AFC Divisional Round preview: Bengals, Bills look to secure date with Chiefs

After a Super Wild Card Weekend that lived up to its name, it’s time for the Divisional Round to take centre stage.

The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business as the AFC’s No. 1 seed beating the Jacksonville Jaguars to reach the AFC Championship game.

Emotions will run high in Buffalo, too, as the Cincinnati Bengals come to town after their first meeting was cancelled in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s traumatic medical emergency on the field in Week 17.

We’re in a golden age of elite young quarterbacks who are changing the game before our very eyes. To see four of them competing for a spot in the AFC Championship will be a sight to behold.

Here is a look at the final Divisional Round matchups in the AFC. Let’s dive in.

No. 3 BENGALS @ No. 2 BILLS | Sunday @ 3 p.m. ET

How the Bengals got here: All eyes were on Joe Burrow as he opened his post-season campaign to get Cincinnati back to the Super Bowl, but it was a hometown hero who stepped up with a score that ultimately won them the game: Sam Hubbard. The Cincinnati-born defensive end lived out every local kid’s dream when he scooped up a goal-line fumble and ran it 98 yards in the opposite direction for the unlikeliest of touchdowns to extend what was an eight-game win streak to sprint into the playoffs to nine.

How the Bills got here: Buffalo, too, is riding an impressive win streak into this matchup – a streak that was almost snapped in dramatic fashion by Miami last week. After surging ahead to a big early lead, the Bills let the Dolphins climb all the way back. Buffalo’s resilience, as it has all season, saw them hang on for their eighth straight win – but too many turnovers showed they’ll need to clean things up if they’re to make it to the conference championship.

Storyline to watch: Hamlin will be in both teams’ hearts as they meet after cancelled game.

The events of these teams’ last meeting, a Week 17 matchup in Cincinnati, will forever be etched in the minds and hearts of all who were there on the field and watching even from afar as Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest. With the game postponed, and later cancelled altogether, this contest between two of the top AFC teams will be an incredibly emotional affair. Hamlin is now back at home after nearly a week in hospital in Cincinnati, and able to join his Bills teammates at their Buffalo facility over the course of this past week but still has a long way to go in his recovery. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to be present at the game to see his team compete in person, but his presence will certainly be felt by both sides regardless.

Matchup to watch: Ja’Marr Chase vs. Tre’Davious White

This game has no shortage of key matchups – and with news of two of Burrow’s bodyguards being ruled out, the QB-versus-Buffalo’s-pass-rush will be one to watch – but when you have a playmaker like Chase going up against a gamebreaker like White, that’s gotta be the focus. Chase has wreaked havoc on opposing secondaries all season, but Buffalo’s is no ordinary unit. The Bills’ pass defence is one of the game’s best, and White is major reason why. He was in top form against Miami last weekend, allowing just four catches combined when lining up against Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Chase, too, was in at his best in the wild-card round, catching nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.