Keys to Victory: Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs

The Bengals are one win away from their first AFC North title since 2015.

The Chiefs have won eight straight games after getting off to a 3-4 start. They were the first team to clinch a playoff berth and won of the AFC West for the sixth-straight year. 

They head to Cincinnati with hopes of clinching the number one seed in the AFC. The Bengals are looking to claim the AFC North Title this week. Both teams are playing impeccable football right now. 

Many consider this to be the biggest game of the week, and I have to agree. Here are our three keys to victory.

Apply Pressure to Mahomes

Getting D.J. Reader back from the COVID-19 reserve list is big this week as the Bengals defensive line needs to apply significant pressure to Mahomes. Cincinnati ranks sixth in sacks (41) and is tied for 5th in quarterback hits, but getting after Mahomes is much easier said than done. The Chiefs’ offensive line ranks in the top 10 (8th) in sacks allowed with just 27 on the year. Slowing him down will start upfront will be the biggest key to winning this match up because the Bengals are middle of the pack in pass defense—a dangerous place to be when facing a quarterback known for creating explosive plays.

The Bengals can't do the same things they did against the Ravens or they will lose. Josh Johnson managed to rack over 300 passing yards and earn a 98.3 QB rating in his first start in three years. That won’t fly when facing an elite talent like Mahomes. The Bengals also need to find a way to slow down Cincinnati Bearcats alum Travis Kelce. The Bengals’ pass defense hasn’t been great or even average when it comes to stopping guys like Kelce giving up 997 yards to tight ends ranking them 30th in the league in that category.

If the Bengals sit back, resist the urge to blitz and allow Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard to do their jobs, they’ll have a chance to slow down this fiery offense and snap the Chiefs' win streak.

Let Burrow Do What He Does Best

Joe Burrow has an elevated skill set when it comes to dissecting defenses and making quick decisions and that has served this offense well all season long.

Cincinnati is better than most teams in a category that always provides fans with the most entertainment during a football game. They’re tied for first with the Rams with 10 plays of 50 or more yards this season. 

There’s a reason why Chiefs Steve Spagnuolo compared Burrow to a young Tom Brady, and I believe that kind of praise is warranted.

Burrow also has an insane amount of talent around him that will be exceptionally challenging for Kansas City’s defense.

Outside of Charvarious Ward, who has two interceptions and only allows a 46.4 completion percentage, the Chiefs don’t have the manpower to stop Cincinnati's talented receiving corps featuring Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.

Rashad Fenton is allowing 71.1% of his targets to be caught, and while L’Jarius Sneed has two INT’s this year, he’s also allowing a 70+ completion percentage (72.1). This could be a good day for Joe Mixon as well as the Chiefs allow running backs an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Many teams have failed when trying to force Cincinnati to be one-dimensional this season, and it will be a tall task for Kansas City as well.

Don’t Cough Up the Rock

At one point this year Burrow was being questioned weekly about the amount of interceptions he has thrown. He's still tied for the lead league at 14.

With his poker face securely fastened, he told reporters that he would get better especially when it came to high-risk throws. Fast-forward to Week 17 and Burrow has now gone 3-straight games without an interception. 

The offense as a whole has now gone two games without a turnover. It seems as though they’ve given the turnover demon an exorcism, fixing the type of mistakes that have been plaguing them. They did it just in time too with Kansas City rolling out one of the best defenses they’ll see all season. This defense has racked two or more takeaways in seven straight games including 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Cincinnati can’t afford to turn the ball over against Kansas City if they want to win their 10th game of the year and snap the Chiefs' 8-game win streak.

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