Hey all. Welcome to another edition of my keys to victory. These are the things I think the Chiefs need to do on Sunday to give them the best chance to beat the Bengals.
1. Expect The Unexpected
I planned on the first key being to stop the run but if I am Marvin Lewis, I am going to come out throwing with Carson Palmer. This whole thing reminds me of the Chiefs last playoff game against the Colts. Coming in to the game the Colts had one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Chiefs had ran their way to a 9-7 record on the back of L.J. and a talented offensive line. Everyone expected the Chiefs to come out and run all over the Colts. It was talked about so much leading up to the game I got sick of hearing about it. Surely, coach Herm Edwards wasn’t going to come out and do exactly what everyone expected him to do. Surely the Chiefs would start off by airing it out with Trent Green to back up the Colts defense, which would probably be putting 9 men in the box. Good coaches don’t do what the defense is expecting.
Well, Herm Edwards was not a good coach. Marvin Lewis is. After what the Browns did to the Chiefs defense last week, everyone and their sisters husband’s first cousin expects the Bengals to try to ram it down the Chiefs throat. Don’t bet on it. I expect the Bengals to run and run a lot but Marvin Lewis knows the Chiefs have been working on the run all week. Look for Marvin to have Palmer look to the air and over the middle to back off the Chiefs linebackers. Then he will hit the Chiefs the run. Kansas City has to be ready for this or Palmer will make them pay.
2. Stop The Run
That’s right. The Chiefs can not let Benson and Larry Johnson run all over them or they might as well forfeit the game now. The Bengals have been really good up front all year, even blocking well enough for Larry to get a hundred yards on the ground. The Chiefs need to be better on the defensive line. The likely return of Glenn Dorsey should help but the Chiefs cannot allow themselves to be pushed around like they were in the Cleveland game.
3. The Linebackers Must Be Patient
Aggressiveness and decisiveness are good but the Chiefs linebackers have got to stop running into a pile of blockers like maniacs. They lose sight of the runner and a simple cutback leaves them out of the play. The same goes for the safeties. The entire point of being a safety is to be the last line of defense. If Mike Brown gets caught standing directly behind Demario Williams again and I have to watch them both get faked out by the same juke, I will put a bullet in my TV.
4. CATCH THE F&(KING BALL!
Professional Wide Receivers in the NFL should catch the ball more often than not. The Chiefs offense is not good enough to be stalling their own drives by dropping first down passes.
5. Matt Cassel Must Protect The Football.
Cassel has a very good game against the Browns but he needs to keep it up. He has to make quick decision and get rid of the ball. If he has to, he needs to throw it away. The Chiefs are not good enough to overcome many third and longs. Cassel cannot take sacks and he must not fumble, which has been a major problem for him this year.
6. Jamaal, Jamaal, Jamaal
Haley did a great job of getting JC involved last week and he was rewarded with a fantastic day by the back. I would like to see the Chiefs use Charles as a wide out more in this game. He is a huge match up problem if going up against a linebacker and he has a chance to break away for the deep ball. This aspect of his game should not be overlooked.
Charles is now the motor that makes this offense go. The receivers need to do a better job of blocking for him and the Chiefs need to stick with him. You better believe that the Bengals have been game planning for Charles and their defense won’t be as easy to run on as Cleveland’s. If given enough chances, Charles is still talented enough to break off a big run on any play. The Chiefs need to give him the chances to do so.
If the Chiefs can do these things I think they have a fair shot to stay in the game. The Bengals like to grind out victories and they only average around 20 points a game. If the Chiefs want to hang around they are going to have to be physical and play mistake free football.
Prediction: You will never see me predict the Chiefs to lose here, so get used to it.
Chiefs 20, Bengals 17