When it came to Cincinnati Bengals news before kickoff against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17, most of it boiled down to just two things:
Expert predictions and Ja’Marr Chase.
Chase was a question mark to play in Kansas City, with him providing some recent context into how and why he might be able to go despite the pain from the shoulder injury.
And when it comes to expert predictions, as expected, few expected the underdog Bengals to go on the road and get a win with a backup quarterback under center while missing some other key pieces such as DJ Reader.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for December 31.
Ja'Marr Chase talks playing through injury
Revealing comments from Chase about pain management and toughing it out with his team having so much at stake when it comes to the playoffs.
2024 NFL mock draft
The Bengals get some big help in the trenches in a new mock draft, painting what feels like a pretty likely scenario next spring.
"Burrowhead" revisited
As expected, Mike Hilton got asked about his infamous comments. Also as expected, he had a really interesting, heartfelt answer.
Steelers star fined
A Steelers star received a fine letter from the NFL due to his actions against the Bengals last week.
Two experts pick Chiefs -- ESPN
Two experts polled at ESPN see the Chiefs winning this one, with the writeup explaining what’s at stake: “The Chiefs can lock up their eighth consecutive AFC West crown with a win or losses by the Raiders and Broncos. Even if the Chiefs don’t clinch the division, a win guarantees a playoff spot. Kansas City is still in a strong position to make the playoffs (92.8%) and win the division (90.8%) even if it loses. There’s more volatility for the Bengals, as a win gives Cincinnati a 50.5% of making the playoffs, while a loss drops those odds to 7.4%”
Five experts pick Chiefs -- NFL.com
All five NFL.com experts say the Chiefs win this one, with one explanation provided: “OK, so the Chiefs looked very human against the Raiders in Week 16. What am I supposed to do, pick Patrick Mahomes to lose a second consecutive game in Arrowhead to a team starting a backup quarterback? I’m not there yet, not when Las Vegas needed a couple of fluky defensive scores and more rushing yards (157) than Cincinnati has managed in any game this season to upset K.C.”
Another Chiefs pick -- CBS Sports
Yet another Chiefs pick, this one by just three points with the following note: “The Chiefs have issues on offense, which they have to get fixed in the next two weeks before the playoffs. The Bengals are still alive, but barely. The Cincinnati defense had issues with Mason Rudolph at times last week, so maybe this will be a game to get Patrick Mahomes going. I think the Chiefs win, but the Bengals keep it close.”
