Previewing the Week 7 contest between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, looking at the players to watch, keys to the game and more.
Another year, another soul-crushing loss to their rivals from Pittsburgh, and the Cincinnati Bengals‘ season all of a sudden is feeling a lot different than just a week ago. They were 4-1 with a world of excitement behind them prior to last weekend. Now, they had their hearts ripped out by the Steelers and are left battered and bruised at 4-2.
That 4-2 may well turn into 4-3 by this time next week. Cincinnati is next playing the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs, who may be coming in fresh off a loss of their own but would appear to be a clear step up from those Steelers which just beat these Bengals.
A loss here leaves Cincinnati flailing in the NFL’s best division, with the Ravens and Steelers each more than ready to jump into the top spot — and keep it. A win would be just as impactful in the other direction: at 5-2, the Bengals would keep the division lead regardless of what happens elsewhere, and would actually end up with a tie for the lead in the entire conference!
It will possibly be the most challenging game of the year, but this Cincinnati team has shown enough from before the Steelers game to believe that they could have what it takes to pull the upset on Monday Night Football.
Here are the key factors to watch in this matchup.
Who Can Actually Suit Up For This Team?
As with seemingly every meeting between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, lots of people left the afternoon beaten down and injured. This time around though, the vast majority of that damage seems to have befallen just one side: Cincinnati’s.
In that game, they saw players going down in bunches. Nick Vigil was on crutches postgame. Vontaze Burfict had a hurt shoulder. Joe Mixon appeared to be hurt and missed an important drive before the half. Carlos Dunlap limped off the field for a bit with an ankle injury.
Every starting member of the secondary was out at some point: Dennard hurt his shoulder (and was in a sling after the game); Jessie Bates was evaluated for a concussion, while Shawn Williams went out for that same type of evaluation two separate times; William Jackson III fought through a knee injury to play in the game at all, and missed some time at the end; Dre Kirkpatrick missed some snaps along the way as well.
That is a laundry list of pain. Somehow it isn’t even the end of the injury issues for them, either. Before that game, the team already was stuck with important players missing time. Tyler Eifert — one of their most important cogs — is done for the year again.
Backup Tyler Kroft is missing time with a broken bone in his foot. Giovani Bernard has a sprained MCL. 2018 first round pick center Billy Price has been out of the lineup for a few weeks. 2017 first rounder John Ross has been out since coming up limp on a touchdown catch against Atlanta in Week 4.
With so many injured pieces, it is worth wondering who is actually going to be available to play in Kansas City. The answer by itself may tell us if Cincinnati will have any sort of chance on Monday Night.
C.J. Uzomah is left as the one known quantity at tight end regardless of what’s happening elsewhere. Vigil is definitely not in this one, so while Burfict should be fine injury-wise (we can’t rule out a suspension between now and gameday though) the depth there could be dangerously bad. If Bernard is out more is left on Mixon’s plate.
The same can be said for Cincinnati’s other young receivers in Ross again can’t go. If anyone is missing from the secondary, depending which spot(s) it’ll mean more time for Clayton Fejedelem, Brandon Wilson, Tony McRae, and/or Darius Phillips will be forced into action.
This was likely already going to be an insanely tough battle if the Bengals had everyone healthy; now it is dire straits in one of the most high-profile games these Bengals will have this year. Those who can suit up must step up in a big way to fuel an upset.