Why the Bengals will beat the Kansas City Chiefs
By Gary Pence
The Bengals are six-point underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs, and no one is giving them much of a chance. That’s exactly why Cincy fans should expect a win.
“It’s still the same old Bungles.”…something which has probably been said a lot since the latest Bengals loss to the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. What started off as a promising season at 4-1 suddenly looks like it’s going to end like many other seasons to which Cincinnati fans have become accustomed.
That may not be the case. The Bengals have done many things to break past trends, and that will continue Sunday Night when they upset the Kanas City Chiefs on the road in primetime. If you’ve already penciled in a loss for the Bengals against Kansas City, you may want to find your eraser.
Fans may be unhappy with Marvin Lewis and his coaching (particularly when it comes to game management), however, the one thing Lewis has consistently done is to have his teams perform well when no one gives them a chance.
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In 2009, Cincinnati was predicted to finish last in the division and went on to sweep every divisional game and finish the season as division champions. In 2011, they were predicted to be the worst team in the NFL – some thought the Bengals may not win a single game – yet found themselves in the playoffs.
Last year it was a guarantee that Marvin Lewis was gone and had lost the team, yet during the final two weeks, the Bengals upset two teams – the Lions and Ravens – who were fighting to make the playoffs.
Many times under Marvin Lewis the Bengals have been counted out, and that’s usually when you can expect them to be at their best. After another tough emotional loss to the Steelers, it seems no one is giving Cincinnati a shot against the high-powered Chiefs. This could be another example of Lewis having his team ready to go out and shock people with a win.
It is the NFL, and In the NFL everything you think you may know can change in one week.
The Bengals offense is solid. While much has been said about the Chiefs offense it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Bengals offense is ranked 6th in the NFL in points per game (29.0) and is the league’s number one offense red zone efficiency.
On the flip side, the Chiefs currently rank last in the NFL in total defense, giving up 467 yards per game, and 28.7 points per game. Expect the Bengals offense to put up big numbers in this one. A player to look out for to have his first true breakout game is wide receiver, John Ross.
It’s natural to have the “here we go again” feeling. However don’t be surprised to see the Bengals go out on Sunday night and continue doing what they have done many times in the past, and come away with an unexpected upset win.