiefs | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Bengals vs. Chiefs live updates, highlights from 2023 AFC championship
(All times Eastern)
7:02 p.m. — Burrow takes ANOTHER sack on 3rd & 18. The Bengals’ offense is completely out of sync, and the Chiefs are set to start their next drive with strong field position.
7:00 p.m. — Burrow is sacked again. What many thought would be a problem last week is becoming a problem this time around. The Bengals need to protect the quarterback better if they’re going to win.
6:59 p.m. — Nice return for the Bengals, who will start near their own 40-yard line.
Chiefs 3, Bengals 0
6:57 p.m. FIELD GOAL — Harrison Butker, reliable as always, sends one through from 43 yards. The Chiefs are in front, but the Bengals are fortunate Toney couldn’t hang onto that ball.
6:56 p.m. — The ruling stands. No touchdown, and that seems to be the right call based on the way the ball moves underneath Toney. The Chiefs will attempt a field goal.
6:52 p.m. — Wow, it looked like Kadarius Toney might’ve come down with a touchdown, but it’s ruled incomplete… This is going to be challenged by the Chiefs. This one is tough to see. The ball was stuck underneath Toney.
6:51 p.m. — Back-to-back 16-yard gains for the Chiefs, first on a run along the sideline by Isiah Pacheco and now with a catch by Kelce.
6:50 p.m. — Clark has made his mark in the playoffs. He’s now third in playoff history with 13 sacks.
6:48 p.m. — Kansas City heavily pressures Burrow, and Frank Clark comes up with the sack. The Bengals will punt, and they lost a lot of field position on these two plays.
6:47 p.m. — A false start backs the Bengals up on third down. Meanwhile, Sneed was able to walk off and is in the tent.
6:44 p.m. — Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed is down with what appears to be a head or neck injury. Didn’t look good. That would be a blow to Kansas City’s secondary.
6:43 p.m. — Burrow looks Chase’s way again but is VERY lucky he wasn’t intercepted by Trent McDuffie. That was almost a huge play.
6:42 p.m. — Burrow’s first two passes go to Chase, and the second goes for a first down. Chase got wide open there.
6:39 p.m. — The Bengals will start with the ball. They scored 3 first half points in this game last year and will have a chance to beat that on the first drive.
6:33 p.m. — We’re still a few minutes away from kickoff. Everyone seems to be bundled up, and Kelce’s back issue will be worth monitoring in this cold.
6:24 p.m. — We’re inching closer to kickoff… Something to keep in mind: The Bengals started slow in last year’s AFC title game but made excellent defensive adjustments after halftime. An early deficit won’t bury Cincinnati, even if it’s less than ideal against Mahomes.
6:16 p.m. — Joe Burrow went into Kansas City and shocked the Chiefs a year ago. A win today wouldn’t be as much of a surprise, but it would make Burrow 4-0 against Patrick Mahomes in his career.
6:08 p.m. — The Eagles are NFC champions, so the winner of this game will face Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, and one of the NFL’s most balanced teams in Super Bowl 57.
5:40 p.m. — It’s 22 degrees in Kansas City right now, even colder than it was during the snow game in Buffalo last weekend. These quarterbacks don’t look like they’ll be impacted too heavily, though.
5:30 p.m. — Here’s how Joe Cool looked on his way into Arrowhead Stadium today.
5:27 p.m. — Mahomes’ ankle is of course the other injury to monitor. Here’s how he looked during warmups a little while ago…
5:12 p.m. — Kelce is ACTIVE. His effectiveness will be worth watching, but his presence alone will draw plenty of attention from the Bengals’ defense.
5:06 p.m. — All eyes are on the status of Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, who has been dealing with back spams this week. Reports indicate he’s still likely to play, but this wasn’t even known to be an issue until late this week.
Bengals vs. Chiefs start time
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 29
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. CT)
The AFC championship game between the Bengals and Chiefs will kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. local time) from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
What channel is Bengals vs. Chiefs on today?
- TV channel (national): CBS
- TV channel (Cincinnati): WKRC-TV
- TV channel (Kansas City): KCTV
- TV channels (Canada): CTV
- Live streams: Paramount+, fuboTV (U.S.) | DAZN (Canada)
Bengals vs. Chiefs will be broadcast nationally on CBS, with Jim Nantz (play-by-play) and Tony Romo (color analyst) on the call from Arrowhead Stadium.
Viewers can also stream the game on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
In Canada, the game will air on CTV.
NFL playoff schedule: AFC & NFC championships
Sunday, Jan. 29
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV | Live stream | Tickets |
| 49ers vs. Eagles (NFC Championship) | 3 p.m. | Fox | FoxSports.com, fuboTV | Buy tickets |
| Bengals vs. Chiefs (AFC Championship) | 6:30 p.m. | CBS | Paramount+, fuboTV | Buy tickets |
