The Cincinnati Bengals are set to travel to Missouri to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Week 17 matchup is arguably one of the most exciting for the week since they are both high-quality teams. The Bengals are coming off of another blowout win against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Chiefs are riding an eight-game winning streak. Who will add another win to their belt, the top of the AFC North or the top of the AFC West? Let's take a look at my four boldest predictions for the AFC matchup.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Bengals Week 17 Predictions
4. Tee Higgins show
Since he joined the team, rookie Ja'Marr Chase has been Joe Burrow's favorite offensive target. This is mostly because they have a lot of chemistry from their time as teammates at LSU. However, wide receiver Tee Higgins was the star of the Bengals' receiving game in Week 16. The second-year receiver had 12 receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns in last week's win. Burrow targeted him 13 times, compared to Chase's ten targets and seven receptions.
For more insight on the Bengals' Week 17 matchup against the Chiefs, listen below:
Of course, Burrow isn't going to forget about his college companion altogether, but expect Higgins to match his Week 16 performance on Sunday. He will have well over 100 passing yards and at least one end zone reception against the Chiefs.
3. Joe Mixon goes off…again
Speaking of Bengals players that had stellar performances in Week 16…how about Joe Mixon? The running back gave Burrow the best of both worlds on Sunday, performing in both the air and ground games. He had a total of 135 yards and two touchdowns: 65 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, and 70 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Expect Mixon to go off again against the Chiefs in Week 17. While they are a solid team, there are weaknesses in Kansas City's run defense. And, if we know anything about Mixon, it's that he will find those weaknesses and utilize them to his full advantage.
2. High scoring
As mentioned in the past two predictions, the Bengals are going to go off on offense. Expect Joe Burrow to have another amazing game, similar to his record-breaking performance in Week 16. The Bengals' powerful use of both their pass and run game will earn them at least four touchdowns.
But Cincinnati won't be the only team putting up points. Patrick Mahomes has a lot of tricks up his sleeve to match the energy of Burrow and his offense. Expect even more production for the Kansas City offense, leading me to my final prediction.
1. Not enough for the win
Although the Bengals will be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday, expect the Chiefs to come out on top. It took them a few weeks to find their groove, but nothing has slowed Kansas City down since Week 7. Mahomes and his receiving power duo of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill show no signs of slowing down as the Chiefs prepare for another long playoff run. Finally, my boldest prediction yet: Chiefs win 37-31.
