by Chris Asbrock

The Bengals are sitting pretty in the AFC North and they control their own destiny in the division. The Bengals are one of three undefeated teams in the AFC with Denver and New England being the others. They have exceeded many peoples’ expectations thus far this season, except for most here in the city. The next two games are key, as they host Kansas City and Seattle. Let’s take a look to this huge AFC tilt early in the season.

Offense

There is no doubt the Bengals have the advantage offensively. Andy Dalton has been playing out of his mind and has silenced his critics early on. The moxy that was shown by Dalton and this offense last week was incredible. Dalton made huge plays in response to the Ravens scoring drives. When you look at these offenses side by side, the Bengals average higher total yards per game, rushing yards per game and pass yards per game. The depth they possess on the offensive side of the ball has been key and will continue to carry them to victory.

Alex Smith has always been recognized as a “game manager.” He won’t lose you any games as he is more conservative with the football and won’t turn it over. On the season, Smith is 62-98 for 724 yards and 4 touchdowns. Let’s be clear here, Smith is not the star on this offense. That award goes to Jamaal Charles. Charles is known as one of the best running back in the league. So far on this season, Charles has 231 on 48 carries, including 4 touchdowns. He is also a weapon out of the backfield, with 14 receptions this season. If Charles is held in check, it could be a long day for the Chiefs.

Advantage: Bengals

Defense

Both defenses are some of the best units in the game. The Bengals are 12th in the league in total yards, while the Chiefs are towards the bottom, coming in at 24th in the league. Those numbers could be a little misleading as the Chiefs have faced the Broncos and the Packers, two teams with prolific offenses and quarterbacks. The Bengals have used their depth to their advantage as they have been able to keep everyone fresh, even though they’ve faced the 11th fewest plays from scrimmage.

The Chiefs are led by two of the biggest sack threats in the AFC, Tamba Hali and Justin Houston. Both players make opposing offenses very uncomfortable and will certainly look to do the same on today. If Hali and Houston can pressure the Bengals offensive line, the secondary will feel less under attack. The Chiefs have given up the fourth most passing yards this season.

The Bengals, by contrast, have a very tough defense to crack. They have been playing very well this season and will look to continue their solid play against Kansas City. The defense will face a tough challenge with Charles but if they can keep him in check, the Bengals will be in great shape.

Advantage: Push

Special Teams

Both teams possess very good punters and average to above average kickers. Dustin Colquitt has punted 17 teams on the season, averaging 48.1 yards per punt, with the longest being 61 yards. Colquitt has been able to pin seven punts inside the 20 yard-line. Bengals punter Kevin Huber is the basically a mirror image of Colquitt. Huber has punted 11 times on the season, averaging 49.5 yards per punt. Out of those 11 punts, 4 were inside the 20.

Both kickers have been average this season as each is 3 out of 4. Cairo Santos of Kansas City has a long kick of 48 yards. He has yet to miss an extra point. Mike Nugent has missed one of the 10 total extra points. If this game comes down to a crucial kick, I give the slight edge to the veteran, Nugent.

Advantage: Push

Coaching

Both coaches are veterans, each with north of 10 years of head coaching experience. Both Andy Reid and Marvin Lewis have over 100 career wins. Both coaches have had solid regular season success with Lewis having zero postseason glory. The edge in coaching goes to Reid and the Chiefs due to one factor in Reid is 100% better at managing the clock and timeout situation.

Advantage: Chiefs

Prediction: Bengals 20-13

Other Predictions: 

New York Jets over Miami (In London)
Atlanta over Houston
Buffalo over New York Giants
Oakland over Chicago
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Carolina over Tampa Bay
Washington over Philadelphia
Arizona over St. Louis
Denver over Minnesota
San Diego over Cleveland
Green Bay over San Francisco
Dallas over New Orleans
Seattle over Detroit

Chris Asbrock is a staff writer and analyst for FTI Sports and can be followed on Twitter