The Cincinnati Bengals are surely giving fans a sense of deja vu heading into a critical Week 17 matchup.
Back in Week 12, they took a major loss to Pittsburgh and then rattled off three straight wins under the direction of backup quarterback Jake Browning, shockingly keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Then last week, a 34-11 blowout loss to those very same Steelers.
Now the Bengals have to hope another post-Steelers rebound is on the docket, although this time the opponent isn’t an AFC South squad — it’s the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.
Sure, those Chiefs have struggled to just a 9-6 record this season and have lost three of their last four. But Patrick Mahomes (26 touchdowns, 14 interceptions) is still the quarterback, Travis Kelce is still around to exploit one of Cincinnati’s long-running defensive issues and the Chiefs defense is quietly elite, allowing just 17.7 points per game on average, the second-best mark in the league.
Perhaps the struggles for Mahomes and Co. would be more comforting had the Bengals not flopped last week in Pittsburgh, with the defense again allowing the season-long explosive plays that have ruined the season.
Not just any explosive plays, either, but massive chunks of yardage to third-stringer Mason Rudolph, allowing George Pickens to tally 195 yards and two touchdowns on just four catches.
Onlookers should reasonably expect the Cincinnati offense to look a little better on Sunday with Ja’Marr Chase back in the fold. But it’s that defense that is problematic on a big scale.
Unfortunately for Cincinnati, there isn’t really any help on the way for the defense. Opposing offenses know to exploit a unit now missing DJ Reader, one of the best outright nose tackles in football, who won’t be there to command double teams. That places more on the linebackers in all facets, which has a ripple effect on the entire unit.
The Bengals will probably be more competitive in this one simply because it isn’t a divisional opponent, which has been one of the more interesting struggles of the season they will need to address this offseason. But overcoming Mahomes and Co., struggles or not, is tough even with Joe Burrow under center and the loss of Reader will be a major deciding factor.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Bengals 20
