Five things to know about the Chiefs’ next opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

It’s understandable that fans would be worried about how the Chiefs will respond from Sunday’s late loss at New England.

After all, it’s the Chiefs’ first loss of the season.

But there seemingly is a better chance of a lingering hangover for the Bengals when they come to Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday to face the Chiefs.

The Bengals gave up a last-second touchdown to the archrival Steelers and lost 28-21 after holding a late lead. It appeared that the Steelers were the beneficiary of a non-call on what some thought could have been a penalty.

Bouncing back from the sting of that defeat could be tough for the Bengals.

The Chiefs’ game against Cincinnati, 4-2, will kick off at 7:20 p.m. Sunday and it will be broadcast on NBC (Ch. 41). Here are five things to know about the Bengals:

Andy Dalton

With 14 touchdown passes through Cincinnati’s first six games, quarterback Andy Dalton is on pace to set a career record for scoring throws.

However, the Bengals are only 17th in the league in 262.3 passing yards per game, and Dalton is tied for the fifth-most interceptions this season with seven.

Running game

Cincinnati is averaging 89.8 yards per game on the ground, which is 25th in the NFL.

Joe Mixon, who had surgery last month to repair a partially torn MCL in his knee, has rushed for a team-high 336 yards.

He scored on this play against the Steelers on Sunday:

Giovani Bernard, who is second on the team with 155 yards rushing, is out because of a knee injury.

Receiving corps

A.J. Green leads the Bengals in receiving yards (494) and touchdowns (five), but Tyler Boyd is proving to be a nice second option for Dalton.

Boyd has a team-high 37 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns, including this one against Pittsburgh on Sunday:

More injuries

The Bengals had quite a few medical issues during Sunday’s game. Linebacker Nick Vigil left because of a left knee injury. Safety Shawn Williams suffered a concussion and cornerback Darqueze Dennard hurt his left shoulder and was wearing a sling in the second half against the Steelers.

Cincinnati already had some key injuries heading into the game at one particular position.

Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert suffered a season-ending ankle injury during a game against the Falcons earlier in the season, while follow tight end Tyler Kroft has a broken bone in his foot, ESPN reported.

CJ Uzomah, who had six catches Sunday, has moved to the top of the depth chart.

Defensive troubles

The Bengals defense is ranked near the bottom in the NFL in a number of categories. They are 29th in total yards allowed per game (409.2) and 28th in passing yards (292.0). Cincinnati is also 23rd in points allowed (26.3) and 20th in rushing yards allowed (117.2).

However, Cincinnati also has scored two defensive touchdowns, which is tied for the most in the NFL with Arizona.

This story was originally published October 15, 2018 at 8:53 AM.