Why Kansas City Chiefs Will Win the AFC Championship
The injuries on the Cincinnati offensive line will matter at some point.
Buffalo played a weird game in the 27-10 loss. Josh Allen was tentative, the defensive front seemed surprised every time the Bengals tried to run, and there weren’t any answers for the receives who always seemed to be a step ahead. And why? There wasn’t any consistent pressure in the Cincinnati backfield.
Kansas City doesn’t go all out to get to the quarterback, but it should be able to at least breathe on Burrow more than Buffalo did. The run defense hasn’t had any real issues this year, and the secondary doesn’t give up a ton of deep shots.
And yeah, there’s something to the idea that everyone else – especially the defense – has to up their game with the main man hurting. Triple that for the offensive front.
To do this, Kansas City has to reverse what the Bengals dealt with last week. Buffalo ran just 19 times for 63 yards. Cincinnati ran 34 times for 172 yards – the Chiefs have to flip that script. Kansas City has to be the team that controls the clock and goes on long, grinding marches, just like it did against Jacksonville.
Patrick Mahomes got hurt, the gameplan changed, and the Chiefs quickly adjusted. They ended up holding the ball for ten minutes more than the Jaguars, and now they have to repeat the plan.
Yeah, they’re at their best when they go at warp speed and Mahomes gets into an unshakeable groove, but that’s asking a lot with his ankle issues. Ground, pound, and make that offensive line earn its paycheck.
Cincinnati was 2-2 when allowing 155 rushing yards or more, and one of those wins was to Baltimore in the Wild Card round when it was one inch away from probably losing.
Kansas City is 13-1 when running for 70 yards or more. However, that one loss came to …
– Bengals vs Chiefs Prediction, What’s Going to Happen