Much has been made of the Kansas City Chiefs' ongoing rivalry with the Cincinnati Bengals, and this year's schedule offers a late-season matchup. The two sides will meet in Week 14 with KC on the road in a game that could have massive playoff implications. It also serves as a chance for Mahomes to win his first game against Burrow on the road. While the star quarterback has a winning record against Burrow, none of these wins have come on the road.
This serves as a chance to remedy this and continue to establish a level of dominance for the star quarterback. Burrow is one of only two current starters to beat Mahomes in a meaningful playoff spot, Jalen Hurts being the second. Burrow won against the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Championship game, which sparked what is one of the few genuine rivalries for KC.
Mahomes has gotten the better of Burrow in recent years, going 2-0 against the Bengals since the 2023 season. This is a chance for the 30-year-old to overcome the final hurdle and prove that the road game is no problem, beating the Bengals and further controlling a rivalry that is very quickly tilting in the favor of the Chiefs.
It is extremely noteworthy here as well that the Bengals have the third-lowest strength of schedule, according to Sharp Football Analysis. This points to the fact that the late-season matchup could come with huge AFC playoff implications that would help the Chiefs gain control of the conference's top seed.
NFL is handing Patrick Mahomes a chance to add another notch on his belt
This is far more important than beating a rival that fans have no doubt Mahomes can take care of when healthy. Regular-season road losses are an oddity for a quarterback who has an incredible winning percentage and a history of dominating any expected rivals. Josh Allen is a great example of this, with the talented Buffalo quarterback still remaining winless in the playoffs against the Chiefs.
Beating Burrow on the road is noteworthy for this reason, with the quarterback having a history of domination. Only Burrow and Hurts have beaten Mahomes in a game that truly mattered among active quarterbacks. Tom Brady completes this list, speaking to a generational talent that has only been beaten by greatness or a lack of protection.
With this in mind, there is no questioning that the matchup against the Bengals and Burrow is one that fans will have circled. It has a chance to greatly impact the playoff standings and, perhaps less important but equally exciting, gives Mahomes yet another clear edge over a rival. It is among the team's most exciting games in a schedule packed full of elite matchups.
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