The Cincinnati Bengals are the favorites of talking heads right now.
The topic? Which team might just stand the best chance of slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty by the time next season starts.
First, Skip Bayless hit on these points. And now Stephen A. Smith has done the same on “First Take” recently.
“I think it’s the Cincinnati Bengals because of Joe Burrow,” Smith said. “A healthy Joe Burrow, with Chase and Higgins and Boyd and the crew, I can’t underestimate them…This dude is no joke. Patrick Mahomes has two postseason losses in his career. One is to a seven-time champion named Tom Brady. The other is to Joe Burrow.”
Smith added a question fans will like, too: “When Joe Burrow is healthy, who can he not beat?”
Burrow’s wins over Mahomes go much deeper than quarterback vs. quarterback conversations, of course, but these are the surface-level talking points that make the rounds amongst media and fans that grab attention.
And Smith does go on to point out that Burrow’s Bengals still nearly made the playoffs without him (going 9-8 in a historically strong division that sent the three other teams to the postseason), so adding him healthy back to the mix in 2024 keeps them in the title conversation.
The full clip:
.@stephenasmith believes Joe Burrow and the Bengals will be the biggest hurdle to a Chiefs' three-peat 👀 pic.twitter.com/6kVIFO8REQ
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 16, 2024
