Bengals dominate Bills, head to AFC title game with Chiefs

Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) on a run in the first quarter of the NFL divisional playoff football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

No neutral site for AFC Championship game needed after Bengals crush Bills

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 1/22/23

It turns out the NFL will not need a neutral site for the AFC Championship game after the Cincinnati Bengals thoroughly dominated the Buffalo Bills, 27-10, in Sunday's Divisional Round playoff game.

The Bengals win will send them to Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday for a rematch of last year's AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

If the Bills had won Sunday's game, that would have sent the AFC Championship game to a neutral site in Atlanta because the Bills did not play a full 17-game season and lost out on a chance to win the top spot in the AFC. Their Week 16 game against Cincinnati was postponed when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. If Buffalo had won that game they would have finished the year tied with Kansas City for the top spot in the AFC and owned the tiebreaker due to a head-to-head win earlier this season.

The NFL seemed extremely excited about the potential for a neutral l-site championship game, and it even led to speculation that it could be become a regular thing in the future.

More than 50,000 tickets were sold for that potential game.

The Bengals seemed to use all of that hype for the neutral-site game as even more motivation. They were also happy to point out the refunds that will be needed.

Make sure y’all get that refund
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 22, 2023

The Bengals were in complete control of Sunday's game from the very first series, quickly jumping out to a 14-0 lead and never looking back. Buffalo never cut the deficit to less than seven points as its offense was unable to do anything against an aggressive Bengals defense that completely shut down Josh Allen and the Bills' offense.

Cincinnati is now just one win away from reaching back-to-back Super Bowls.The Bengals won last year's AFC Championship game in Kansas City in overtime.

The big story to watch going into this game will be the status of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as he deals with a high-ankle sprain.

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