To say that the end of the 2021 season for the Kansas City Chiefs was shocking is a bit of an understatement. They were cruising up 21-3 in the AFC Championship Game, and got the ball back with plenty of time to score before the half. Patrick Mahomes did Mahomes things to get the Chiefs in scoring position, but a blunder late throwing the ball short of the goal line had the Chiefs come up empty. They still led at the break 21-10, but the momentum was never recaptured. The Bengals adjusted to the new-look Chiefs, an offense that started to become more methodical against two-high shells. Cincinnati started to drop eight into coverage, now taking away both the deep shot and underneath routes. The Chiefs never got to the run game or any play action, preferring to stick in the gun and drop back. Even with the lethargic offense, they still had two chances to punch their ticket to the big game. They found themselves near the goal line at the end of the game, but rather than sticking with what had worked, they got cute with play calling, and Mahomes holding the ball too long on one play made the game-tying field goal a knee-knocker. In overtime, Mahomes favored the shot play on third and 10, and it was intercepted by Vonn Bell. Ball game.