AFC Championship Game 2023 vs Cincinnati Bengals

Lore & Background

The game was established as part of the 1970 merger between the NFL and the American Football League (AFL). Since 1984, each winner of the AFC Championship Game has also received the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named after the founder of the AFL and founder and longtime owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Hunt. The Kansas City Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship a record five consecutive times, between the 2018–2022 seasons.

In Their Own Story

The wind howled across Arrowhead, carrying the roar of eighty thousand fans who knew their quarterback was playing on one good foot. Mahomes clutched his ankle between plays, a grimace hidden behind the helmet visor. The Bengals' defense swarmed, sensing blood in the water, but the Chiefs' offense refused to fold. In overtime, with the clock ticking down and the season hanging by a thread, Mahomes scrambled, his left leg screaming in protest. He guided the ball into range for Harrison Butker, who drilled the game-winning field goal through the cold air as history shifted on its axis.

Reader's Guide

The structure of the NFL playoffs has changed several times since 1970. At the end of each regular season, the top teams in the AFC qualify for the postseason, including all division champions and a set number of wild card teams. The two teams remaining following the Wild Card round and the Divisional round play in the AFC Championship Game, with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl. Since the 1975–76 season, the site of the game has been based on playoff seeding, with the highest surviving seed hosting the game.

Did You Know?

• The Kansas City Chiefs have hosted the AFC Championship a record five consecutive times, between the 2018–2022 seasons.
• The New England Patriots have won the most AFC Championships at 11, and played in a record eight straight AFC title games (2011–2018).
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have the most losses in the AFC Championship Game at 8 and have hosted the most at 11.