This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Robert Zeglinski is filling in for Andy Nesbitt.
I would never dare tell the Cincinnati Bengals to fix what isn’t broken.
Joe Burrow and friends wouldn’t be playing in their second consecutive AFC title game if they weren’t confident. Heck, let’s be honest. The defending conference champs have a shot at Super Bowl redemption specifically because they think they’re better than everyone.
But I’m not sure this cocky mentality is the smartest idea heading into a Championship Sunday rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. You know, because the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes? The likely two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes?
Sure, the Bengals beat the Chiefs in Kansas City last year to reach Super Bowl 56, humbling Mahomes in the process. So they have every reason to believe they can dismantle the Chiefs piece by piece once again this Sunday.
However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that there appeared to be an element of surprise in last year’s AFC Championship.
While beating them twice (and again this year), I think the Bengals of late happened to catch the Chiefs off guard. Taken a step further, I think the Chiefs — who blew an 18-point lead to Cincinnati last January — overlooked their orange and black-striped opponents. Hey, we’re all human. Sometimes you let your foot off the gas. It happens.
If the Bengals, who have seemingly been talking non-stop trash about the Chiefs since tearing up the Bills last weekend, want to replicate those results, they’d be wise to dial it back a bit. Because the Chiefs of this year, with the legendary Mahomes absolutely locked in on playoff redemption, will do anything but gloss over Cincinnati.
The experienced Chiefs wouldn’t dare make that same mistake again, and the Bengals are just putting a bigger target on their backs as a result.
This whole trolling mentality that Eli Apple — a glorified depth CB, mind you — wants to continue using despite crossing some lines? Uh, yeah. I’m pretty sure that will not fly with a motivated Chiefs squad waiting.
This idea Burrow holds in his mind — who is a superstar, sure — that he’s seemingly invincible? Kansas City’s defenders have already been taking meticulous notes.
And, hoo boy, calling Arrowhead Stadium “Burrowhead” … on camera? It’s almost like the Bengals are just asking the Chiefs, who have actually climbed the NFL’s Super Bowl mountain, to humiliate them and get vengeance.
Better than anyone, the Bengals should know they aren’t without flaws. They fell short of ultimate glory last February and were rather quiet after the fact. You’d think humility would be the name of the game after such a crushing defeat. It hasn’t been. Giving the Chiefs all of this bulletin board material before a new playoff battle just doesn’t seem wise at all.
If I were a Cincinnati player, I’d simply want to keep my head down to help hoist a Lombardi Trophy. Instead, all the Bengals seemingly have the desire to do is poke the NFL’s fire-breathing dragon in Mahomes. If this is their way of trying to “get in his head,” I don’t think such a plan will work because I’m not sure that’s possible.
If the Bengals aren’t careful with their arrogance before their AFC title game rematch this weekend, Mahomes is more than capable of burning them to a crisp in response.
Quick hits: NBA All-Star starters are here … NFL awards predictions … Tom Brady lost a lot of weight last year … and more.
— NBA All-Star starters and captains were announced, and there were some snubs (Joel Embiid!) and surprises (Zion over others!).
— Tom Brady reportedly lost a lot of weight last year.
— We make our NFL awards predictions with the finalists announced.
