NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 1988. This team has finished with losing records over the past two seasons and required a solution. That solution involved staying patient with the current head coach, Zac Taylor, and allowing him to build a winning philosophy. You can’t teach confidence, and this group has plenty, led by their fearless leader, Joe Burrow. Also, the outstanding free agent and draft moves have coalesced into forming a team capable of defeating anyone, as well as changing up game plans weekly. This is why the Bengals will beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and make it to their first Super Bowl since 1989.
This team knows how to get the job done, whether it takes playing a slow, sloppy game or a back and forth scoring affair. Just take a look at last week’s performance against the No. 1 seeded team in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans aren’t built to throw their way to victories, which means they wanted to opt for a more controlled football game at their pace. That proved to be no issue for the Bengals, who had the defense to match up and offensive playmakers to take advantage of Tennessee’s coverage schemes.
Somehow Burrow was sacked nine times that game and still won. He also completed 28-37 passes and threw for 348 yards. I still don’t anticipate him being sacked nine times against a good Chiefs front line. Regardless, the Bengals pose some serious matchup issues for the Chiefs that will be exposed when these two teams face off.
Let’s start with the front four. Cincinnati has been excellent at generating pressure with its front four consistently. To defeat a great quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, he needs to be uncomfortable as much as possible within the pocket. He needs to be running away from defenders constantly. Kansas City’s offensive line has been great all year, but this will once again be their biggest test. There will still be opportunities for Mahomes to make big plays against that Bengals secondary. However, if you watched this defensive unit make game-changing plays of their own against Tennessee, then you would understand that these players aren’t to be taken lightly.
The offensive players will be the most significant advantage the Bengals own in this game. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is heavy on Man coverage. Last week, we saw Buffalos receivers win their one-on-one matchups. That led to Gabriel Davis having a 201-yard and four-touchdown day against a Chiefs secondary without its leader, Tyrann Mathieu, who left the game with an injury.
This time around, the Chiefs can’t afford to play that defensive style against Bengal’s receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and C.J. Uzomah. The last time the Chiefs did that, they got burned for it. In the regular-season matchup, Burrow threw for 446 yards and four touchdowns. The Bengals climbed from a 28-17 deficit to win 34-31.
In addition to the passing game, the Chiefs haven’t been great at stopping an opponent’s run offense. Yes, they faced a Steelers team that isn’t efficient at running the ball and a Bills team that relies on Josh Allen to win games. However, although the Bengals don’t pose a great rushing attack themselves, there will still be chances to take advantage of the Chief’s inability to win consistently in the trenches. Having that part of the playbook for Brian Callahan will be just enough to exploit the entire defense.
This enticing matchup will feature two young, electric quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes. We’ve already witnessed how fun watching the NFL playoffs can be regarding the recent showdown between Mahomes and Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills. However, we can’t forget that Joe Burrow has the capabilities to sling it out with Mahomes if need be to win the game. Brian Callahan’s offense is versatile enough to completely disregard the run game and rely on his superstar quarterback. He’s done it multiple times this postseason, and he can definitely do it again.
It may not be as bold of a claim as you think if you’ve noticed this team’s potential. Hundreds of fans, notably Chiefs supporters, will be shocked once the game is concluded. Arrowhead stadium is one of the harshest conditions to play in for opposing quarterbacks. It won’t matter for Joe Burrow. They’ll be watching one quarterback put on the AFC Champions hat, and it won’t be Patrick Mahomes this time.
