KC Chiefs vs. Bengals: Here are some aspects of the game the Chiefs need to win on Sunday
.JPG "Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase (1) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)")
The Chiefs (11-4) and Cincinnati Bengals (9-6) square off Sunday in a battle of AFC powers.
The Week 17 showdown represents the 29th time the two teams meet, and the Bengals hold a slim 15-14 advantage in the all-time series.
The Chiefs won the last meeting in grand fashion, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 358 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 45-10 victory in Week 7 of the 2018 season.
This time around, there’s a lot on the line between two of the NFL’s top offenses.
The Chiefs are already in the postseason and hold a one-game lead over the Tennessee Titans for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Bengals, meanwhile, could secure their own postseason berth and the AFC North with a victory.
And from quarterback Joe Burrow to rookie standout wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to defensive end Trey Hendrickson, among others, the Bengals don’t lack for star power.
“They’re a heck of a football team, very, very well-coached,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of the Bengals. “They’ve got great players, some good, young players who are great players and have a great future for the National Football League, which is great for the NFL.”
Here are four key areas to monitor for the Chiefs with the No. 1 seed in the playoffs remaining on the line:
PROLIFIC RECEIVERS
Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, oh my.
Ja’Marr Chase leads the Bengals with 1,159 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns on 68 catches, averaging a healthy 17.1 yards per catch. Higgins is second with 1,029 and six touchdowns on a team-high 71 catches, averaging 14.5 yards per reception. Boyd, one of the NFL’s top slot receivers, is third on the team with 792 yards and four touchdowns on 63 catches.
It’s no wonder Burrow, whose 4,165 yards passing are the sixth-most in the league, is thriving in his second season given the weapons at his disposal in the passing game.
And the Chiefs’ defensive coaching staff knows Sunday presents a test against Cincinnati’s formidable trio of receivers.
“I think this is the best threesome, trio that we have gone against this year,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo emphasized. “I think our guys respect that and know that. Just turn on any play, any game, and they just take turns being the leading receiver for a particular game. Heck of a challenge for our guys.”
Chiefs defensive backs/cornerbacks coach Sam Madison agreed, adding that communication is important between the cornerbacks and safeties against the Bengals wideouts.
“When you look at this trio, they’re pretty darn good, and they have a very good quarterback that can deliver the ball,” Madison said. “Everybody has to be on the same page, and I think these last couple of days they have really been focusing on that. And they’re really looking forward to this challenge.”
The Chiefs enter the weekend ranked 25th against the pass, allowing 245.7 yards per game. They need big games out of cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and L’Jarius Sneed as the first line of defense against the outside receivers.
LOOK OUT FOR HENDRICKSON
The Chiefs’ offensive line met the challenge in Week 16 against a banged-up T.J. Watt, holding the two-time All-Pro pass rusher to just a tackle in Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chiefs’ front five also comes off a stretch of games where they’ve faced the pass-rushing likes of Joey Bosa and Maxx Crosby and emerged unscathed.
Kansas City needs a repeat performance against another stout pass rusher in the form of Trey Hendrickson, whose 14 sacks are the fourth most in the league.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Hendrickson has come into his own since entering the league as a third-round pick with the New Orleans Saints in 2017. He has 34 career sacks, but 27.5 of the quarterback takedowns have occurred over the past two seasons, including two sacks on Mahomes in Week 15 of the 2020 season while Hendrickson was with the Saints.
The Chiefs don’t want Hendrickson running wild again in the backfield on passing situations, even if he’s on a new team.
“He’s a beast,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said. “The kid plays relentless. You can’t help but be a fan and have a great deal of respect for who he is and what he does.
“I mean, hell, he got after us pretty good last year. We just need to make sure we can neutralize some of that pass rush.”
Hendrickson typically lines up over an opponent’s left tackle but can go to the other side if necessary, so Orlando Brown Jr. and either Andrew Wylie or rookie Lucas Niang draw a tough blocking assignment.
It’s a daunting task, but Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck believes his unit is up to the task.
“That’s going to be another great challenge for our tackles, and they’ve been rising to a lot of these challenges,” Heck said. “Getting into the film, and then coming up with a plan for how do I work against this guy, what can I anticipate from him is what helps you on Sunday.”
PREPARE FOR MIXON
Despite winning eight straight games, the Chiefs have shown a weakness over the past two weeks against the run.
In Week 15, the Chiefs allowed 192 yards rushing and two touchdowns to the Los Angeles Chargers. Then, the Pittsburgh Steelers totaled 130 yards rushing against Kansas City.
The opportunity to fix issues takes on importance Sunday because of Bengals running back Joe Mixon, who enters the weekend with 1,159 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on 280 attempts.
“This guy is a really impressive runner,” Chiefs defensive line coach Brendan Day said. “He’s an impressive back, not just a runner. He’s more than capable in terms of pass receiving, as well.”
Daly pointed out that the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Mixon possesses strength, balance, vision and does a good job of pressing the line of scrimmage behind his blockers to allow lanes to open.
So, what’s the best way for the Chiefs to contain Mixon?
It all starts in the trenches with defensive linemen Jarran Reed, Chris Jones, Frank Clark and Melvin Ingram, plus support from the linebackers.
“We’re going to have to do a good job of winning the line of scrimmage, of playing with hands, of attacking blockers,” Daly said. “Pressing those blocks, not jumping around them and creating space and violently getting off of them.
“If we allow him to run sideways with their stretch-run schemes, that’s where he finds the horizontal creases in the defense. We have to do a good job of minimizing that, pressing the blocks and getting downhill with the second level.”
CONDITIONING MATTERS
The Chiefs welcomed back numerous players from the reserve/COVID-19 list over the past week.
While it’s good to have tight end Travis Kelce, linebacker Nick Bolton, kicker Harrison Butker, punter Tommy Townsend, cornerback Rashad Fenton and safety Armani Watts available, the players need to be honest with the coaching staff.
Missed practice time from last week to even a missed game in Week 16 leads to potential conditioning issues, and the Chiefs don’t want to put any player in a bad situation.
“All we ask them is, look, don’t go out there and keep yourself on the field for a play when you don’t think you can do it 100%, let’s get somebody else in there,” Spagnuolo said. “Other than that, we roll a lot of guys through. So, I’m hoping the fact that we run a lot of people out on the field, that helps guys that are in that situation.”
This warrants attention Sunday, as the Chiefs incorporate multiple players holding key roles in all three phases of the game.
This story was originally published December 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "KC Chiefs vs. Bengals: Here are some aspects of the game the Chiefs need to win on Sunday."
