Patrick Mahomes wanted Bengals rematch in AFC Championship

Football fans were hoping for a rematch of the thrilling 2022 AFC Divisional playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills this past postseason. 

But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wasn't on board with that idea and was instead hoping for a different rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals.

He wanted that matchup even though he knew the Bengals were the better team.

That opinion was made known on the Netflix documentary, "Quarterback," which features several NFL passers including Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota. 

During the Chiefs latest Super Bowl run Mahomes was asked who he would rather play between the Bills and Bengals, and admitted that even though the Bills were a better matchup for them — and that the Bengals were a better team — he still wanted Cincinnati.

Why?

Because the Bengals had won three straight games against the Chiefs — including the 2022 AFC Championship game — and he was "tired of their talking." The Bengals were very vocal about their dominance over the Chiefs and even resorted to calling the Chiefs' home stadium, "Burrowhead Stadium." 

The Bengals ended up easily beating Buffalo in the Divisional Round and traveled to Kansas City for the AFC title game for the second year in a row. This time Mahomes and the Chiefs got the win on their way to a Super Bowl victory. 

The 2022 Bills-Chiefs playoff game was an all-time classic that featured a chaotic final five minutes that saw Kansas City drive down the field for a game-tying field goal with only 13 seconds to play in regulation. They went on to win in overtime, punching their ticket for the AFC Championship game where they would ultimately lose at home to the Bengals. 

The Chiefs play both teams during the 2023 regular season, hosting Buffalo in Week 14 and Cincinnati in Week 17. Maybe both teams will have reason to keep Mahomes' words in mind as added motivation.