The Kansas City Chiefs handed the Cincinnati Bengals a 25-17 defeat on New Year's Eve, clinching an eighth straight AFC West title — and eliminating the Bengals from playoff contention.
While the Chiefs’ defense started poorly, it took control as the game went on. In the end, it played an outsize role in securing an important win.
Let’s take a look at how it went down.
Early struggles
From the beginning of the game, the defense had some struggles. Most of them had to do with containing Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning in the pocket.