They're some cocky mofos. Alot of assumptions they're going to dominate Sunday.

If you go by playing style on both sides of the ball, the Bengals play like the Schottenheimer Chiefs of the 1990's except they have All-Pro QB Burrow, All-Pro WR Chase, Pro Bowl WR Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon, and Samaje Perrine.

Bengals play a deliberate style and make it a physical game without drawing personal fouls.

Andy Reid's teams play more physical than they get credit for, but Chiefs may need to emphasize playing more physical without drawing personal fouls.

I agree but I don't think the odds are much higher if PM can't maneuver as his game demands all game either. And if he does start and it's reflective of his play early, I could see Reid pulling him in favor of Henne.

Here's the thing. Mahomes may have to be Superman to recover enough by Sunday to be himself. But even if he does, the Bengals may still be his kryptonite.

I'd take Mahomes in a wheelchair over Henne on his best day.

So like Martyball but not close in the slightest??

So were you a fan of the Chiefs during the Schottenheimer years?

Anybody that remembers why that team won more games in the 1990's knows what I mean.

Use your head and try not to be an asshole.

As a fan of neither team, I will say that this should be a pretty good game.

The Super Bowl should be really good too, with any of the possible matchups.

I wish I could come in with all types of swagger but this will be the most nervous I have been watching a Chiefs game since they played the Titans in the 2019 AFCCG and won.

If Mahomes was 100% I would be much more confident.

It will be a battle for sure and I will need extra Tums and blood pressure meds.

The only team that reminds me of those 90s teams even a little would be the Ravens...if the Ravens had a no-talent statue for a QB.

They have beaten KC three times in a row, twice at Arrowhead and all three times with a healthy Mahomes. He is hobbled right now. They have every reason to be cocky. They have earned it.

Once at Arrowhead.

That is correct. I guess I thought the regular season game last year was in KC.

And they can go right on ahead with that.

After watching Football Jesus on Saturday, every Chief's player should be willing to go to war and leave it all out there.

I kept waiting for Buffalo to turn it up a notch but they looked like !!#%* yesterday. I don't give Cincy as much credit as they are giving themselves.

You don’t have to give Cincinnati credit at all, but the fact is they are the defending AFC Champs, are in the AFCCG for the second straight season and currently have a three game winning streak vs KC. Until KC does something about it the Bengals have earned their bravado.

Winning Super Bowls is getting tougher. In 2019, the Chiefs had to play the Titans/49ers. Two teams with mediocre QBs. Now it's Bengals and possibly Eagles. Much tougher opponents with better QB play. I'd love to play the 49ers again because I figure eventually Purdy ****s up.

Buffalo has looked shaky for many weeks. Injury problems with their defense mixed with Allen’s injured throwing elbow. They finally ran into a strong enough team to fully exploit their injury problems on both sides of the ball.

The Chiefs are an interesting team. They seem to struggle with bad teams, but play well against the good teams of the league. They seem to play at different levels based on the competition. We’ll see how it goes, but I don’t think they will get blown out like Buffalo did.

Everyone keeps saying the Bengals are the best team in the league but man…have people seen Philly’s roster?

They are one of the most talented teams in recent memory. They are just absolutely stacked everywhere

It’s a bad analogy.

Bone Thugs and Marty were bullies in the regular season, lap dogs in the playoffs.

Seems like they're shying away from calling it a "dream team" for some reason.

Check out Mahomes’ performances in his return games from injury:

2019 Week 2 vs the Raiders (after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 1 vs Jacksonville): 30-44, 443 yards passing, 4 TD’s 0 INT’s.

2019 Week 10 vs Tennessee (after suffering a knee injury in Week 7 vs Denver and missing the next two games): 36-50, 446 yards passing, 3 TD’s 0 INT’s.

2020 AFC Championship Game vs Buffalo (after suffering a hit to the head injury and turf toe in the Divisional Round vs Cleveland): 29-38, 325 yards passing, 3 TD’s 0 INT’s.

Not bad.

This is just my gut feeling more than anything, and things could change a lot depending on Mahomes' ankle and whether Hardman can go by gameday, but imo, this is basically how the two teams stack up. Now, this is just a broad cut; there's no nuance here, just which unit is better than the other, imho. In some cases I think the difference is very slight, others it's more significant, but this side-by-side comparo doesn't take that into account.



Damn, couldn't get the chart to work right.

Okay, so KC has the advantage, however slight or great in these areas:

Coaching staff Andy.

RB KC has the faster and more athletic RBs, pls they're better receivers

TE Kelce. 'nuff said

OL KC OL is healthy, theirs is not

DL Their OL isn't healthy, our DL is healthy and they've been more efficient and effective in recent weeks than they were in week 13



CIN has the advantage in these areas;

QB (Mahomes won't be able to use his greatest superhero ability, extending plays with his legs)

WR 1/2, maybe even WR3

LB might be a wash; in the first meeting this season CIN had the advantage

Secondary goes to CIN due to the fact that theirs has been together longer and more experienced, KC is starting three rooks, and CIN has the better safety duo until further notice.

Some follow up thoughts:

I gave the nod to Burrow because of Mahomes' ankle. This may or may not move back to KC depending on how bad the sprain was and how quickly Pat heals. But a 100% healthy Burrow is probably better than a hobbled Mahomes.

RB could be a wash depending on the weather, And obviously CIN would get the nod if it's just sloppy field conditions, which favors big backs and can give more margin for error to backup OLs when they have to run-block. If Mahomes were healthy I might give it to CIN simply because Andy rarely leans on the running game, and CIN uses their run game much more in certain situations, like in the RZ, where they are pretty effective. But as Pat is not going to be as effective scrambling, I think Andy is going to lean into the run game a little more than normal, and our RBs are faster and more effective in the passing game.

Their OL is starting two or three backups, 'Nuff said.

Kelce

CIN simply has the better WR1/2, maybe 3

I gave our DL the nod because CIN is starting backups on their OL, and our DL has been playing better in recent weeks

I'm not that familiar with CIN LBs, but I like how ours are playing overall, in spite of their issues in coverage, so it's a wash, at this point until someone argues (rationally) otherwise.

Our secondary is starting 3 rooks, theirs has not, they have better safeties, and they've been playing together longer, so despite the fact that I think our secondary has improved since the last time we played CIN, I can't say our secondary is playing at a higher level than theirs right now, so based on how things looked CIN vs. BUF, I have to give CIN the nod.

My early thought is that Andy is going to have to come up with the gameplan of his career for this one if Mahomes is hobbled and can't extend plays, because that's his superhero ability more than anything else, and Spags is going to have to also come up with the best gameplan he's come up with since being hired as the Chiefs DC. On a sidenote, Cullen needs to show off just how good he is at his job in this one.

Mixon > Pacheco

and Tyler Boyd >>> MVS or Hardman

Daily reminder that Cincy had to get double penetrated with a horseshoe to get through a Tyler Huntley led Ravens team in the WC round.

Lets not crown they ass just yet.

I'm sorry but some of this is Chiefs-tinted glasses a bit.

QB is a wash. Mahomes is the superior player but he's going to be hobbled. I don't care what the Chiefs say this week.

RB is Cincy easily.

WR is Cincy easily.

DL is Cincy, but not by much.

The Chiefs have the better TE and the better OL, easily.

It's a wash in the back sevens. The Bengals and Chiefs have really good linebackers, and both secondaries play well but have their deficiencies. (Theirs is talent levels, ours is a simplistic scheme.)

Against the Bengals, sacks dont matter! I know that sounds dumb but Burrow does not get rattled, it does not effect his play. He's been sacked 9 times in a game and still won. That doesnt mean we shouldnt sack him but its not as important as it would be against other opponents.

Pressure will be key, nearly instant pressure will effect the game. Burrow consistently gets the ball out in 2.5 seconds or less. That is how the inexperienced O line has held up.

This means the secondary has to cover tight for 3 seconds! No 5 or 8 yard cushions. Bump them at the line, disrupt the timing for just a second.

This is how you defend their Offense, sacks are great but the 2-3 seconds after the snap is crucial.

I could not believe how often the Bills would blitz Burrow only for a CB to give a WR a fat, fat cushion.

What was Leslie Frazier doing!?

Some "Playoff Spags" is going to be the solution here.

Giving KC the OL advantage because Cincy's OL is largely injured makes sense.

Also giving KC the DL advantage because Cincy's OL is largely injured does not make sense.

Hey, your guess is as good as mine.

though I gave CIN the nod at QB, because Burrow is healthy, and Mahomes is not. Not sure how that's "KC tinted."

Also, I don't see CIN having the better RBs, except in short yardage situations. As athletes, ours are better. Mixon and Perine are big, strong RBs with some wiggle and some receiving ability, but they aren't better than McK and Pacheco, imo.

But I will argue that their safeties are better than ours. They've been in scheme longer and I think they're probably better players overall. The CBs I might give KC a slight nod with Sneed and MCDuffie vs. their guys.

Fair enough.

Agreed, we've seen this before. Cinci rolls with scrubs on the OL, and our DL makes them look like the '93 Cowboys.

This is a straight comparison between the two teams, so the relative health/ability of each unit is relevant. In a bubble, I'd probably give CIN DL the nod over KC's. But when considering each unit's opponent for this game, CIN's DL has to face a 100% healthy KC OL, while KC's DL is facing a dinged up CIN OL, so nod should go to the unit facing the lesser opposing squad.

QB: = even with Mahomes injury
RB: Bengals
WR: Bengals not even close
TE: Chiefs
OL: Chiefs
Defense: All Bengals
HC: Chiefs
ST's: Probably Bengals

Re-watched our offensive possessions in Cincinnati.

1st drive - Moved the ball relatively easily until a batted pass near the goal line. Settled for FG.
2nd - Sack on 2nd down. Nobody open on 3rd. Couldn't connect on a bomb.
3rd - Had to convert a 4th and 4 but scored a TD easily after.
4th - Several chunk plays followed by a TD.
5th - Multiple chunk plays. Defense tightened up near the goal line. Mahomes TD dive on 4th down.
6th - Moved the ball well until the Kelce fumble.
7th - Moving the ball until Mahomes was tripped up trying to run for the first on 3rd and short. Andy stupidly tries the FG
instead of trusting Mahomes to pick up 3 yards.

Only one punt. Two sacks. KC was able to get chunk plays fairly consistently, especially on the ground. Solid success in the screen game. Balanced attack overall.

I think Mahomes and Andy really know how to attack this defense now. They were a rare Kelce fumble and a batted pass from probably adding another 10-14 points. And they'd have likely kept the last drive alive had Andy not been a huge pussy and settled for the FG.

Also, Mahomes didn't do a whole lot of scrambling in this game. Mostly stayed in the pocket. Hopefully that will bode well for the rematch.

A Kelce fumble is not rare, I'm sad to say. But I wouldn't bet on it this week. Kelce will be out for blood.

I agree with your analysis otherwise. Gives me some hope.

The Bengals, on paper, may very well be the better team. But the Chiefs have everything you need: a team rallying around their beloved QB, a GOAT caliber QB willing to die on the field if it gets them the win, good counter-punch options on offense across the board, a defensive line playing very loose, the best linebacker corps we've had in the 21st century, and a ton of young, hungry talent in the secondary.

This isn't the best Chiefs team of all time, but it's probably Top 8. And with Mahomes out for blood, they're going to punch above their weight.

I trust Burrow and the Bengals to roll with the punches and deliver their own haymakers, but I don't think this is going to be a route either way unless Mahomes goes ham.

Thx for that tidbit. Hopefully Pat won't have to scramble much in this one, but if I were CIN I'd be blitzing a lot more than they have previously. It'll be interesting to see what they do. And how Andy will counter.

The DL needs to get their hands up and tip the ball at the line of scrimmage. Chris Jones needs to do the type of stuff he did to Jimmy G in the Super Bowl. Burrow had 24 batted balls this season, which was the highest in the league despite playing 1 less game than most QB's.

If the Bengals blitz a ton, you can print your Super Bowl tickets now.

I don't care if Mahomes is hobbled. Nobody eats the blitz like the Chiefs.

They matchup well with us.
Field goal has won it each time for the difference.
Hopefully our team comes out swinging.

They mauled the bills in the trenches.
Our oline needs to have pat not get touched.

We can win. But it won't be easy.

I do find their fans funny. For all the shit we get, they are easily worse.

The Chiefs actually have the most batted passes in the NFL.

Clark/Karlaftis/Dunlap/Jones and others are built for it.

God, I am so hungry for this game.

On paper, I just like the Bengals too much, but I'm starting to talk myself into KC all of a sudden.

Incorrect. If you throw him off his timing he will throw it up for grabs but you gotta actually throw him off his timing.

You do that by hammering his targets relentlessly.

I guess it's not as rare as I thought, but 6 fumbles in the last 8 years isn't exactly bad for a guy with 100 receptions every year.

Maybe. I hope so.

But Mahomes hasn't been as good vs. pressure as he has in the past, because KC only has two real man-beater receivers in Kelce and probably Toney. You can say MVS can as well to a certain extent because of his rare speed and Andy's scheming have made him more than just a go-route WR, but really it's Kelce and Toney at short to intermediate passes.

I don't remember them batting any passes in the previous game, but who knows. It was pretty much an abortion of a defensive performance. Bengals shot themselves in the foot twice deep in KC territory or they would have scored 38 points in that game, despite the fact KC's offense kept them on the sidelines for a huge chunk of the game. 430 yards of offense and only 1 punt for the Bengals in that game. That's pretty rough.

Who knows if KC's defense can have a better performance this time. Tackling & coverage has to be a million times better, DL physicality needs to be much better. Meanwhile the Chiefs offense with a gimpy QB is going against a Bengals defense that just held an explosive Buffalo offense to only 10 points.

Hoping and praying Spags comes up with a stellar game plan to keep Burrows off balance. Totally expect CJ to find his sack mojo and obliterate Burrows on Sunday. If the secondary can just lock it down for an extra second or two: I like CJ's odds vs. anyone on the Bengals O-line.

Hasn’t Butker missed a kick in each game?

OK, bud. Given our recent matchups, I think it's more likely that we won't make Burrow uncomfortable at all.

I hope you're right though!

??

Yeah, thats what Im saying. Instant pressure, physical with the WRs right off the line. No cushion, tight coverage. And Yes, hit the WRs every chance you get!

Disrupt the timing! Its a couple seconds, if you can get him to throw an errant pass or hold the ball a little longer, BOOM!

Of course that isnt as easy as it would seem.

Obviously he missed one in the most recent game. I don't think he missed any kicks in the AFC title game. I think he missed one in the regular season 2021 game against Cincy. So that's 2 missed kicks in 3 games. Meanwhile the Cincy kicker never seems to miss from what I can tell.

Rewatched a few Bengals games from the offensive side of the ball (Burrow on the field).

Bills played by far the most soft zone coverage (we've seen this from them in the past). Just a miserable gameplan against Burrow with a banged up oline.

The Bengals WR's were open and Burrow was on time because the Bills REFUSED to slow them down at the line of scrimmage. Burrow was never bothered because everything was on time. Nothing was disrupted at all.

Watch the Chiefs game vs. Bengals and its the total opposite. Press man almost every drive. Not ideal but it definitely created some timing issues and will probably force Burrow to hold on to the ball a bit longer. Chiefs generated more pressure than the Bills and should be able to pressure Burrow at least a little bit this week. Bills defensive game plan was not good.

Bills were almost exclusively soft zone, Chiefs were almost exclusively press man.

Our young CB's are super sticky. Burrow was able to pump it in a few times in the first game. He's gonna need to do that again.

That Bills gameplan was criminal.

5 yard cushions + blitzes = ????

Posted this earlier, but there was a pretty drastic difference in the defensive effort between the two games last year. 5.4 yards per play at home vs 7.5 in Cincinnati. 2.7 points per drive vs 3.8. 359 yds vs 475. 6.2 yards per pass vs 9.4. Almost half their drives in KC ended with a punt or turnover and they only reached the endzone twice.

Arrowhead could be a big factor. The revenge factor shouldn't hurt either.

They aren’t going to dominate the Chiefs, they never have. Every game has been a FG difference and this one will be the same.

Mil an O

They played that way I bet because of the conditions. Offense has a huge advantage in the snow\slick conditions.

I’ve got the 2022 AFCCG and this year’s game on my DVR but not the 2021 regular season game.

Have you noticed how they changed their schemes in the second half?

You're saying he isn't unflappable though when he can be shaken.

That was my take, too. I was looking closely at the rewatch at how much was done outside structure, and it really wasn't much at all.

That gameplan they went to in the second half really had the offense humming along. If anything, I think the only tweak I see is to be more willing to run the ball in 3 and 4 yards to gain situations. If you're at 3rd and 3 in long FG range, handing it off to Pacheco is not a bad approach to take (and if you want to throw, subbing him in and seeing if the opponents go to a more run-focused look and adjusting to that works, too).

So sick of hearing about last year's AFCCG. I won't shed a tear if the only remnants of the Bengals after Sunday is a stain on Arrowhead's turf. F Joe Burrow. F Zac Taylor. F Lou Anarumo. F Brian Callahan. F anything sporting tiger stripes on Sunday. :#

LMAO not bad he says

I just watched the game again on the condensed 40(ish) minute rewatch and I gotta say fellas….I’m confident this offense is scoring 30+ on they ass.

As long as Andy uses the formula he did in Cincy earlier this year, we’re getting 30+ points. We had 7 offensive drives not counting the end of the first half drove to run out the clock. This was our drive chart:

FG-65 yard drive
Punt
TD-77 yard drive
TD-53 yard drive
Fumble-10.5 yards per play on 2 plays
Missed FG-38 yard drive

The only reason our first drive wasn’t a TD was a lucky batted pass in one’s the 10 and Kelce was wide open as the intended receiver.

Guys, we drove the ball at will on these assholes. Literally. Our own stupidity killed us with the fumble and missed FG. And that was with Orlando Brown getting his sphincter enlarged by Trey Hendrickson.

Oh and I would like to point out that neither Hardman or Toney played in this game.

Those 2 on the field together are going to cause massive problems

Solid take would watch over and over.

LMAO Not if he throws it in 2 to 2.5 seconds like he has been, but that limits there offense. Bills D is trash with Von out and all their secondary injuries.

As good as Cinci looked yesterday (and let's face it, they looked great), they looked terrible against Baltimore the week earlier. 234 yards of total offense. 4.3 yards per play. Just brutal. And Baltimore had about 350 yards of offense.

And I don't buy the division game nonsense. NYG got annihilated against Philly.

I'm not confident in a win, but it'd hardly be a big upset if we do.

Probably need to turn off your tv and radio then because you are going to hear about the 3 previous games a lot. I’m sure the NFL Network will reshow the games too.

Hardman is going to play this week?

pinball, maybe?

We've gotta stop the run first and foremost. Perrine had 105 yards in the last game.

I'll see it when I believe it.

Far too many missed tackles in our game earlier this year. We'll need a better effort there, for sure.

The 3 games Cinci has won were filled with Mistakes and turnovers for the Chiefs. Take care of the ball, make your damn kicks and don't allow the long easy passes and the Chiefs should win.

You really would like to see Hardman this week but he hasn't even practiced. I'd guess he's done.

Home field usually gets you 3 points.

That's all true. Poor tackling was a major feature in the losses, especially the 2 games in Cincy's stadium where it seemed like their offense could do whatever they wanted.

Maybe I’m just being optimistic. I didn’t feel great about last years game. But it feels like the bengals are treating last weeks win like the Super Bowl. We might have done that last year too after buffalo.

They’re not going to just lay down on us. But it could be enough to take away that edge. They’re going to be exhausted after two battles and no break. One less day to prep. Even less since we stayed home while they have to travel for the second straight week. It’s been a while since we saw the chiefs with this kind of a chip on their shoulder.

This is where the bye pays off HUGE

Might be Q, but the line has moved from KC (-2.5), to CIN (-1).

The Chiefs are now underdogs at home.

So… Chris lammons was cut. Who’s on deck?

Fortson?
Buechele?
Ceh?

Jesus I hope it's Fortson. CEH can eat an entire bag of dicks.

Dafuq. That's odd. Lammons has been our best special teamer for awhile now.

He musta done fuxed up.