Sunday Night Football will see Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs take on a resurgent Cincinnati Bengals at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Bengals are coming off the back of a difficult 28-21 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home in week 6. Kansas City are also coming off their first loss of the season after being outgunned 43-40 by the Patriots.

CHIEFS

All has not been well with Kansas City Chiefs defensively this season. No team should be losing an NFL game after mustering 40 points, even if you play against the best QBs in the division. On Monday against the Patriots, the passing defence conceded 340 yards and a touchdown to Tom Brady. The run defence also allowed 173 yards and 3 touchdowns. Chiefs’ offensive game has been their savoir this season. Patrick Mahomes and the offence have surmounted every barrier in front of them so far. In their last-second loss to the Patriots, Mahomes threw for 352 yards and 4 touchdowns. Karem Hunt also averaged 8 yards per carry and enjoyed 105 yards in the receiving game. If they are to become serious superbowl contenders, then their defence will need to match the strength of their offensive game.

BENGALS

Defensively, the Bengals defence is usually a solid one. However, they couldn’t match the offensive game of Pittsburgh Steelers in last week’s loss. Roethlisberger’s game caused them serious trouble. He enjoyed 369 yards and a game-winning touchdown. While he inflicted damage in the air, James Conner ran them ragged on the ground with 111 yards and 2 scores. The defence won’t have a lesser task on Sunday when they face Kansas City Chiefs.

Joe Mixon had a good game against rival Steelers with 64 yards on 11 carries. He will need to improve that for the Bengals to register a victory. Quarterback Andy Dalton could only register 5.5 yards per attempt and was sacked 3 times contributing to the overall subdued showing against the Steelers. He will need to be at his best to help his team to victory on Sunday.

TEAM NEWS

Kansas City top-pass rusher Justin Houston is nursing a hamstring injury while Centre Mitch Morse suffered concussion in the Patriots game. Achilles and Heel issues continue to beset Safety Eric Berry.

The Bengals have a few injured who are still being assessed. Darqueze Dennard has a left shoulder injury and had to play the second half against the Steelers wearing a sling while linebacker Nick Vigil is out with a serious left knee injury. Tight end Tyler Kroft is injured with a broken bone in the foot, while fellow Tight end Tyler Eifert suffered a season-ending injury earlier in the season against the Falcons.

Nick Vigil’s absence for the Bengals cannot be understated. He is going to be a serious miss for them. They are also a team ranked close to the bottom in some categories in the NFL. 28th in passing yards and 29th in total yards allowed per game. Lewis and his boys have a serious job on their hands to win this game. This looks like a victory for the Kansas City Chiefs.