Chiefs vs. Bengals: Week 13 Preview and Predictions

The Arrowhead Report crew predicts whether the Chiefs will rise to 10-2 on the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to kick off the first of three straight road games on Sunday afternoon, and no outing is more important than Week 13's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last season, these two teams squared off twice and Kansas City went into the locker room at halftime appearing to be well on its way to victory. Cincinnati had other plans, though, coming back twice and ultimately using their second triumph over the Chiefs to propel them into the Super Bowl. Revenge has very evidently been on the Chiefs' mind throughout the week, and this AFC Championship Game rematch could feature a ton of fireworks on both sides. 

How will today's game unfold? The Arrowhead Report crew makes their predictions.

Joshua Brisco: With all the energy of a playoff game, the Chiefs have clearly had the Bengals circled on the schedule all offseason. In this rematch, both offenses should have the upper hand, but the Chiefs’ new-look defense will be the indicator of how the game unfolds. If KC’s young defensive backs can stick to the Bengals’ weapons, the Chiefs can win in a number of ways. If it leads to reruns of the Burrow-to-Chase show, the offense will have to win in a shootout.

Prediction: Chiefs 31, Bengals 27

Jordan Foote: The Chiefs enter Sunday's game as the better team, but that was the case twice last year as well. With that said, the fact that Kansas City is clearly still fueled by those two losses — including one in the aforementioned AFC Championship Game — makes me think they'll come out firing and score a ton on offense. Will Steve Spagnuolo's defense do enough to secure the win? That's the part I'm far less sure of, but the Chiefs need this game for both their pride and their standing atop the AFC. Although I've considered picking Cincinnati this week, I'll stick with my gut here.

Prediction: Chiefs 35, Bengals 31

Mark Van Sickle: Here we go: the only AFC team Mahomes hasn’t beaten yet. Second-half meltdowns led to Bengals wins last season, and the Chiefs will need to overcome that mental block on the coaching side as well as on the field. Despite the big-name quarterbacks, the key matchups will be in the trenches. If the Chiefs can not only get pressure on Burrow but also convert those pressures into sacks, it could be a long day for Cincinnati. It will also help keep pressure off the Chiefs' young secondary that is going up against one of the best receiver trios in the NFL.

The Chiefs' offense should be able to move the ball and score plenty of points. It will come down to red zone execution. Do I think the Chiefs can win? Yes. Do I think the Chiefs will win? Yes. My heart is saying the Chiefs win by a touchdown. Before the season, however, I had this penciled in as a loss. Unfortunately, the Chiefs have to show me they can do it on the field today before I can officially predict them to beat the Bengals. Hopefully my heart is right and they prove me wrong.

Prediction: Bengals 34, Chiefs 31

Conner Christopherson: I don’t think the Chiefs have had a game like this in a while. It's a game against a team that is very good, a team they very much dislike, and a team that beat them twice last year. If there was ever a regular season game that is the Chiefs' Super Bowl for the season, this is it. Despite that, I am still a bit concerned about the Chiefs' prospects. 

The Bengals have figured out their formula on offense and it seems they are much more consistent on that side of the ball. Their defense has also been very good recently and is willing to throw the kitchen sink at the Chiefs. This game will come down to two things: whether the Chiefs' rookie cornerbacks can put up some resistance against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, as well as whether Patrick Mahomes can hit the curve balls the Bengals' defense will throw at him. I'm confident the second one will happen, so I'm barely giving this one to the Chiefs.

Prediction: Chiefs 28, Bengals 27

Zack Eisen: The Chiefs need this game. Not for the No. 1 seed or the division, but for themselves. They lost to the Bengals twice last year in devastating fashion, with one time costing them a trip to the Super Bowl. If they lose today, the concerns about Cincinnati having Kansas City’s number will only grow. I expect we see a fully focused Chiefs team today. The offense will come out firing on all cylinders, and the defense will play with that “championship swagger” we have become accustomed to. Patrick Mahomes essentially locks up the MVP with a five-touchdown performance in a Chiefs win.

Prediction: Chiefs 38, Bengals 27

Marlow Ferguson Jr.: It’s likely that the Chiefs and their supporters didn’t necessarily need an additional reason to be amped up for this weekend’s AFC Championship rematch — a first chance to get a measure of payback from last season’s heartbreaker. But after the early-week chatter between Justin Reid and Ja’Marr Chase, one could say this one moved up even more on the must-watch scale. 

The Bengals should feel excited about getting at least one of their offensive stars back but there’s just something about the way the Chiefs have approached this season, and in particular, “revenge” games. The high-scoring shootout prediction hasn’t always proved accurate, but it’s hard to bet against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and the payback storyline here.

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Bengals 32

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