The Cincinnati Bengals clearly found motivation in the constant buzz surrounding a potential neutral-site AFC Championship Game.
And it's hard to blame them. The NFL sent out a press release touting how many tickets it sold for next weekend's hypothetical Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills game, which would've been played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Plus, Cincinnati definitely got screwed by how the league restructured the playoff seeding format after the Bengals and Bills' Week 17 game got canceled. The NFL definitely was hoping for a Chiefs-Bills matchup in Atlanta.
Well, there wound up being one big problem: The Bills didn't hold up their end of the bargain.
The Bengals entered Highmark Stadium on Sunday and left with a convincing 27-10 divisional-round victory. Cincinnati now will visit Kansas City in the AFC title game for the second season in a row.
Quarterback Joe Burrow offered the quote of the day during a postgame interview, saying the league "better send those refunds." Bengals head coach Zac Taylor gave a similar comment during his news conference, though he delivered it in a more tongue-in-cheek manner.
"It is tough, because they have to formulate the plans for the coin tosses," Taylor said. "And they gotta formulate the plans for neutral-site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody. And I hate that for the people who have to endure all those logistical issues. And we just keep screwing it up. So, sorry."
Well-played.
The Chiefs and Bengals will kick off next Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Cincinnati will be looking for its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
