The Bengals needed a win in week 17 to keep their playoff hopes alive, and after a solid 1st half which saw them go into the break with a lead, there was some optimism. However, the Chiefs were slowly able to chip away at an unraveling Bengals team, kicking 4 second half field goals en route to a 25-17 win.
The Good:
DE, Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson was a force for the Bengals defence, accounting for a sack and providing constant pressure. Not only was he able to register a sack, but he also knocked the ball loose on the play, and Hubbard was able to recover deep in Chiefs territory. The Bengals turned the turnover into a TD.
CB, Mike Hilton
Hilton was rock solid in coverage, and also played well as a tackler and in run support. The slot CB was also able to sack Mahomes off a blitz. He has been outstanding as of late, and kept that ball rolling on Sunday.
CB, Cam Taylor-Britt
Taylor-Britt made his return to the lineup after an extended absence. He provided a boost for a secondary that had been shaky in recent games, keeping his opponent nicely blanked in coverage on most occasions.
TE, Tanner Hudson
Hudson only made 3 catches for 38 yards, but they were big ones that helped move the chains. His 15 yard catch late in the 4th quarter gave them a chance to gather some momentum, even though they ultimately fell short.
The Bad:
The Offensive Line
The run blocking was iffy for much of the game, but through 3 quarters, the pass protection didn’t look horrible. However, it all fell apart on the last drive. Browning was under constant pressure, which led to multiple sacks. Though Browning did hold onto the ball a bit too long in some cases, that amount of pressure in critical moments is unacceptable.
Run Defence
The run defence was atrocious in this one. Isiah Pacheco was able to pick up 130 yards on 17 carries, at an average of 7.2. He often had wide running lanes, and used his speed and quickness to force missed tackles in space.
Botched 4th & 1
The botched 4th & 1 play early in the 2nd half seemed to set the tone for how things would go, the rest of the way. It was a vanilla, predictable call, that the Chiefs were able to pounce on with relative ease. Not without blame, the offensive line also failed to generate any push on the play, letting Mixon get blown up well behind the line of scrimmage. It is unclear whether Zac Taylor made the call, or if Jake Browning checked to it at the line, but in any event, it was costly.
LB, Germaine Pratt
Pratt’s down season continued, as he was quiet from a production standpoint, and missed tackles were a visible issue. The Bengals will need him to get back to the 2022 version of himself for next season.
LB, Logan Wilson
Wilson could have been better against the run, but the big issues with him in this game came in coverage. He allowed a number of receptions and his positioning was off at times. This included on the opening TD scored by Pacheco.
CB, DJ Turner
Turner only played a small handful of snaps with Taylor-Britt returning to the lineup. However, he still managed to allow a big completion, getting beaten for one of over 40 yards.
DE, Sam Hubbard
Hubbard has fallen off in the back half of the season. Injuries have slowed him down, but the lack of production, even with these issues accounted for, has still been alarming. His play as a pass rusher has especially sunken, and he was mostly invisible in this regard against Kansas City.
DT, Zach Carter
Carter has gotten a much heavier workload since Reader’s injury, but has mostly failed to make an impact. He was invisible against the Chiefs, outside of a play or two. As a former 3rd round pick, his play, after finally getting a larger opportunity, has been disappointing.
Playoff Hopes
With this loss, the Bengals are officially eliminated from playoff contention. It will be easy for some to have an “easy come, easy go” mentality, given all of the injuries. However, despite the injuries, they were still in it. What makes it tough, is that they could have gotten in, but they shot themselves in the foot too many times in both games against the Steelers, as well as this game against the Chiefs.
Homescreen Image Via: Eli Marshall