The Kansas City Chiefs‘ biggest threat in the AFC might be a team that didn’t even make the playoffs this season.
That’s the opinion currently held by Chiefs standout defender Chris Jones, who was asked to name the team he thinks is the biggest threat to Kansas City’s reign atop the conference. Instead of naming either the Buffalo Bills or Baltimore Ravens, Jones named the last team that was able to beat the Chiefs in the AFC playoffs back in January of 2022.
“I’m gonna say the Cincinnati Bengals,” Jones said. “They’re always at the cusp. Unfortunately, injuries have played a huge part in their lack of success. I have so much respect for the Cincinnati Bengals. And also, you’ve got to look at Josh Allen. Josh Allen has played some of the best football ever played. Lamar Jackson, I mean, he’ll [probably] win MVP again.
“We’ve got so many good teams, man, that it’s hard to say,” Jones continued. “The Ravens will get there eventually. Cincinnati ended up being there, they’ve started to get there. The Bills are hungry.”
As Jones alluded to, injuries have played a role in the Bengals missing the playoffs each of the last two years. Joe Burrow missed the second half of the 2023 season with an injury; Cincinnati went 5-4 in his absence but missed the playoffs after posting a 9-8 record.
Defense was the biggest reason why the Bengals missed the playoffs again in 2024 after posting an identical 9-8 record. While they won their last five games, historically bad play from its defense during the season’s first 12 games put the Bengals in a 4-8 hole. The Bengals missed the playoffs again despite monster seasons from Burrow and wideout Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes, while Chase led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions.
Burrow and Chase will continue to keep the Bengals in the conversation as challengers to the Chiefs’ crown. But the team will have to figure out the salary cap if they are going to make it back to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati has already lost notable players in recent years in free agency, most notably safety Jessie Bates III. The Bengals may lose wideout Tee Higgins this offseason after the two sides were unable to come to terms on a new deal this past offseason.
Along with the Bengals, the Bills and Ravens are also expected to remain on the Chiefs’ heels for years to come. Buffalo continues to be led by Allen, who had arguably his best season so far in 2024. The Ravens also have an elite quarterback in Jackson, who is also coming off quite possibly his best season to date.
While each of these teams are good, the Chiefs continue to stand alone on the AFC mountaintop. It’ll continue to be that way until one of their challengers knocks them off in the postseason.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
February 5, 2025 | 2:51 pm
