Bengals at Chiefs
The Cincinnati Bengals are sitting on the periphery of the AFC playoff picture midway through the season, but hope to boost their chances by feasting on a soft upcoming schedule.That stretch begins with Sunday’s road contest against the floundering Kansas City Chiefs, who have lost six straight and have averaged just 13 points in that span. The Bengals ended a four-game skid with a surprising 31-13 rout of the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants last week. Andy Dalton passed for 199 yards and a career-best four touchdowns while the defense forced four turnovers.
Cincinnati’s defense could have another big day against a Chiefs offense that has committed an NFL-high 30 turnovers. Kansas City lost 16-13 to Pittsburgh in overtime Monday night after Matt Cassel’s interception set up the game-winning field goal.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Bengals -3.5, O/U 43.5
ABOUT THE BENGALS (4-5): Dalton was 21-of-30 last week and didn’t throw an interception for the first time this season. That was a welcome sight for the Bengals after the second-year quarterback threw six interceptions during the four-game losing streak. Dalton’s favorite target, second-year wideout A.J. Green (seven catches, 85 yards, 1 TD vs. New York), has a touchdown catch in eight straight games – two shy of tying Carl Pickens’ franchise record. Green leads the NFL with nine touchdown catches and is sixth in yards (820). The Bengals’ defense had four sacks against the Giants, pushing their total to 27 – second to only Denver (31) in the AFC. That unit could be without several key contributors. Standout rookie free agent LB Vontaze Burfict, who second on the team with 62 tackles, is questionable due to an elbow injury. Meanwhile, CB Nate Clements (knee) and S Reggie Nelson (hamstring) are also questionable.
ABOUT THE CHIEFS (1-8): The quarterback carrousel continues for the Chiefs, who are forced to play Cassel for a third straight game while Brady Quinn recovers from a concussion. The Chiefs can’t score regardless of who is under center (16.2 ppg – 30th) and compound the issue by having the worst turnover differential in the league (-20). The only good news from last week was they held a lead in regulation for the first time – ending the league’s longest streak of futility since 1929.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Bengals play their next five games against teams with a combined 15-30 record.
2. Cincinnati has won four of the last six meetings. This is the first since Carson Palmer threw two touchdowns in a 17-10 win in 2009.
3. Burfict, an All-American at Arizona State in 2010, was viewed as a first-round talent last April but went undrafted due to character issues.