December 3, 2022

By Fred Liggett
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Following a dominating win over the defending Super Bowl Champions last week the Kansas City Chiefs hit the road for the next three weeks all against AFC opponents. First up is a rematch of the AFC championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals. This time the two AFC Division leaders meet at Paycor Stadium.

Getting Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Bengals QB Joe Burrow on the same field will attract a lot of attention so CBS is sending their top announcing team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo to cover this week’s game. Over 80% of the United States will be able to see this afternoon game that kicks off at 3:25 CT.

Both Mahomes and Burrow have remained healthy this season and have led their teams to first place in their respective divisions as the NFL heads into week 13. The Chiefs enter at 9-2 with a three-game lead in the AFC West Division while the Bengals are tied with the Baltimore Ravens in first place with a 7-4 mark. Mahomes has thrown for 3,565 yards so far this year and Burrow is right behind him at 3,160.

While things are going as expected at the quarterback position, both teams have had to deal with missing stars on the offensive side of the ball. The Chiefs know they will be without WR Mecole Hardman and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire this week as both players are on injured reserve. The Bengals on Wednesday indicated they are likely to see the return of WR Ja’Marr Chase and RB Joe Mixon to the lineup.

Chiefs fans remember very well the last meeting between these two teams as the Bengals came all the way back from an 18-point deficit to win the AFC Championship 27-24 played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Four weeks before that in Cincinnati the Bengals won a regular season match up 34-31. The Chiefs enter this matchup on a five-game winning streak. The defense has played a big part of that led by DE Chris Jones who already has 10 sacks on the season. The Chiefs won eight straight games in 2021 so having a long winning streak is not out of the question.

The host Bengals will no doubt want to put up some big numbers while the visiting Chiefs will no doubt remember their last visit to Cincinnati. The name of the place this game is being played at is Paycor and the Bengals will Pay For winning last year’s meeting as the Chiefs leave Ohio with their tenth win on the season. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.