5 things we're excited about the Bengals' New Year's Eve game vs. Chiefs
Every time the Cincinnati Bengals meet the Kansas City Chiefs on a football field, it becomes must-see TV. Over 50 million Americans agreed this past January when they tuned in for the AFC Championship game. The two best teams in the AFC have made it a habit to meet when the weather turns cold. They […]
Every time the Cincinnati Bengals meet the Kansas City Chiefs on a football field, it becomes must-see TV. Over 50 million Americans agreed this past January when they tuned in for the AFC Championship game.
The two best teams in the AFC have made it a habit to meet when the weather turns cold. They met back at the end of the 2021 season due to the rotating nature of the NFL schedule. The next three meetings came about from winning their respective divisions, and advancing in the playoffs.
It's surprising to no one that they'll square off again in the last week of the regular season teams from different divisions can play against each other.
New Year's Eve will be the date of the fifth meeting between the two contenders, and it's sure to be another fantastic game with added layers and storylines. These five factors are enough to get you hyped for a game over seven months in advance.
Orlando Brown Jr.'s revenge
Cincinnati's biggest and most impactful free agent addition became a subtraction for Kansas City. Brown was the Chiefs' left tackle for the past two years, during which he was playing for a long-term deal to stick around on the border between Kansas and Missouri.
The Chiefs eventually decided to move on from the four-time Pro Bowl tackle and signed a career right tackle, Jawaan Taylor, to replace him. That plan was nixed when Donovan Smith was signed to officially replace Brown after the NFL Draft.
Now signed on for four years to be the Bengals' left tackle for Joe Burrow, Brown will be looking to prove his former team wrong.
Joseph Ossai's redemption
No Bengals player has a worse taste in his mouth from the AFC Championship game than Ossai. The third-to-last play of the game featured the then 22-year old edge defender hitting Patrick Mahomes too late out of bounds, putting the Chiefs in makable field goal range, and leading to the kick that sent the Bengals home.
What gets lost in that sour memory is how good Ossai was during the first 59 minutes of the game. He was third on the Bengals' defense in pressures created against Mahomes, and had the highest pass rushing grade from Pro Football Focus while playing with a torn labrum. He'll be as hungry as ever in the next meeting.
More Ja'Marr Chase insanity
It's fitting that the player drafted to get the Bengals on the Chiefs' level has always shown out against the team in some capacity. Chase hauled in 13 receptions for 172 yards in two games vs. Kansas City last season, and the highlights have been plentiful.
Cincinnati struggled offensively in the last meeting due to injuries along the offensive line. Creating consistent pressure with just four rushers allowed Kansas City to sit back and put plenty of attention on Chase and Tee Higgins. A better offensive line thanks to the addition of Brown should help out everyone in the unit, including Chase.
New-look secondary
The biggest variable for the Bengals entering this season is the defensive backfield. Jessie Bates III, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple out of the picture has created a high level of turnover in such an important part of the roster.
Luckily, the Bengals were prepared to replenish the secondary accordingly, spending four top-100 draft picks going back to last year, and signing a veteran starter to play alongside incumbent Week 1 starters Chidobe Awuzine and Mike Hilton.
No one playing defensive back for the Bengals will be short on speed, and that's just as important as anything when facing the Chiefs. Nick Scott and Dax Hill will be put to the test in replacing Bates and Bell, respectively, and one of DJ Turner II or Jordan Battle will likely have to play significant snaps at this point in the season as well.
Another barn burner
The Bengals own a 3-1 record against the Chiefs since their 2021 renaissance, but the combined point differential is just +6 in their favor. Every final result has been by three points, and three of the four games have come down to a last-second field goal.
On top of the obvious playoff seeding implications, the league knows these two teams are as close to one another as any pair of clubs. Another tight game is in store for us in the final hours of 2023.
