Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and The Kansas City Chiefs will be taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC Championship rematch, and many Chiefs fans are concerned due to the recent outbursts on the Chiefs sideline.
The Bengals will be without starting quarterback Joe Burrow as he is out for the season, but Mahomes and the Chiefs are still pining for their second win over the Bengals in five matchups.
The Chiefs lost four of their last six, and they haven’t won at Arrowhead Stadium in over two months. Frustrations boiled over for the Chiefs on multiple occasions. The early beginnings came about in the game against the Green Bay Packers where running back Isaiah Pacheco was ejected for throwing a punch in the midst of a 27-19 loss that was steeped in controversy.
The next week saw one of the most controversial calls of the season, which resulted in Mahomes berating the referees in a way that hadn’t been seen from him. The Chiefs’ struggles have not disappeared, and the frustrations came to a head on Christmas Day.
WATCH! Spoiled rotten crybaby Patrick Mahomes throws a temper tantrum like a two year old after a HUMILIATING loss to the Bills for him and Mr Pfizer! 😂
Beautiful to watch! pic.twitter.com/aRtrKXrCoV
— Chris Nelson 🇺🇸 🏝 (@ReOpenChris) December 11, 2023
Patrick Mahomes was HEATED at the end of Bills-Chiefs 😡
(via @NFLonCBS) pic.twitter.com/50BV0cXGpH
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 11, 2023
Two Kansas City Chiefs leaders had outbursts in agonizing loss to division opponent Las Vegas Raiders, including Patrick Mahomes
![Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Tantrums in Last 2 Weeks: 'I See it as a Way of Showing that People Care.' 1 kansas city chiefs tight end travis kelce](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/USATSI_22175310.jpg)
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce threw his helmet in frustration during the Chiefs loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. A member of the equipment staff attempted to return the helmet to Kelce, but head coach Andy Reid stopped him, and had a few words with Kelce before allowing him to return to the field.
Travis Kelce spiking his helmet, Mahomes screaming about the refs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are emotionally unraveling. pic.twitter.com/2DrpF9RMdX
— Savage (@SavageSports_) December 26, 2023
Andy Reid stopped Travis Kelce from getting his helmet back after he furiously chucked it on the sidelines https://t.co/bxEvZUfTyS pic.twitter.com/t3AhBp06UJ
— For The Win (@ForTheWin) December 25, 2023
Kelce commented about his actions on his podcast with his brother and Philadelphia Eagles center, Jason Kelce.
Travis Kelce talks about throwing his helmet (via @newheightshow) pic.twitter.com/sAgjaNVj0o
— BBQ Chiefs (@BBQChiefs) December 27, 2023
Mahomes also had an outburst in the Raiders loss, as he was seen chewing out his offensive linemen on the sideline. Mahomes was sacked four times in the loss, and was constantly running around in the backfield as Raiders pass rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce were in constantly in his face.
🚨New: Patrick Mahomes is having another meltdown at his offensive line.
pic.twitter.com/vkLLWHs9Zs— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) December 25, 2023
Koonce had three of the team’s four sacks against Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who signed a big-money deal this offseason to replace one of the two departing tackles. In an article from Sports Illustrated, Mahomes took some of the blame for the pressure he faced on Christmas Day.
“Yeah, that’s what I was talking about. There were times when the pocket was clean, and I was drifting back and that invites the rush to be even better. I honestly thought that the offensive line stepped up to the challenge as the game went on. Obviously, the first few drives you saw me talking to them, I just challenged those guys to be better and they were,” Mahomes said.
“Then it’s on me — if I’m going to challenge them to be better, I have to be better within the pocket. I was proud of how those guys responded throughout the middle parts of that game and toward the end of it. I have to trust those guys as much as I talk. That’s on me to be better and better as games go on and don’t drift and try to do too much.”
“I think people see frustration and they think it causes controversy,” Mahomes said. “I see it as a way of showing that people care — they care about their profession, they care about trying to do whatever they can do to win games. When I see stuff like that happen, obviously, we want to be in the positive light and all of that. I see someone that cares about the game and someone who wants to be better, not better for themselves but better for the team.”
The Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes look to sure things up ahead of AFC Championship Rematch
![Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Tantrums in Last 2 Weeks: 'I See it as a Way of Showing that People Care.' 2 Chiefs NFL bengals patrick mahomes](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-30-at-10.22.50-AM-e1703778900719.png)
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have a chance to clinch the AFC West with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Star quarterback Joe Burrow will remain 3-1 against Mahomes and the Chiefs as he is out for the season. His replacement, backup quarterback Jake Browning, recently came back to earth after a hot streak in Burrow’s place.
Star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s injury status is not certain, but Browning struggled in the one game without Chase. The Bengals have struggled to win within their own division, as well as within their own conference. While the Chiefs have just one more win than the Bengals, the clinching of their division is much more likely.
The Bengals are winless in their division, but they are 8-2 outside their division. This means the Bengals will be vying for a wildcard spot, while a few things have to go wrong for the Chiefs to fall out of first place in their division.
The Chiefs are heavy favorites as the Bengals will be missing one of their best defenders, defensive tackle D.J. Reader. The defending Super Bowl Champions will be looking to clinch their eighth consecutive AFC West title, and Browning’s recent regression resulted in every single USA Today betting expert picking the Chiefs.
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