Bengals vs. Chiefs Preview: Game of the Week
Cincinnati, Ohio (PSF) — This weekend, we get to see the rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game. With the Chiefs being arguably the best team in the NFL right now and with the Bengals back on the rise, this could possibly be the best game of the regular season.
The Bengals are finally getting star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase back after missing five weeks due to a hip injury, along with running back Joe Mixon who missed last week with a concussion.
It does not look like the Chiefs will have two of their top wide receivers, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney. They are both expected to miss the game due to injury, which will hurt the Chiefs #1 ranked offense.
With the Bengals back to full strength on offense, and with the help of their 11th ranked defense, they should be able to get the job done, but the Chiefs will not go down easily. Patrick Mahomes always seems to make the offense get points on the board even when it looks bleak. He is a playmaker, and the Bengals defense will need to be ready to stop him. They also need to keep tabs on tight end Travis Kelce, who is Mahomes’ favorite target. It’s rumored that safety Vonn Bell will be the main defender against Kelce, and he will need to stay locked in all night if they want to keep the Chiefs from scoring.
The Chiefs have a massive chip on their shoulder after losing to the Bengals both in Week 17 and in the AFC Championship last year, thwarting their hopes to win their second Super Bowl in three years.
That being said, some Bengals receivers have now been given a chip to put on their shoulder after Chiefs safety Justin Reid had some words to say in an interview on Wednesday. The interview was posted to Twitter, and Ja’Marr Chase was quick to defend his teammates to show they aren’t here for the disrespect, proving they are ready to show the Chiefs they are a legitimate contender.
It should be another close game like the AFC Championship was, and even though they were playing in Arrowhead Stadium for that game, that didn’t keep the Bengals from upsetting the Super Bowl favorite. They have the opportunity to do it again, this year at home in Cincinnati.
The game kicks off at 4:25 ET, and if I were you, this is the game to watch. If both offenses come out firing as expected, it will be impossible to keep your eyes from leaving the TV.