Bengals eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Chiefs

— One year after Kansas City ended Cincinnati’s season in a dramatic AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs ended the Bengals’ postseason hopes entirely in the exact same place on a cold New Year’s Eve. “That was not our goal,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said, “to be out of contention.” Indeed, it was a bitter finish to a roller-coaster year for Cincinnati that included the loss of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury, the revelatory play of Browning in his place, three straight wins that catapulted the Bengals into the playoff mix and consecutive losses to the Steelers and Chiefs that ultimately eliminated them. “The best way to convert in short yardage is to avoid short yardage,” Browning said, “and it’s an obvious statement that coming away with no points right there is brutal.” The Chiefs viewed the defensive stand as one of the pivotal points in the game. And that became a common refrain the rest of the way: The Bengals’ next drive fizzled, the Chiefs marched downfield and Butker kicked a go-ahead field goal; the Bengals had to punt again, the Chiefs drove the other way and Butker hit a 48-yarder to extend the lead; and when the Bengals went three-and-out, Butker added a 46-yarder with 2:59 left in the game.