Can Destiny’s Darlings Survive Mahomes and the Chiefs?

By STEVE KING

The Cincinnati Bengals are the darlings of the NFL this year.

They are the underdogs — decidedly so — against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs looked spectacular in that instant-classic 42-36 victory over the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Just about anyone in the NFL — perhaps every single team, period — would be an underdog to some extent against Patrick Mahomes and his guys.

No one — but no one — at the start of the season expected the Bengals to be here. Come on, they were 4-11-1 last year and their franchise quarterback, Joe Burrow, was coming off major knee surgery. Perhaps they could be better in 2021, but this, an AFC North title and their first berth in the conference championship game since 1988, when some guy named Boomer Esiason was the quarterback and Sam Wyche was the head coach? No way. All this was a pipedream that turned into reality.

But for them to get to their first Super Bowl since 1988 season — and it will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination, even though they remain in my opinion, a true team of destiny, actually THE team of destiny in the NFL this year — they must play beyond their means — play beyond their ability. They must play nearly a perfect game — the best game in franchise history, in fact — to beat the Chiefs. The Bills were nearly perfect, but it still wasn’t enough.

So, what do the Bengals do? What can they do, realistically?

Tell Mahomes that the game is on Monday night instead of Sunday? Yeah, that would probably work, but it’s not ethical.

As such, then, what will the Bengals’ game plan be, or at least what it should be?

The low-hanging fruit answer to that question is to have Burrow go crazy with the pass, throwing to a talented group of wide receivers.

But is that the best way — the best idea?

We should ask the Browns.

In fact, we should ask the Browns for the best approach for both teams to win the game.

To be continued in the next post.