[Megatron96]

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.