Remembering the epic struggle of the 2022-23 AFC Championship Game

The AFC Championship Game is just around the corner and it has shaped up to be a battle between two heavyweights. But will it compare to all the drama and nail-biting moments football fans experienced last year?

The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs faced off at Arrowhead Stadium for their long-anticipated AFC Championship rematch after the Bengals beat the Chiefs in a stunning overtime win the previous season.

The Chiefs were favored to win but that didn't mean the Bengals weren't going to put up a fight to secure their spot in Super Bowl LVI.

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The game produced several amazing images and The Sports News' Dan Treacy provided commentary throughout the epic battle, which was used to help tell this story of last year's AFC Championship.

The Chiefs kicked off the game shortly after 6:30 pm EST and all eyes were on what Bengal's QB Joe Burrow was going to do with his first possession.

Burrow threw his first two passes to the Bengal's star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase but almost had his third picked off in what would have been a very dangerous opportunity for the Chiefs.

After a strong sack from Frank Clark, the Bengals were forced to punt the ball, handing control of the game to Kansas City.

The Chiefs were able to run two back-to-back 16-yard plays. Isiah Pacheco ran to earn his yards while Travis Kelce caught QB Patrick Mahomes' first pass of the game.

The Chiefs were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal from kicker Harrison Butker, putting up the first 3 points of the night.

The latter half of the first quarter saw Burrow get sacked two more times. The quarter ended with the Chiefs on 3rd & Goal after Kelce caught a pass from Mahomes.

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The Chiefs brought Butker back out at the start of the second quarter to complete a 24-yard field goal, putting the Chiefs ahead by 6.

Burrow was sacked for a fourth time in the game but pushed the Bengals within field goal range. Evan McPherson nailed a 30-yard attempt and gave Cincinnati some breathing room with their first 3 points of the game.

Patrick Mahomes led his team down GEHA Field but was taken down on the 3rd & 1. The Chiefs decided to play rather than punt and Mahomes threw a bomb to Kelce in the Bengal's endzone. Touchdown Kansas City, the Chiefs led 13-3.

Things got worse for the Bengals almost immediately as one of Burrow's passes was picked off by Jaylen Watson. Luckily the Chiefs couldn't seize the opportunity and Burrow was granted a second chance with two minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Bengals couldn't make a touchdown play before halftime and opted to attempt a field goal with four seconds remaining. The field goal was good but it was "a very disappointing finish to the half" according to Dan Traecy.

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The Bengal's defense was able to stop the Chiefs after halftime and Cincinnati took possession in the opening plays of the third quarter, but Tyler Boyd was curiously absent after halftime, having limped off the field after a play earlier in the first half of the game.

The Bengals tied the game up with a touchdown after an amazing midair catch by wide receiver Tee Higgins. Both teams were sitting at 13 as the Chiefs took possession looking for their redemption win.

The Chiefs answered Cincinnati's touchdown with one of their own after a difficult drive toward the Bengal's endzone. Mahomes found wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and put the Chiefs in the lead again at 20-13.

The Bengals were forced to punt after they failed to make a play, giving the initiative back to the Chiefs who took the opportunity and capitalized on it. Valdes-Scantling caught a pass from Mahomes for a 25-yard gain.

After the Chiefs made the first down, Mahomes tripped up and dropped the ball, allowing Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard to pick up the ball and give Cincinnati possession at a crucial moment in the game...

The third quarter came to an end with fans fearing the Bengals wasted their opportunity to catch up. But head coach Zac Taylor opened the fourth risking a play, which led to a 35-yard gain for Cincinnati.

Taylor's risk paid off. Samaje Perine found his way to Kansas City's endzone, tieing the game at 20-20.

A controversial holding call gave Kansas City a second shot at taking the lead, but Mahomes failed to get the job done.

The Chiefs were granted a third chance to make a play for the win when Bryan Cook intercepted a throw from Burrow to Joshua Williams.

After a suspenseful back-and-forth in the last ten minutes of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs called out Harrison Butker one more time for a last-minute field goal that won them the game by three points—redeeming a team that lost in the exact same way, to the exact same team, one year earlier.

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