NFL
By: Greg Rector
Kansas City Chiefs will play in their 5th straight AFC Championship game against a team in the Cincinnati Bengals that as we know have recently had the better of the perennial AFC powerhouse. There are several storylines for the Chiefs in this game. Let’s go over them.
Patrick Mahomes
Of course when we all saw Mahomes forced to leave the game against Jacksonville the audible gasp around the football world was heard loudly. Mahomes returned to practice but the unanswered question will be how effective can the master of the “off-schedule” plays be anywhere near as mobile as we are used to seeing. Simply until this game gets underway that will be the million-dollar question. Make no mistake for all of those “off-schedule” successes Mahomes has had he’s also been pretty damn effective in the pocket. Can Mahomes escape and maneuver within the pocket will be the focus as the Bengals’ pass rush will be pinning their ears back to get at him and test that ankle.
The advantage Mahomes will still have even if not 100% is the Chiefs aren’t going to go deep as in years past. This offense isn’t the Tyreek Hill offense anymore. I expect offensive genius Andy Reid to have a whole lot of very quick plays in the game plan and hopefully the receivers get yards after the catch. Mahomes has shown he can operate that style all season long as the Chiefs only had what has to be considered two big play passing plays all season. The key again will be can he escape if the Bengals rushers. If the worst-case scenario happens and the ankle is still an issue as we saw last week Chad Henne showed on a 98-yard drive he can move this offense with all the options available to him. Our “That School Up North” fan aka the boss Joe Cardoso would be one of the few people outside the Henne family to see it happen again though.
Establish The Run
The best way to avoid the pressure and make Mahomes move as much is pretty obvious, run the ball a lot. That means veteran Jerick McKinnon and rookie Isiah Pacheco must get enough yardage to move the chains and leave the Chiefs in short yardage on 3rd down as much as possible. Not an easy task as the Bengals’ run defense is top ten against the run. I would look for the Chiefs to as they always seem to be able to accomplish using as many different looks in the running game as is imaginable. If they can’t establish the run, then it favors the Bengals in a major way. Of course, this plan goes out the window if the Bengals get a large lead. The offensive line has to win their battles up front and in their recent games against the Bengals it hasn’t happened. The Chiefs line has to take this personally and come out ready to change that aspect of the matchup.
Chiefs Defense
The Chiefs’ secondary of course will be tested in trying to limit Chase, Higgins, Boyd, and a resurgent Hayden Hurst. The best way to help the secondary of course is putting pressure on Joe Burrow. The Kansas City front absolutely needs to be better than Buffalo was in testing a revamped Bengals offensive line. Chris Jones and Frank Clark can get to quarterbacks quickly both from the outside and in Jones’s case inside as well. Covering the Bengals’ weapons won’t be an easy task. The trenches often overlooked are where so many championships are won and lost. If Burrow isn’t pressured I don’t give Kansas City much of a chance over 60 minutes. Forcing a couple of turnovers would certainly help both sides of the ball.
Beating Expectations
Not often will you see a team that has reached this level for 5 straight seasons enter a game at home especially Arrowhead Stadium be a total pick-em game. Between the three losses to the Bengals in the calendar year 2022 and the unknown factor of Patrick Mahomes health, here we are with a game that has so many different factors for the Chiefs it comes down to being able to run better than they have against Cincinnati and for the defense to have a great day. Will both happen? We’ll see on Sunday. With Mahomes I like the Chiefs to win by a field goal, without him I have the Bengals by 10 points.
