NFL Schedule 2023: Joe Burrow, Bengals vs. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Set for Week 17

The NFL announced Wednesday that the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals will face off in Week 17 of the NFL regular season in a game that could potentially determine home-field advantage during the AFC playoffs.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will headline the game in Kansas City, which is scheduled to air on CBS at 4:25 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve.

Between the regular season and playoffs, it will mark the fifth meeting between Mahomes and Burrow. Thus far, Burrow has beaten Mahomes three out of the four times they have faced each other.

The first three times Mahomes and Burrow faced off, the Bengals came out on top. That included regular-season games in 2021 and 2022, as well as the AFC Championship Game during the 2021 campaign.

KC held a 21-3 lead in that AFC Championship Game, but the Bengals stormed back to force overtime, holding Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense to just three points in the second half.

Cincy won the game on a 31-yard field goal by Evan McPherson in OT, although it would fall short against the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl.

An AFC Championship Game rematch took place in Kansas City last season, and Mahomes finally got the better of Burrow in a 23-20 win that saw the two-time NFL MVP and two-time Super Bowl MVP throw for 326 yards and two touchdowns.

Mahomes and the Chiefs then outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, giving them their second title in four seasons.

In just six NFL seasons, Mahomes has already firmly cemented himself as a future Hall of Famer, and Burrow is now working to get to that point.

At just 26 years of age and three seasons into his career, Burrow has already reached a Super Bowl and thrown for a combined 69 touchdown passes over the past two campaigns, but he needs a Super Bowl win and an MVP or two to truly enter the Mahomes echelon.

One way to significantly increase the Bengals' chances of going the distance next season would be to beat Kansas City in Week 17 and potentially clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The battle for the top seed came down to the wire last season between the Chiefs, Bengals and Buffalo Bills, and it ultimately went Kansas City's way.

By getting the No. 1 seed, the Chiefs avoided both the Bengals and Bills in the AFC Divisional Round and then got to host the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

While it isn't a guarantee that home-field advantage will be hanging in the balance when the Chiefs and Bengals play on Dec. 31, they are two top teams that both figure to be in the mix for many years to come.

The game could also serve as a playoff preview, potentially setting the stage for a third consecutive postseason game between Mahomes and Burrow.