A New Year Brings a New Challenge to the Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering this new year riding an eight-game winning streak, fresh off clinching a sixth straight AFC West crown, and holding onto the one-seed in the AFC playoff race.

The Chiefs are coming off a big win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in what was their regular-season home finale at Arrowhead Stadium. Not only was it a dominant victory, but the Chiefs did it without several key players due to COVID-19 protocols.

Along with the freshness of a new year, the Chiefs will be back in business with their full arsenal of weapons. Tight end Travis Kelce was the biggest name to be back at practice this week, but having kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend back will be huge for a special teams advantage. Plus the team’s leading tackler, rookie linebacker Nick Bolton, will also be available.

The next team up on the docket for the Chiefs is another AFC North opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Joe Burrow is one of the up-and-coming stars in the league and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who was a teammate of Burrow’s during one of the greatest seasons in college football history at LSU, has been a nice addition to this Bengals offense. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have been excellent pass-catchers for Burrow as well. Joe Mixon is one of the better workhorse running backs in the league.

The Bengals have had a fairly easy schedule this season, coming off a last-place finish in 2020. They’ve only beaten two teams with a record over .500 and one of those wins came over the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens. They also have a couple of clunkers on their resume, with losses to the Bears and Jets. With a young team comes streakiness at times, and that’s how the Bengals have manifested themselves this year: some monster wins and some head-scratching losses.

There is a lot on the line for both teams this Sunday. The Bengals are currently sitting atop the AFC North standings and would clinch the division title with a win over the Chiefs. On the flip side, the Chiefs can clinch the one seed in the AFC with a win and a Tennessee Titans loss to the Miami Dolphins. I think we all remember a time when the Dolphins helped the Chiefs clinch a bye.

The key to this game for the Chiefs will be to get pressure on Burrow. The Bengals' offensive line has been underwhelming at times and the Chiefs need to take advantage with some of the classic blitzes defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to mix in. The front four for Kansas City has been very good in the second half of the season and defensive tackle Chris Jones and the rest of the crew could be in line for a big day, which would give the Chiefs a great chance to win.

The offense needs to continue taking what the opposing defense gives it. Mahomes has been excellent over the past month at adjusting to opposing defenses and, in turn, was awarded the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month in December. If the offense can continue to play mistake-free football and let the defense win the turnover battle, this should lead to another Chiefs victory.

2022 may start with a bang for the Chiefs. A win over the Bengals would get them one step closer to their next goal for this season, a No. 1 seed and the lone bye in the AFC. The final two goals remain the same: holding up the Lamar Hunt trophy at Arrowhead Stadium for the third straight season and then becoming Super Bowl champions once again.

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