The Bengals fired the opening shots in this three-year rivalry by knocking KC off twice on the way to the Super Bowl in 2021, but Patrick Mahomes and Co. have won the last two meetings.
The Chiefs have successfully made it to the next chapter in the How To Win With a Highly Paid QB book by signing top free-agent offensive linemen like Alter grad Joe Thuney and drafting and developing a fast, ferocious defense.
The Bengals are trying to follow suit, but so far the jury is still out on many of their young draft picks on that side of the ball.
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Kansas City also has one of the league’s all-time great coaches in Andy Reid plus Steve Spagnuolo, a four-time Super Bowl champion defensive coordinator who has proven himself over many years, while the Bengals still have Zac Taylor and Lou Anarumo, who proved themselves in that one year.
Defying social media diagnosis, Joe Burrow says his surgically-repaired wrist is doing fine, but he is still facing some uncertainty about who will be lining up with him when the Bengals have the ball.
On the bright side, even if the Bengals lose Sunday, 15 games remain, and this team has already proven it can defy the odds of an 0-2 start and make the playoffs.
However, I felt compelled to write a reaction column at the start of the week because most of the issues apparent in the loss to the Patriots were things we have seen so often it is fair to wonder if they ever get fixed.
Read more: The Most Alarming Part of the Bengals Week 1 Flop
Area prep players making an impact in CFB
Credit: Andres Leighton
Credit: Andres Leighton
At the college level, last week offered a reminder just how many area players are playing parts across the country.
While Connor Bazelak’s upset bid with Bowling Green at Penn State fell short, Ben Saul broke the hearts of Cincinnati fans with a last-minute field goal for Pittsburgh.
Dozens of others are also contributing every week from Florida to Oregon.
Read more: Tipp grad honored for game-winning kick, others making impact
Dayton success begets more success on recruiting trail
This week we also had significant college basketball news as the University of Dayton received a verbal commitment from Damon Friery.
A 6-foot-10 forward ranked among the top 150 prospects in the class of 2025, he said he hopes to follow in the footsteps of Obi Toppin, Toumani Camara and DaRon Holmes II by being tall, starring at Dayton then moving on to the NBA.
Friery is coach Anthony Grant’s first verbal commitment from the current senior class, but he is not likely to be the last.
Grant should have a handful of scholarships to hand out, and the Flyers had two 2025 recruits on campus last weekend: Treyvon Maddox, a 6-foot-6 guard from West Columbia, S.C.; and Jaron McKie, a 6-2 guard from St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.
Read more: New Dayton recruit hopes to follow in footsteps of Toppin, Camara and Holmes
‘Improvement Week’ in Columbus
Ohio State is not in action Saturday, but coach Ryan Day said not to call it a bye week.
The focus is on improvement after the second-ranked Buckeyes blew out two overmatched opponents to start the week.
Read more: Alter grad’s role still a major topic of discussion
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