Week 13
Thursday Night Football
Sunday afternoon
Sunday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Byes: Cardinals, Panthers
Game of the Week: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals went to the playoffs, reached the Super Bowl, and yet few consider them better than the Chiefs or Bills. This has to infuriate people in the Queen City, after watching their team handle Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City twice last season, including in the AFC Championship Game.
This is going to be billed as Mahomes against Joe Burrow, and rightfully so. Burrow and Mahomes are two of the best quarterbacks in the league, and should be a few of its main faces for the next decade. So far, Burrow has two wins in as many attempts against his rival, and another would only further the idea Burrow is among the elite.
For Kansas City, beating the Bengals in their building would be a message. The Chiefs were beaten in two squeakers, but in both cases fell apart in the second half after holding two-touchdown leads in the early going. Having revamped the defense with a bevy of rookies, it could either be a showcase for Burrow and his weaponry, or a coming out party for Kansas City’s young defenders trying to prove their help, and not harm, to Mahomes’ quest for a third Super Bowl appearance.