Halftime Observations: Bengals Struggle Early, Trail Chiefs 13-6

Cincinnati never led in the first half.

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jan 29, 2023 8:06 PM EST

In this story:

KANSAS CITY — The Bengals might be in trouble. Cincinnati trails Kansas City 13-3 at halftime. They struggled to stop Patrick Mahomes and the offense was nonexistent for much of the first half.

Here are some of our halftime observations:

Slow Start

The Bengals' offense struggled in the first quarter. They only picked up one first down on their first two possessions and Joe Burrow was sacked three times.

Right tackle Hakeem Adeniji was called for a false start that negated what would've been a first down run by Burrow on their opening drive. They were also called for a delay of game on their second possession.

In total, Burrow was sacked three times and they were called for two penalties, despite running just eight offensive plays on their first two possessions.

Offensive Line Issues

Burrow was sacked four times in the first half. When he had time, he was able to slice and dice up the Chiefs' defense. Chris Jones and the rest of Kansas City's defensive line made it tough.

Adeniji and Max Scharping both have to play better if Cincinnati is going to win this game.

First Half Stats

Burrow completed 15-of-22 passes for 147 yards and one interception. Tyler Boyd led the way with two receptions for 40 yards. He exited the game early in the second quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury. He hasn't returned since suffering the injury.

Ja'Marr Chase is right behind Boyd with four receptions for 37 yards. Tee Higgins had three receptions for 37 yards.

Meanwhile, Mahomes completed 13-of-19 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown. Travis Kelce led the way with four receptions for 55 yards and a score.

The Bengals Will Win If...

The defense has to find a way to stop Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs. Kansas City moved the ball up-and-down the field in the first half.

The pass rush has to be better. They never got near Mahomes. Meanwhile, the offense has struggled to protect Burrow.

If they can protect the quarterback, then there's no reason why he can't get them back into this game. The Chiefs will receive the kickoff to start the second half.

Cincinnati fights Kansas City for a spot in the Super Bowl today at 6:40 p.m. ET on CBS. The game is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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