Andy Reid should have plenty of bulletin board material to use for the Chiefs game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Look, the Bengals are an intriguing young team coming off a huge victory over the Baltimore Ravens, in which they blew out their division rival. But are they the Chiefs? The defending back-to-back AFC champions? I don’t think so.
These Chiefs have been there and done that before. The Bengals, on the verge of their first playoff berth in years, have a long way to go before they can match Kansas City’s status.
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Damien Woody claimed he’d rather have Joe Burrow leading his team than Patrick Mahomes over the next half-decade. Mahomes is just 26. NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt added more fuel to the Chiefs’ fire on Friday morning, declaring the Bengals offense ‘unstoppable’.
"I think the Cincinnati @Bengals offense is unstoppable."
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) December 31, 2021
@KyleBrandt is pumped for #KCvsCIN and he's got the video to get you on board too. pic.twitter.com/R66Oc99oPE
Chiefs could send a message to Bengals, AFC
This isn’t to say the Bengals aren’t talented, or even in position to defeat the Chiefs. It’s just a little surprising that Kansas City are being treated like underdogs when they, in fact, are winners of eight straight games and arguably the hottest team in football right now. Add in their pedigree from the past few seasons, and Mahomes under center, and hyping up the Bengals feels a little over the top.
Burrow is a great prospect. His time is coming, and he and Mahomes are likely to battle for MVP’s over the next decade. But which team has the edge right now, if we’re being honest? Mahomes’ offense has come alive of late, while the Chiefs defense is playing better than any unit in football the last eight weeks.
As great as the Bengals offense is, a win on Sunday should be treated as a surprise, not something most of us saw coming.