Fans flock to Kansas City as Chiefs take on Bengals in AFC Championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - There’s a whole lot of buzz right now with the AFC Championship game just two days away, coming to town for the fifth straight season.

The team will look to get back to the Super Bowl behind MVP frontrunner Patrick Mahomes by beating another MVP candidate, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

James Russell is a lifelong Chiefs fan and thinks this year’s team can get the job done.

“Having Andy Reid, having Patrick Mahomes, having Travis Kelce, having such a great defense and offense, great organization, Brett Veach turned the team around and it’s perfect ever since,” he said.

Chiefs fans are seeing success no other team in NFL history has had: Seeing one franchise reach the AFC Championship for the fifth straight season. The AFC champ will once again hoist the Lamar Hunt Trophy at Arrowhead Stadium.

That means the city is reaping the benefits as fans attend the game, but also explore Union Station, the WWI Museum and Memorial, The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and plenty more.

Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation President and CEO Kathy Nelson said, “If you’re a sports fan or aficionado, there are certainly things to connect you back to sports in our city and then there’s the heart of our city – there’s that Midwest hospitality that we really take for granted and again, is our time to bring that to life when people come in.”

VisitKC expects the city to rake in another $13 million this year with the AFC Championship game being here yet again.

“It’s our opportunity to shine,” said Nelson. “It’s our opportunity on national and international television to show the world what Kansas City is all about.”

Those at Arrowhead will get an experience unlike anywhere else in the league. As fans in the streets gather together to see the team take GEHA Field one last time this season.

Buena Vida Studio Tattooist Gabe Uvario said, “It’s just Kansas City, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s the culture is what it is and everybody’s a part of it.”

It means a lot to be in the game, but it means much more to see the Chiefs compete for a Super Bowl again.

“When I see the days of 2012 when we went 2-14, now we’re 14-3 – it’s the perfect time to celebrate and it’s been a long time coming,” said Russell.

Copyright 2023 KCTV. All rights reserved.