Blown Opportunities Define Cincy’s Tale Of Two Halves
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) walks off the field after a stalled drive in the third quarter during a Week 17 NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City Chiefs won, 25-17.
For the first time since Joe Burrow’s rookie season, the Cincinnati Bengals will not participate in the postseason.
The Bengals have been eliminated from playoff contention. pic.twitter.com/paXSZPh7tI
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 1, 2024
It was a tough ending to an even tougher season, as the Kansas City Chiefs outmatched the Bengals by a final score of 25-17. The loss, in addition to wins by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills, cemented Cincinnati as a team that will be on the outside looking in when the postseason arrives.
Here are our takeaways from Sunday’s loss.
A Tale Of Two Halves
Charles Dickens would’ve loved this game.
The first half saw Cincinnati come out firing, as their first three drives were all scoring drives. Their first drive, which took over 50% of the first quarter, ended in an Evan McPherson field goal, and their next drive culminated in a Joe Mixon rushing TD. After a Patrick Mahomes fumble, Jake Browning drove the Bengals down the field once again and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown of his own. Cincinnati absolutely dominated the time of possession battle, as it was 21:50 to 8:10 going into the second half.
It was all downhill from there.
After the 6:23 mark in the second quarter, only one player on either team scored points in the game.
Career day for #Chiefs Harrison Butker, six made field goals pic.twitter.com/YgRdfI4URz
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladdtv) January 1, 2024
Butker’s six field goals were the deciding factor. After Mahomes’ fumble in the second quarter, only one Chiefs drive didn’t end in a successful Butker field goal attempt.
The Bengals, meanwhile, had seven drives after their final touchdown drive. Four of them ended in punts, two ended in a turnover on downs, and one resulted in time expiring at the end of the first half.
While we’re on that topic…
The Bengals blew several opportunities
The Bengals dominated the time of possession battle in the first half, and they needed every bit of that time, as they only had a 4 point lead going into the third quarter.
After a short drive by Kansas City to open the third quarter, Cincinnati drove the length of the field and made it all the way to the six yard line. However, it was all for naught.
Jake changes the play at the line, Mixon is stopped on 4th down.
— 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@BengalsCaptain) December 31, 2023
The goal line stop led to a turnover on downs, which led to yet another KC field goal.
After three straight punting drives, the Bengals finally found themselves driving down the field near the end of the game with an opportunity to tie the game. However, on that drive, the offensive line imploded.
Justin Reid comes up HUGE for the Chiefs defense, recording back-to-back sacks!!! 🦾 #NFL #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/D5D5etSHht
— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) January 1, 2024
On the drive’s first play, Alex Cappa had to leave the game after getting poked in the eye. After that injury, Jake Browning was sacked four times. Justin Reid took down the Bengals signal caller on consecutive plays, but the Bengals managed to convert a fourth and 18 to Tyler Boyd to keep the drive alive. However, the next two plays both resulted in Jake Browning being sacked. As a result, the Bengals found themselves at 3rd and 28, which proved to be too big of a yardage deficit for them to overcome.
The Bengals’ weaknesses in the trenches are glaring
One big reason for the Bengals loss was the Chiefs’ consistent ability to move the ball down the field, and a big part of that was due to the performance of running back Isiah Pacheco.
Have never seen another human being on earth run like Isiah Pacheco 😂 pic.twitter.com/zSGF4VPh1h
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 31, 2023
The Chiefs’ running back totaled 130 yards on 18 carries (good for 7.2 yards per carry), in addition to catching 7 passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. It was another effective performance against a Bengals rush defense that continues to be one of the worst teams in the league at defending running backs.
The pass rush also struggled. Patrick Mahomes, who just last week was seen screaming at his own offensive line in frustration, only lost four yards due to sacks in Week 17. While the Chiefs spent the game’s final drive making the Bengals o-line look like they came directly from North Carolina A&T, the Chiefs o-line did not allow a sack after Mahomes’ fumble early in the second quarter. He even managed to hit Rashee Rice in stride for a 67 yard gain while facing absolutely no pressure whatsoever from the Bengals’ front seven.
https://twitter.com/nahthatstufff/status/1741604863996543027?s=46&t=vB54MT3mB4XJLNYxXtrE5g
The trenches are an area that will be of the Bengals’ primary concerns in the upcoming offseason, especially as offensive tackle Jonah Williams and defensive tackle DJ Reader are set to hit free agency this upcoming offseason.
Up Next