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KC Chiefs Key: Front Seven Vs Bengals O-Line

By Alec Tilson

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The 1-2 Kansas City Chiefs take on the 3-0 Cincinnati Bengals today in Paul Brown Stadium.

This is a key in any football game, but today it’s magnified when two of the NFL’s best units collide up front: the Bengals offensive line against the KC Chiefs front seven.

Power versus power; veteran, home-grown unit versus a veteran, home-grown unit. This one will be a big boy’s game.

The Cincinnati offensive line is strong. It was built from the ground up, it’s played together for years and it’s the foundation of its offense.

The Bengals don’t care that the Chiefs secondary might be banged up. They’ll start with the ground game until the Chiefs prove they can stop it.

From left to right: Andrew Whitworth, 33 years old, Bengals lifer. Clint Boling, fifth season, Bengals lifer.  Russell Bodine, second season, started all 16 games as a Bengals rookie last season. Kevin Zeitler, fourth season, Bengals lifer. Andre Smith, seventh season, Bengals lifer.

It’s part of the reason quarterback Andy Dalton has been sacked just two times in three games, and part of the reason they average 129.3 rushing yards per game. It’s not a fluke either. Last season, Cincinnati finished second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns (19), sixth in rushing yards per game (134.2) and sixth in total rushing yards (2,147). (via ESPN.com)

It starts with the tackles. Whitworth on the left – 6′ 7″, 330 pounds, tenth-year guy out of LSU – and Smith on the right – 6′ 4″, 325 pounds out of Alabama. Whitworth didn’t allow a sack last season. He was a second-team All Pro in 2014.

From Pro Football Focus‘ article recapping the 2014 season’s top performers:

"Leading the way without giving up a single sack was Andrew Whitworth, he only let his quarterback hit the ground once on his way to a terrific 98.7 PBE. That’s the best mark recorded by any starting tackle in the eight seasons we have on record…”"

Fittingly, the two Bengals tackles will draw one of the strongest edge rushing duos in the league. Watch Tamba Hali vs. Whitworth and Justin Houston vs. Smith all day today for some heavyweight duels.

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Up the middle, the Chiefs own home-grown talent nose tackle Dontari Poe and linebacker Derrick Johnson, along with fourth-year riser Jaye Howard (who was drafted by Seattle) will have its hands full.

The Bengals don’t care that the Chiefs secondary might be banged up. They’ll start with the ground game until the Chiefs prove they can stop it. Running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard are a phenomenal one-two complementary backfield.  It’s a run-heavy offense, and they know their identity. This isn’t Aaron Rodgers with a scalpel.

Likewise, the Chiefs present a physical, potentially dynamic front seven. If the Chiefs can neutralize the Cincy offensive front, we’ll live with our chances of Dalton dropping back and beating us through the air.

Next: KC Chiefs: Sean Smith Bittersweet Return

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