PLAYER NOTES
–LB Justin Houston (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday and appears likely to miss his second game since suffering his injury in Week 5 against Jacksonville.
–S Eric Murray (ankle) returned to practice as a full participant after missing Sunday night’s game at New England. His return allowed the Chiefs to place safety Leon McQuay III on waivers to clear space for offensive lineman free agent Jeff Allen.
–LG Cam Erving joined the team’s worrisome injury report Wednesday with a quad injury, but appeared as a full participant.
–C Mitch Morse remains in the league’s concussion protocol after taking a hit to the helmet during Sunday night’s game at New England.
–LB Tanoh Kpassagnon was a game-time decision Sunday night but did not play against the Patriots. He did return to practice as a full participant on Wednesday, and appears likely to play in Week 7 against Cincinnati.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: LB Breeland Speaks. The second-round draft pick drew his first career start against New England in Week 6 and delivered a solid performance, picking up a tackle along with five assists. He also joined with LB Reggie Ragland on a sack, and also picked up another quarterback hit on Tom Brady. With LB Justin Houston likely to miss another game, the Chiefs need Speaks to step up once again opposite Dee Ford in the Chiefs’ pass rush.
GAME PLAN: The Chiefs averaged 35.5 points the last two weeks, right on their season average of 35.8, but they got there without their customary fast starts and red-zone efficiency. The Chiefs want to buck that trend this week, so expect the offense to come out with a greater sense of urgency early hoping to jump on the Bengals quickly and punching the ball in the end zone.
Defensively the Chiefs’ bend-but-don’t-break defense broke way too much last week against New England, but it remains their best strategy against the Bengals. The Chiefs like to jump on teams quick offensively and then force teams to become one dimensional, playing aggressive with their pass rush but using their linebackers and secondary to keep the ball in front of them and prevent the big play. The Chiefs must keep much of its focus on A.J. Green and dare the Bengals to run the ball.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bengals CBS Dre Kirkpatrick and William Jackson vs. Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill. Hill comes off one of the biggest receiving games of his career last week against New England, hauling in seven catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns. The Bengals yielded 369 yards passing last week to Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger.
–Chiefs pass rush vs. Bengals OL. The Chiefs don’t expect to have LB Justin Houston again this week, which means defensive coordinator Bob Sutton must again use some creativity to generate an effective pass rush against an offensive line that protects the quarterback well. The Bengals have allowed just 12 sacks this season and rank seventh in the league with only 23 quarterback hits allowed. If the offensive line provides Andy Dalton time to find A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, it could be a tough night for the Kansas City defense again.