National Football League
Kansas City 25, Cincinnati 17
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, December 31, 2023
Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Temperature: 36°
Head Official: John Hussey
Attendance: 73565

Harrison Butker booted six field goals while Isiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice each gained over 100 yards from scrimmage as the Kansas City Chiefs clinched the AFC West with a 25-17 victory over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Patrick Mahomes finished 21-of-29 passing for 245 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs (10-6), who clinched their eighth straight division title.

Jake Browning completed 19 of 33 passes for 197 yards. He threw for a TD and rushed for another for the Bengals (8-8), who were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

Mahomes connected with Rice for a gain of 67 yards late in the third quarter to set up Butker's go-ahead 24-yard field goal, which made it 19-17 with 14:09 left in the game. Rice finished with five catches for 127 yards.

Pacheco totaled 130 yards on 18 carries and had seven receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.

After Cincinnati went up 3-0 thanks to a 15-play drive, Kansas City marched down the field with little resistance, scoring on an 8-yard pass from Mahomes to Pacheco for a 7-3 lead with 2:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Browning then heated up, finding Joe Mixon for a 7-yard score and then rushing for a 1-yard TD to give the Bengals a 17-7 lead. Butker kicked a pair of field goals in the final 3:44 of the first half as the Chiefs pulled within 17-13 by the break.

Cincinnati was exceptional on third down in the first half, converting 7 of 9 chances.

The Bengals lost wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter due to a hamstring injury, but he returned to action on the first drive of the second half.

Kansas City made a crucial defensive stop when the Bengals decided not to kick a field goal for a seven-point lead and instead handed the ball off to Mixon on fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs 6 with 7:43 left in the third quarter. Mixon lost 3 yards on the play.

Kansas City answered with a nine-play, 82-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard field goal from Butker that trimmed the Chiefs' deficit to 17-16.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cincinnati   Kansas City
Joe Mixon Player Isiah Pacheco
21 Attempts 18
65 Yards 130
3.1 Avg Yards 7.2
0 Touchdowns 0
14 Long 37
Receiving
Cincinnati   Kansas City
Ja'Marr Chase Player Rashee Rice
3 Receptions 5
41 Yards 127
13.7 Avg Yards 25.4
0 Touchdowns 0
24 Long 67
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cincinnati 263 104 159 2 1 0 2.0 1
Kansas City 373 132 241 1 6 0 6.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Kansas City will play their next game on the road against L.A. Chargers. The Chiefs have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .833 after a loss.
  • Cincinnati will play their next game at home against Cleveland. The Bengals have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .375 after a loss.