Livescore
Last year, the Bengals were plucky underdogs who shocked the NFL world when they upset the Chiefs in the AFC championship game. A year later, Cincinnati is not taking the underdog role.
Before the Bengals finished off their 27-10 divisional round win over the Bills, slot corner Mike Hilton pointed at TV cameras and said, “We’ll see y’all in Burrowhead,” referring to the Chiefs’ home, Arrowhead Stadium.
GAMING SURVEY: Complete short survey for chance to win international football shirt of your choice!
And no, Hilton was not referring to the holiday village in Scotland.
Michael Hilton Jr. and Eli Apple celebrate Bengals win:
“We’ll see y’all in Burrowhead”
Bengals play the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Championship game for the second year in a row. pic.twitter.com/9P8fTJkgcg
— TopFanTV (@TopFanTV) January 24, 2023
The trash talk from Hilton marked one of the latest additions to a growing NFL rivalry between Joe Burrow’s Bengals and Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. The teams have met twice in the regular season over the past two years in Cincinnati — and once in Arrowhead in last year’s AFC championship. The Bengals won all three meetings.
BENGALS-CHIEFS PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread
Hilton’s comments have provided ample fodder to a Chiefs team already motivated to get back to the Super Bowl and snap its three-game losing streak to Cincinnati.
Here’s what you need to know about Hilton’s “Burrowhead” comments.
What is ‘Burrowhead’?
Hilton made his comment after Cincinnati’s defense got off the field for the last time against the Bills. Hilton looked into a camera and gave Kansas City’s football stadium a new name.
.@MikeHilton_28 and the @Bengals made a statement Sunday ‼ pic.twitter.com/WjNFB46aNo
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 25, 2023
Hilton was later asked about renaming Arrowhead after Cincinnati’s quarterback. He said it was just something that came to him in the moment.
“Oh, you’re trying to stir something, but (it) really just popped up to me on the sideline,” Hilton said, per Harold R. Kuntz of Kansas City television station KDAF. “I just knew we were going to Kansas City and it’s Arrowhead, so, I thought of my quarterback and called it Burrowhead.”
“Burrowhead Stadium” first started to appear after the Bengals beat the Chiefs 27-24 in last year’s AFC championship game, but it didn’t pick up much traffic until Hilton used it in the playoffs.
Burrowhead Stadium
— Evan McPhillips (@emcphil) January 30, 2022
POWER RANKINGS: Three reasons why Bengals, Chiefs will (or won’t) win Super Bowl 57
Burrowhead has now become a rallying cry among Bengals fans, all the way up to Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, who called the Chiefs’ home “Burrowhead Stadium” in a video statement. Pureval has since apologized. The video drew the ire of many, including Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Brittany Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes’ wife.
Bengals nation, Lol. I hear you. My competitive juices and love for cincy got the best of me. My bad. Staying hungry and humble. See you Sunday. Who Dey baby!
— Aftab Pureval (@AftabPureval) January 28, 2023
The Bengals themselves aren’t leaning into “Burrowhead.” While the team is confident heading into Sunday’s matchup, it hasn’t made it a mantra.
“I think that was just something Mike Hilton said,” kicker Evan McPherson told TMZ Sports. “I haven’t heard ‘Burrowhead’ in the locker room. I’ve just seen it on the videos. So I think it was just kind of one of those media things.”
What is Joe Burrow’s record at Arrowhead Stadium?
Part of what makes “Burrowhead” a bold proclamation is that Burrow has played in Arrowhead Stadium just once. While the Bengals won the game, Burrow and Mahomes delivered similar performances.
Burrow completed 23 of 38 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while rushing five times for 25 yards. Mahomes went 26 for 39 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, including one in overtime. He rushed three times for 19 yards.
MORE: Is Mahomes playing against the Bengals on Sunday?
Typically, such a statement would accompany a longer track record of success in a stadium. Of course, if Burrow and the Bengals move to 2-0 on Sunday after all the trash talk, the talk of “Burrowhead” might not go away anytime soon. And there might be some more talk of it when the Bengals return during the 2023 regular season.
What was the Chiefs’ response to the ‘Burrowhead’ comments?
The comments have clearly resonated with the Chiefs. Tight end Travis Kelce, on his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, said that the team was taking them personally.
“They’re throwing a lot of bulletin board material out there,” Travis Kelce said.
MORE: Burrow insists Chiefs ‘still the team to beat’ in AFC
Safety Justin Reid said the team acknowledged the comments, but it was going to “let our play on the field speak for us.”
“I think we all saw it and, you know, those guys are having fun since they won the game,” Reid said.
And when defensive tackle Chris Jones finished his press conference Friday, he told the media in attendance he would “see you all at Burrowhead Stadium.”
“Take care. See you all at Burrowhead Stadium.” 😂
Chiefs’ Chris Jones dropped the mic on everyone at the end of his presser 🎤🔥
🎥: @FOX19Joe pic.twitter.com/MvGEBsvQST
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@sportingnews) January 27, 2023
The Chiefs have started to amp up their own trash talk. Linebacker Willie Gay was asked about what impressed him about the Bengals’ offense; he responded: “Nothing.”
However Sunday’s contest plays out, there will certainly be a lot said afterward about “Burrowhead Stadium.”
Read the full article here
