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Why KC Chiefs vs. Bengals will be very different this time around

By Lyle Graversen

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) gestures for a touchdown after falling short of the end zone in the fourth quarter during a Week 17 NFL game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-31. With the win the, the Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North division and advance to the NFL playoffs.Kansas City Chiefs At Cincinnati Bengals Jan 2
Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) gestures for a touchdown after falling short of the end zone in the fourth quarter during a Week 17 NFL game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-31. With the win the, the Cincinnati Bengals won the AFC North division and advance to the NFL playoffs.Kansas City Chiefs At Cincinnati Bengals Jan 2 /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 05: A penalty flag is thrown on the field during the game between the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on December 05, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 05: A penalty flag is thrown on the field during the game between the New York Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on December 05, 2021 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Reason 2: The Officiating

Let me be very clear, I’m not a “blame the officials” guy. The Chiefs lost to the Bengals earlier this season. Period. The Chiefs could have done several things better to ensure they won that game and they didn’t get it done. So this point isn’t about placing blame or making excuses, it’s about the facts of the situation.

In the first matchup, the Bengals had drives extended by penalties on numerous occasions. You could also make a case for there having been some missed penalties against the Bengals, but let’s stick to the numbers. There were a LOT of penalties in that first match-up. There were 15 penalties called in that game to be exact (10 went against KC).

According to nflpenalties.com, there were 17 referee crews this season. The crew that called the most penalties in the NFL averaged 14.31 penalties per game. So there were more total penalties called in the first game between these two teams than the average number of penalties called by the most flag-happy crew in the NFL (which was Carl Cheffers crew). That’s a lot of penalties.

For this match-up, the Chiefs and Bengals have been assigned Bill Vinovich’s crew. This crew finished the regular season with the fewest penalties called of all the 17 crews in the NFL. They averaged just 9.25 penalties called per game. In simple terms, they “let guys play” and kept their flags in their pockets more than any other crew. That’s a very different style than what we saw called in the first game.

Vinovich’s crew only called 12 defensive pass interference penalties ALL SEASON LONG. Even if you factor in the 4 defensive holding calls they made all season long that is only what amounts to 16 pass interference type calls on the defense all season long, or roughly one per game. In the first match-up, there were 5 of those types of penalties called.

It’s not making excuses to say that the first game might have turned out differently if the game was called by a crew like the one that will be on the field for this game. The Chiefs’ defensive backs like to play physically with receivers. That hurt them in the first game, but it looks like they may be allowed to play their style without the flags this time around.

Speaking of officiating and penalties, let’s talk about the Bengals game-winning drive from the last game.

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