Paid Dirt: Games of the week

Cincinnati Bengals defeated Kansas City Chiefs 27-24

The Cincinnati Bengals are a team of destiny. They overcame a 21-3 deficit against a team many had to win the Super Bowl in Kansas City. With this win, the Bengals proved their confident mentality was right. Tee Higgins (six receptions for 103 yards) and Joe Mixon (21 carries for 88 yards) both had tremendous games and proved the Bengals were more than just Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow on offense, even with C.J. Uzomah carted off. The Bengals fearless pass rush of Sam Hubbard, Trey Hendrickson, and B.J. Hill combined for four sacks and shook Patrick Mahomes, who rushed throws throughout the game. Burrow and company looked comfortable on offense against a Chiefs’ defense devoid of playmakers beyond Chris Jones and Tyrann Mathieu. The Cincinnati Bengals are America’s Playoff Team, sorry Cowboys' fans.

Los Angeles Rams defeat San Francisco 49ers 20-17

Matthew Stafford’s legacy as a Hall of Fame Quarterback will live. For a player who has spent 12 years toiling away in Detroit, Stafford put his passing volume to good use in Los Angeles and shed his turnover-prone label. The San Francisco 49ers had terrific Running Back production all season but couldn’t get the most out of Elijah Mitchell or Deebo Samuel in their last game of the season. The Rams will open as three and a half point favorites against Cincinnati, and it’ll be a game of the ages.

Reference Page

• Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and NFL.com

• Images courtesy of Getty Images

• Score information courtesy of NFL.com