Every game has about three to four plays that determine the outcome. In every Bengals-Chiefs game, that’s especially true.
Sunday’s game was the highest-rated NFL on CBS game in September since 1998. That shows you that this is clearly the best rivalry in the NFL. Two superstar quarterbacks, two elite teams, and a classic game await every time the Bengals vs. Chiefs shows up on the schedule. Not to mention, these are two teams from the Midwest that make up the NFL’s best rivalry. They’re not from New York, Los Angeles or any major city. They’re from the Midwest.
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Man, the NFL is great.
Here are the four biggest game-changing plays from the Bengals-Chiefs game this past Sunday.
1. Akeem Davis-Gaither’s interception - :28, 1st Quarter
Davis-Gaither is in his fifth season with the Bengals, and he’s still a very important player on this team. With depth wearing thin on the defensive line, you never know when the linebacker position could be affected by injuries.
Towards the end of the first quarter on Sunday, Davis-Gaither picked off Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs territory. It was the first turnover of the game, and it gave the Bengals the ball at the Chiefs 31-yard line. For as high a level as these teams play at in this rivalry, both teams are prone to turning the ball over. In this case, this was the first of three Chiefs turnovers on Sunday. In a rivalry game, turnovers are absolutely game-changing plays.
2. Cam Taylor-Britt’s interception - Last play of the 3rd Quarter
I still don’t know how in the world Taylor-Britt picked off this pass. As I’m watching the game, I’m literally telling myself that Taylor-Britt should just knock it down. But he literally grabbed the nose of the football and hauled it in for the interception.
When you see a play like that, you have to ask yourself if you really did see what you just saw. Jack Buck is smiling somewhere right now. I truly thought the Bengals were going to break the game open after this play.
It was such a great play because Taylor-Britt backed up what he said in the week leading up to the game. And just as a side note, the touchdown to Rashee Rice was a great throw by Mahomes. Taylor-Britt had solid coverage on that play. He played great on Sunday, and he is emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.
But as we saw, Taylor-Britt’s incredible interception was the first of many momentum swings to come in the fourth quarter.
3. Joe Burrow’s fumble that the Chiefs returned for a touchdown - 14:40, 4th Quarter
This is what makes Bengals-Chiefs the best rivalry in the NFL. Three plays after Taylor-Britt’s interception, the Chiefs come right back with an even bigger play. Joe Burrow tried to step up and escape a sack on 3rd&10, and he lost the ball. Kansas City defensive back Chamarri Conner picked up the ball and returned it 38 yards for a go-ahead touchdown.
You can say that, of course, this happens to the Bengals. I say it’s a great play by the Chiefs. In a rivalry game, that response was a haymaker. Arrowhead Stadium roared back to life that quickly. That’s what makes this rivalry so great. It’s the Carolina-Duke of the NFL. Every game is close and has big plays like Conner’s fumble return for a touchdown. Bengals-Chiefs games can turn on a dime, and that play exemplifies that.
4. Incomplete Pass to Andrei Iosivas - 3:30, 4th Quarter
Actually, Iosivas should have caught this pass. If he had caught the ball, it would have been another Bengals first down and the clock would have been running inside of three minutes. The Bengals already had two first downs on the drive and taken about 3:30 off the clock. If Ioisvas had caught this pass, the momentum would have continued.
Was the pass behind Iosivas? Yes, slightly. But still, he has to make that catch. Even going back to grab it and going to the ground would have been good. Iosivas played a great game on Sunday, but this missed catch halted the momentum the Bengals had on that drive and may have cost them a chance to run out the clock.
