One thing outside of Patrick Mahomes' injury that will be an advantage for Bengals against Chiefs
The Cincinnati Bengals will have a big advantage against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday thanks to Patrick Mahomes' injured right ankle. Mahomes is expected to play and he's been practicing this week. Still, he won't be 100 percent after suffering a high ankle sprain last Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's not the only […]
The Cincinnati Bengals will have a big advantage against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday thanks to Patrick Mahomes' injured right ankle.
Mahomes is expected to play and he's been practicing this week. Still, he won't be 100 percent after suffering a high ankle sprain last Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That's not the only advantage the Bengals will have against the Chiefs.
Kansas City's game plan will obviously change a bit with Mahomes' injury. But the Chiefs will almost certainly still try to hit some deep shots down the field. It's tough to win in the NFL without explosive plays and Kansas City knows that as well as any team in the league.
Mahomes' injury could make it tough for him to plant and throw the ball accurately down the field.
Something else that will make it tough for Mahomes to create splash plays is the fact that Cincinnati's defensive backs should be able to play more physically than normal.
That's because the officiating crew working the game on Sunday is known for "letting them play".
According to ESPN, Ron Torbert's regular-season crew will be officiating the Bengals/Chiefs game. And they threw the third-fewest flags for defensive pass interference/defensive hold/illegal contact among all crews this season.
Referee Ron Torbert's regular-season crew averaged 12 flags per game, fifth-fewest in the league. It threw 33 flags for defensive pass interference, illegal contact and defensive holding, the NFL's third-lowest total.
Cincinnati's defensive backs should be able to get away with some extra contact down the field, which will make it tough for receivers to get open. Combine that with Mahomes' injury and the Bengals should be able to eliminate the big play from Kansas City's arsenal.
Kansas City's defense will be able to do the same thing against Joe Burrow and the Cincy defense, but the Bengals' ability to run the ball, plus Burrow being 100 percent, should make it less of a problem for Cincinnati.
Featured image via Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
