Bengals Offense Vs Chiefs Defense: AFC Title Preview

Coming off one game where the Kansas City Chiefs defense faced one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFL, they will get to face another top young passer in the AFC Championship Game. While it was nowhere near a defensive performance to write home about, there were still times where Kansas City got after Josh Allen. The Chiefs made him make plays outside of structure on occasion. Can they do the same to Joe Burrow?

In the first matchup of the season between the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals, Burrow did face some pressure early. Kansas City sacked him four times. Elsewhere, Burrow placed the Bengals into longer downs and distances after holding onto the ball for far too long. A switch suddenly flipped late in the first quarter. On seemingly every throw down the field, Burrow placed balls perfectly in tight windows or jump ball situations. He also continued to have immense trust in his college teammate, Ja’Marr Chase, to come down with any YOLO ball.

At the end of the day, Burrow finished with monster numbers against the Chiefs. This included completing 30 of 39 pass attempts (completion percentage of 76.92 percent), 446 passing yards, 13.49 adjusted yards per pass attempt and four touchdown passes to zero interceptions. Chase further cemented his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year with 11 receptions for 266 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.

In order to defeat the Bengals this time around, Kansas City must play much more controlled and safer defensively, while still executing fundamentally. Too many penalties, missed tackles and miscommunication led to a miserable showing against Burrow and Co. back in December.

What are the top position battles that could determine Sunday’s outcome when the Bengals offense faces the Chiefs defense? To read our top matchups for Kansas City offense vs Cincinnati defense click here. Let’s kick it off.

Bengals Wide Receivers Vs Chiefs Cornerbacks

Unlike last week against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs cornerbacks will see a greater collection of size and power amongst the Bengals wide receiver corps. The trio of Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd can all impose their will during routes because of their functional strength. This can lead to confusion or frustration for opposing cornerbacks. More importantly, it can lead to defensive backs losing track of the football even further, which is an added bonus when Burrow already possesses near perfect accuracy.

After the catch, these Cincinnati wideouts are just as dangerous. Each of Chase, Higgins and Boyd present a sense of spatial awareness and elusiveness in the open field. We mentioned awful tackling by Kansas City in the first meeting above. Excellent form and tenacity must be used as a defender, if you want to stand a chance against these wide receivers. On top of that, all of Chase, Higgins and Boyd are either looking to score on every single touch, or are carrying the ball with the bigger picture of their game plan in mind.

One would have to think that Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will mix up coverages more often in this meeting. Against the Bengals in December, Burrow ate up man coverage with relative ease. Mixing and disguising looks will be crucial against an already wise and confident passer. In addition, letting your front four work without bringing extra pressure could be the key against this high flying offense. Will the Chiefs actually drop more guys into coverage and get out of their comfort zone a bit?

Bengals Offensive Line Vs Chiefs Defensive Line

Kansas City did sack Burrow four times in the previous game, as mentioned above. Chris Jones dominated early against double team attempts. Frank Clark was also given a couple of open shots at the passer, without having a hand laid on his chest. Eventually, the Bengals quarterback began to pick up on the Chiefs tendencies and navigated the pocket well later on.

The current front four in the Kansas City defense presents a solid mix of short area burst, as well as power and explosiveness. Melvin Ingram has only made this group stronger from the snap of the ball and at the point of attack. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have seen Jarran Reed quietly finish the season with more poise. He did register a sack last week against the Bills. All in all, the Chiefs defensive line has to take advantage of a feeble Bengals offensive line. Kansas City could arguably control this game rather quickly, if that were to happen.

Cincinnati allowed a whopping nine sacks to the Tennessee Titans in last week’s Divisional Round. Seven Titans defenders recorded at least 0.5 sack. Most notably, Jeffery Simmons (three), Harold Landry (1.5) and Denico Autry (1.5) led the way with a combined six sacks. This shows that the Bengals are not just challenged at blocking from one side of the offensive line. In fact, the entire unit of five has their fair share of hiccups.

Cincinnati has more experience on the left side with Jonah Williams and Quinton Spain. Yet still, this duo can struggle with pass rushers that know how to convert speed to power. The other trio of Trey Hopkins, Hakeem Adeniji and Isaiah Prince allow for a myriad of opportunities that opponents can cash in on. This group can often struggle with missed assignments, miscommunication and lately timed punches at the point of attack. Furthermore, Burrow can often take plenty of free shots because of those issues. Will this Bengals group be able to play much cleaner than they did a week ago?

Joe Mixon Vs Bolton, Gay and Hitchens

Despite being one of the league’s better all-around running backs, Joe Mixon has become more of a wild card or secret weapon in the Burrow era. He could certainly be the ultimate chess piece in Sunday’s contest for the Bengals offense. Not only does Cincinnati know that they will have to score plenty of points, but they would likely want to keep their defense fresh as well. The Chiefs have scored 42 points in each of the playoff games so far this postseason. Leaning more on Mixon could allow less chances for Patrick Mahomes. To boot, the longer Kansas City’s defense stays on the field, the greater the likelihood that they could start playing on their heels.

What makes Mixon so dangerous in the run game? He packs a bigger punch against oncoming tacklers than most people realize. You often hear about runners being praised for making defenders miss. While that is usually associated with finesse moves, Mixon excels more with instituting contact into the opposing defender. On the other hand, Mixon has a great mix of patience, field vision and change of direction skills. Do not discredit his improvements as a pass catcher, either.

The Chiefs younger linebacker pair of Nick Bolton and Willie Gay are definitely tailor-made to face a running back like this. Neither will waste time in space when having to battle against Mixon’s patience. Bolton and Gay are showing great focus right now for reading, reacting and attacking the ball during the play. Both of those two have also grown as linebackers that have been forced to play more in the open field. Finally, Anthony Hitchens needs a bounce back performance after last week. Can he recognize play flow quicker? And, will Hitchens be a reliable tackler that Kansas City needs against a tougher running back in Mixon?

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs playoff articles throughout the rest of this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.