Bengals at Chiefs
Game Info
Kickoff: Saturday 8/10 at 8 pm (ET)
Location: Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri
Betting Odds: KC -3.5 via Oddsshark
Network: Not nationally televised
Cincinnati Bengals
Zac Taylor’s First Go
The Bengals fired Marvin Lewis at the end of last season after 15 years. Before he arrived, the Bengals were a laughingstock. Now, while they never won a playoff game, they are at least a respectable franchise. It falls on new Head Coach Zac Taylor to get them over the hump. Taylor comes from working under Sean McVay for the past two years and it is believed he will bring McVay’s playbook with him. This game is the first chance we will see Taylor as a play-caller and what his offense might look like.
Questions at Wide Receiver
Before August even starts, A.J. Green is hurt. Green tore ligaments in his ankle and will be out for the beginning of the season. This is not good news if you are a Bengals fan. Tyler Boyd, coming off a fresh contract extension, is a great number 2 receiver. He should continue to perform without Green. But after Boyd, there is little to this receiving corps. John Ross is one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory and this is likely his last chance. Behind those two are a bunch of unproven players. Alex Erickson has 38 career receptions, which is the most out of anyone behind Boyd and Ross. Josh Malone, Auden Tate, and Stanley Morgan were all either late-round fliers or undrafted free agents who have some talent and the Bengals desperately need one of them to show they can play.
Kansas City Chiefs
Running Back Battle?
Damien Williams has been sitting out the last few practices with a hamstring injury. Those are known to linger and could open up some chances for other backs to carve out a role. Carlos Hyde has taken the most reps with the first team. Darwin Thompson and Darrel Williams both have worked in as well. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has stated that Damien is still the starting back, but Andy Reid has brought up that he is missing a lot of work. Hyde and Thompson could find themselves taking running and receiving work, respectively, from Damien if they play well this preseason.
Revamped Defense
If the Chiefs defense improves to slightly above average, it’s over. Kansas City knows this and that’s why they made wholesale changes this offseason. A lot of faces of the franchise are gone in their attempt to solve their issues. Steve Spagnuolo was brought in to fix the defense, replacing Bob Sutton. He is converting the team from a 3-4 to a 4-3, which spurred some of the drastic changes. Justin Houston and Dee Ford were edge rushers for the 3-4, so they are gone. Frank Clark and his sacks are in to replace them. Eric Berry, who was injured for much of the past few seasons, is gone. In comes Tyrann Mathieu and rookie safety Juan Thornhill to fill the void. How these changes turn out will determine how the NFL season will end come February.
The Defending MVP
Patrick Mahomes took the league by storm last season. It was a truly awe-inspiring performance. Most analysts believe that there will be regression, which is natural. But maybe, just maybe, could he be better? Maybe not in the overall numbers. 50 TDs are tough to replicate, but there were plenty of throws Mahomes left on the field. Just look back to his last game against the Patriots in the AFC Championship. If he connects on a few of those throws in the first half, the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl. QBs grow as they see more defenses and have more knowledge of their offensive system, that is a scary thought when it comes to the reigning MVP.
-Frank Costanzo