The Cincinnati Bengals can stretch their winning streak to four games when they welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday in a rematch of last season's AFC championship encounter.
Kansas City have won five consecutive contests and are currently three games ahead of the Los Angeles Chargers for first in the AFC West, while Cincy are in a tie for the lead in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, as both teams sit at 7-4.
Match preview
The past two games for Cincinnati have been about grinding it out and finding ways to win, and they were able to do that last Sunday on the road versus the Tennessee Titans despite converting just five of their 14 third downs.
Their secondary has been massive most of the season, stepping up whenever the offence has sputtered, allowing a low completion percentage of 59.0 this season, while also holding tight ends and receivers to a rating below 90.
However, they struggled against the Titans, as Ryan Tannehill averaged 8.6 yards per attempt, though the Bengals did a masterful job at shutting down the league's number two rusher Derrick Henry, holding him to a 2.2-yard average per carry.
Zac Taylor's offensive line have allowed 35 sacks this season, though they have done a better job at protecting their quarterback in recent outings, conceding a sack or fewer in two of their last three games.
Throughout the 2022 campaign, the Bengals have had a hard time getting anything going on the ground, ranked 27th in the NFL for rushing with a 3.9-yard average per game.
Sunday will be their first encounter versus an AFC West opponent this season, and they come into this game having won four straight against that division, including two victories in their run to the Super Bowl in 2021-22.
The Chiefs are on quite the roll and have emerged as perhaps the frontrunners to capture the Super Bowl, without a defeat since mid-October.
When you look at their offensive numbers, it would be easy to forget that they lost one of the top receivers in the game over the offseason in Tyreek Hill, who leads the league in receiving yards this year (1,233).
Despite that, Andy Reid's team look as dynamic as we have ever seen on that side of the ball, ranked first in passing yards per game (315.2) and overall yards per contest (430).
The departure of Hill could be a blessing in disguise, as it has allowed them to involve more offensive weapons, as 10 players caught at least one pass in their 26-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams a week ago.
Their pass coverage looked a lot better against the defending Super Bowl champions, conceding just 82 yards through the air last week, but overall, they have had problems consistently containing opposing pass catchers, allowing 67% of the throws against them to be completed while conceding 22 touchdown passes.
They have made up for that deficiency thanks to a great pass rush, with the Chiefs ranked fifth in the league regarding sacks (35).
So far this year, KC have conceded 10 or more points in each of their contests but have not had any trouble putting points on the board themselves, first in the NFL with 326 points scored.
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Team News
Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw for 270 yards with a passer rating of 91.0 in Week 12, hitting Tee Higgins for a touchdown catch, one of seven on the afternoon for the Clemson wideout, Samaje Perine ran for a score, while Cam Taylor-Britt led the way with seven tackles.
Hayden Hurst averaged 9.5 yards per catch against the Titans, Sam Hubbard had their only sack, Mike Hilton made six tackles and Vonn Bell is tied for third in the NFL for interceptions with four.
Cincinnati could have Joe Mixon back from a concussion, Ja'Marr Chase is also expected to return from his hip problem, Josh Tupou practised on Wednesday despite a calf strain, DJ Reader was limited at practice due to a sore ankle, while the status of La'el Collins remains unknown after he had previously suffered a knock.
Patrick Mahomes has emerged as the leading candidate for MVP, with the Chiefs pivot leading the NFL in passing yards (3,585), Travis Kelce has five touchdown catches in his last three games, L'Jarius Sneed and Nick Bolton each had an interception versus the Rams and Chris Jones registered one sack, moving him up to fifth in the league with 10.
Isiah Pacheco picked up his second rushing touchdown of the season last week and his first since their opening game, Marquez Valdes-Scantling had four catches, Skyy Moore led them with five grabs and Willie Gay posted three tackles.
Jaylen Watson took part in practice this week despite a sore hand, and Carlos Dunlap should be good to go despite a problem with his foot.
JuJu Smith-Schuster missed practice on Wednesday because of an illness, Deon Bush has an issue with his elbow, while Jerick McKinnon and Kadarius Toney could both be out with hamstring injuries.
Head To Head
These sides have faced each other 31 times historically, with the Bengals holding the overall edge 17-14, winning perhaps the most crucial meeting in the playoffs last season.
On that occasion, Cincy erased a 21-10 half-time deficit as Evan McPherson kicked four field goals, including the game-winner in overtime as Cincinnati advanced to the Super Bowl with a 27-24 victory.
That was the second win for the Bengals versus the Chiefs in 2022, and the previous one was also a nail-biter with Ja'Marr Chase catching three touchdown passes from Burrow.
Tyler Boyd also had one in that encounter, helping Cincy come away with a 34-31 triumph as McPherson kicked the winning field goal once again on the final play of the game in the fourth quarter.
The last Chiefs victory was a blowout in 2018 at Arrowhead Stadium, when Kareem Hunt had two TD grabs and ran for another as Kansas City won 45-10.
We say: Cincinnati Bengals 30-35 Kansas City Chiefs
These are two of the most explosive offensive units in the NFL, each with a gunslinger behind centre, capable of scorching opposing secondaries through the air.
The X-factors in this one could be the pass rush and the running game, two areas where the Chiefs should have a slight edge over the Bengals on Sunday.
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