Let's talk about the Bengals [and Hamburger Helper]

[HC_Chief]

Unfortunately for Cincy they are playing the Chiefs late in the season, after the rebuilt OL and D finally gelled. If this game had been earlier in the season they would have had a legit shot at winning by a significant margin (7+... remember, before the SB with the replacement OL, Mahomes-led KC had never lost a game by more than 8 points... most losses, few that they were, were by an avg of 4pts; and that was with significantly weaker defenses).

Barring more COVID BS, this team is healthy and on track. Mahomes has settled into the check-down offense to counter the 2-deep looks, and now carves teams up on long drives. The OL is dominating, esp. the interior (those three are seriously incredible - takes me back to the OL Green had in the Vermeil years). The D is as good as it has ever been under Reid (addition of Ingram, moving CJ back inside, starting Thornhill, Gay, and Bolton = so much win). Play-calling is working in the run just enough to force defenses to respect it, allowing for big play-action shots. This team is peaking at the right time.

Cincy's offense has put up some gaudy numbers, but surrendering that many sacks is a huge red flag: 47 sacks for -340yds, and there are still a couple of games remaining, will seriously impair your future. KC's DL can get to the QB, and Cincy's pass protection is less than stellar.

Tough game for Cincy. This is a serious test of their resolve. Are they going to man up and play toe-to-toe with the big dogs, or roll over and get throttled? This game should be flexed IMO; no one wants to watch the sorry ass squealers play the cleveland turds on MNF. Hell, the GB/Minn game is a snooze-fest SNF; GB has it locked up and Minn is dead in the water. KC at Cincy is a legit big game matchup. This could be a real score-fest if Burrow can get the ball out of his hands quickly (but if he doesn't, this game is going to get ugly).