Will we see offensive fireworks?

Arguably the best game of Week 17 in the NFL takes place in Ohio. The Cincinnati Bengals host the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals are the only team in the tight AFC North with a winning streak and could clinch the division title and a spot in the playoffs with a win. The visitors from Kansas City have already clinched a playoff spot. They are now back where they belong according to their self-image.

After eight straight wins, they lead the AFC Conference and are flirting with bye week in the first round of the playoffs as well as home field for the entire playoffs. In the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, our prediction is that it will be a very entertaining and high-scoring game.

Kickoff of the game is at 7:05pm at Paul Brown Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ProSieben.

Cincinnati Bengals – Statistics & current form

The Bengals currently have an 80% chance of making the NFL playoffs. With a win in the last two weeks, the playoff ticket can no longer be taken away from them. One reason for this is the good performances against their division rivals, as they were able to “sweep” both the Ravens and the Steelers this season, i.e. beat them twice. With a 4-1 division record, they have the tie-breakers against the teams mentioned. So the first playoff appearance for the Ohio State franchise since 2015 is within reach.

Record signing Joe Burrow

Following his injury in week eleven of last season, the “first overall pick” of the 2020 draft, Joe Burrow, is back as the Bengals’ starting quarterback and found an all-around stronger team. A reunion occurred with wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, with whom he played in college at LSU.

That the second-year quarterback is having a good year overall, there was no doubt. But he underscored that once again last week. With 525 passing yards against the Baltimore Ravens, he entered the history books of the franchise founded in 1967. He broke quarterback Boomer Esiason’s Bengals record of 490 passing yards in a game, which had stood since 1990.

The Bengals’ offense has a very high ceiling and can always explode when the matchup is right. However, they also consistently have games where they have trouble moving the ball offensively. This is evident in matches like the one against Denver a fortnight ago, where they scored just 15 points. They have two receivers in Chase and Higgins who have each caught passes for over 1,000 yards this season. They also have Joe Mixon, who is statistically the second-best running back in the league. But part of the truth is that they can’t always live up to the potential of their offense.

Key Players:
QB: Joe Burrow
RB: Joe Mixon
WR: Ja’Marr Chase
TE: Christopher J. Uzomah
K: Evan McPherson

Kansas City Chiefs – stats & recent form

Kansas City are the first and so far only team in the AFC to secure a playoff spot. For the team from Missouri it is now about the 1st seed of the conference. A win against the Bengals and a simultaneous defeat of the Titans would secure the playoff spot before the final day of play.

And that despite the fact that they had a 3-4 record after week seven and had just gone down 27-3 to Tennessee. They were just beginning to seriously worry about the 2019 Super Bowl winner. But this one subsequently started a winning streak that is still going on.

The Chiefs Offense is Back

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had mistakes in his game early in the season that were unheard of from his first few years in the NFL. On top of that, there were unnecessary turnovers every week that made life difficult for the team. But these problems have probably been solved for good: Mahomes is playing much more patiently again. The Chiefs are now able to put together long and consistent drives. When the matchup allows it, they run the ball effectively and then attack the midrange again and again, passes over 10-12 yards, very well.

Unlike the first half of the season, these consistent drives then create the big plays via the speed of wide receiver Hill or the explosiveness and strength of tight end Kelce. In addition, the newly formed offensive line has found itself. In addition, Mahomes always gets time in the pocket and can also make plays late in the down or scramble. All in all, it looks like the offense of the past years again.

What a lot of negative things have been written about the Chiefs defence. And some of it is justified. But the upswing since week eight is also due to the continuous improvement of the defence. They manage to dominate games again and the secondary is also playing at a higher level. Among other things, they held a strong Dallas offence to nine points. The defensive front around F. Clark, J. Reed and C. Jones is able to limit the opponent’s running game very well and thus force the opponent into clear passing downs time and again, where the pass rush can then put pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Key Players:
QB: Patrick Mahomes
RB: Darrel Williams
WR: Tyreek Hill
TE: Travis Kelce
K: Harrison Butker

Cincinnati Bengals – Kansas City Chiefs Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

The Chiefs have won each of the last three meetings. In the last five games they scored more than 40 points, in four of them even more than 50 points. In Sunday’s game, too, our forecast for the Bengals vs. Chiefs game at good odds therefore goes in the direction of over-points. Both teams score an average of over 27 points in the game, which puts them in the top 7 in the league in this statistic. Furthermore, both offenses shine with an average of over three touchdowns per game.

However, the Chiefs are the more mature of the two teams overall. The turnaround that the Bengals have achieved is something that few expected. From a 4-win team last year to a likely playoff contender. It’s very possible that the Kansas City Chiefs can crack the 30-point mark for the fourth game in a row as well, and that’s why betting odds for Chiefs over-points should also be kept in mind for the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs clash.

Cincinnati Bengals – Kansas City Chiefs betting tip

Due to the very fluctuating performances and huge matchup dependency of the Bengals offense, we venture a tip on a handicap win for the visitors in the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. The Kansas City team’s offence is again functioning at the very good level of previous years and the defence has a good matchup in the game against Cincinnati. The strong Chiefs defence will at least be able to limit the Bengals’ rushing offence.

It won’t be possible for the Chiefs defense to shut down the Bengals’ top three receivers for 60 minutes, though. That, in turn, argues for some points on both sides. We therefore see value in the Cincinnati Bengals vs Kansas City Chiefs over-point odds.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce returns from the COVID-19 list. He is one of the most important playmakers in this offense.