Chiefs and Bengals-Matchup of Epic Magnitude. What to Expect?

The Kansas City Chiefs Will Clash against a Hungry Cincinnati Bengals Team Looking to Make the Playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have won eight consecutive football games and their most recent was a 36-10 victory over the Pittsburg Steelers. Through that stretch of games, they have faced many forms of adversity. Whether players experienced injury or ended up on the reserve/Covid-19 list, this football team has not been 100%. Heading into Week 17, Kansas City is playing a young, talented Cincinnati football team that is trying to gain a higher seeding in the AFC playoff picture. So what can we expect in this matchup?

The Kansas City Chiefs Will Have a Tall Task on Defense

The Chiefs’ defense will get tested in many forms this week. The Bengals have deployed a running game led by running back Joe Mixon. Mixon is currently 2nd in the NFL with 1,159 yards on the ground, only behind Indianapolis Colt Jonathan Taylor. In 15 games played, Mixon has an average of 4.1 yards per carry on 280 attempts. He is averaging 77.3 yards per game and has scored 13 rushing touchdowns.

On the opposite end, getting linebacker Nick Bolton back will help slow down the Bengals’ running attack. Bolton is a downhill, physical linebacker who plays the run very well. We have seen Bolton’s coverage improve over the season as well. According to ESPN, Bolton is ranked 27th in the NFL with 102 total tackles. As a rookie, Bolton has an impressive 11 tackles for a loss. He is coming off of the reserve/Covid-19 list, and if fully healthy, I would expect him to have a big game.

Will the Kansas City Chiefs Defend the Air Raid?

Quarterback Joe Burrow has come into his own in year two of his NFL career. The former LSU Tiger tore his ACL in 2020 and was only able to play in ten total games. In 2021 he has ignited the offense and the fan base in Cincinnati. Burrow has completed 264-out-of-404 attempts for a 69.9% completion percentage. He has thrown for 4,165 yards on average of 8.7 yards per attempt. His 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions puts him towards the top of the NFL quarterback rankings. The Bengals like to throw the football to their young wide receivers, and that is seen in Joe Burrow’s statistics.

Rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase is posting incredible first-year numbers. Chase has played in 15 games catching 68-out-of-112 targets. With two games remaining in the regular season, Chase has 1,163 yards averaging 17.1 yards per reception and 10 touchdowns. He is averaging 77.5 yards per game with an impressive 469 yards after contact.

The second-year wide receiver Tee Higgins is also posting incredible numbers. In 13 games played, Higgins has caught 71-out-of-105 targets. Just like Chase, Higgins has broken the 1000 yard mark and currently has 1,029 yards on the season with two games remaining in the NFL regular season. He is averaging 14.5 yards per reception with six touchdowns on the season. Higgins averages 79.2 yards per game with 262 yards after catch.

The Chiefs’ secondary will have their hands full, covering these two impressive wideouts. Kansas City looks to send out a healthy defense that has been utterly impressive for the last eight weeks of the season. The defensive front will need to apply pressure on Joe Burrow allowing the secondary to limit the big-play ability of the Bengals’ lethal receivers.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will need to dial up one of his best games. I would look for Chris Jones to wreak havoc on the interior of the offensive line. The Bengals’ offensive line has given up a whopping 47 sacks on the season, which bodes well for an aggressive Chiefs’ pass rush.

The Kansas City Chiefs Will Look to Play Flawless on Offense

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was awarded AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month. The former MVP has been playing just that MVP caliber football. In December, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to a perfect 4-0 record which is a part of their eight-game winning streak. In that stretch, they also secured another AFC West title and hold the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoff picture. Mahomes threw for 1,100 yards with eight touchdowns.

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The Chiefs will need another stellar performance from not only Mahomes but the rest of the offense. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire exited the previous game with a collarbone injury and will be week-to-week, but look for Darrel Williams, and Derrick Gore to step up in a big way. The Chiefs will also be getting tight end Travis Kelce back after being placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list.

I would expect the Chiefs to take advantage of the Bengals pass defense that has given up 3,792 yards, which comes out to an average of 252.8 yards per game. The Bengals’ defense has allowed 324 points for an average of 21.6 points per game in 2021. The Chiefs’ offense will need to put the pedal down, and not let up to secure a victory.

The Kansas City Chiefs Playing for the No. 1 Seed?

In the end, this should be a tremendous AFC showdown and could be an AFC playoff matchup depending on how the remainder of the regular season plays out. As of right now, the Bengals are 9-6 sitting atop the AFC North and holding the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture. The Chiefs are still fighting to hold onto the No. 1 seed as they want to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.

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The Tennessee Titans are sitting at the No. 2 seed nipping at the Chiefs’ heels with a 10-5 record. They will be squaring off against the Miami Dolphins who are on a seven-game win streak and fighting to make the playoffs themselves. A big week no question in the NFL, and should be good for ratings.