Kansas City Draws a December Date in the Queen City Again

The Bengals are 9-4 (.692) in December home games under Marvin Lewis, including a streak of five straight wins. Cincinnati’s last home loss in December was a 23-17 setback vs. Pittsburgh (12/31/06). KC is seeking to snap a five-game road losing streak in December. The Chiefs last win in such a circumstance was a 20-9 victory at Oakland (12/23/06). The Bengals are 5-2 at home this season and are seeking to win their third straight home finale. Cincinnati hasn’t gone 6-2 at home since ‘97. The Bengals are 0-3 against the AFC West in 2009, suffering last-minute losses by seven points or less in all three contests: 12-7 vs. Denver (9/13), 20-17 at Oakland (11/22) and 27-24 at San Diego (12/20).

Chiefs Have Been Proficient in the Takeaway Column
The Chiefs are currently tied for the NFL lead with 13 opponent fumble recoveries. Kansas City is also tied for third in the NFL with five takeaways in the Red Zone. Only Indianapolis (7), San Francisco (6) and Carolina (6) have forced more. The Chiefs have forced 13 takeaways (7 FRs, 6 INTs) in the last five games after registering 11 takeaways in the club’s first nine contests.

The Chiefs are a combined +3 (7 takes/4 gives) in their three victories this season, going +2 in two of those three contests. Cincinnati is tied for 13th in the league at +2 (23 takes/21 gives) on the year. The Bengals (+2) and Cardinals (-8) are the only two clubs currently leading their division who aren’t +5 or better. The other six division leaders own a combined turnover differential of +55 (167 takes/112 gives) and own a collective record of 68-16 (.810).

Cincinnati has posted a 21-1-1 (.935) home record with a positive turnover margin under Marvin Lewis. The Bengals are just 5-16 (.238) when negative at home under Lewis. Cincinnati has been even or negative in nine of their last 10 losses dating back to 2008. The Bengals are -3 (8 takes/11 gives) in their five losses this season. The Bengals rank 13th in the league with 75 points off takeaways, while the Chiefs are tied for 20th with 63 points off takes.

Chiefs Have Made a Steady Reduction in Penalties
The Chiefs rank eighth in the league with 73 penalties. Kansas City has made steady progress in reducing its penalty numbers throughout the course of the season. At the four-game mark, the Chiefs were tied for 27th in the league with 29 penalties, while the club was tied for 14th with 48 penalties after eight games. The Bengals have been flagged 101 times to rank 31st in the league. Only Green Bay (109) has been penalized more times this season, while Jacksonville has been flagged a league-low 66 times.

Kansas City currently has just six accepted penalties on special teams, a figure that ranks second in the NFL behind only Atlanta (4). Cincinnati is tied for 20th in the league with 15 special teams penalties. The Chiefs finished the 2008 campaign tied for 22nd in the NFL with 17 special teams fouls.

Kansas City’s Defense Continues to Make Strides
The Chiefs have made incremental gains in several key defensive categories compared to the 14-game mark a year ago. Most notably, Kansas City currently ranks ninth in the league, forcing opponents to go three and out 25.0 percent of the time. The Chiefs ranked 31st in the league in that category at this point in 2008 with a three-and-out percentage of 17.0. Only five clubs have forced more three and outs than Kansas City (44) this season.

The Chiefs are tied for 10th in goal-to-go TD percentage after being 25th thru 14 games last season. Kansas City is 13th in third-down percentage after ranking 31st in that department at this juncture in 2008. After posting a league low 9.0 sacks after 14 contests in 2008, KC currently has 19.0 sacks.

A Quick Statistical Snapshot on the Bengals
The Bengals are tied for third in the league with 31 offensive drives of 10 plays or more, including 13 TD drives … Over the past eight games, no defense has permitted fewer plays of 20+ yards than Cincinnati (15), including no runs of 20+ yards over that span … Cincinnati and KC own three TD passes of 20+ yards. Only Miami (1) has fewer … The Bengals are seeking their eighth 10-win season in franchise history and just their second 10-win campaign since ‘89.

A Longhorn Showdown Set in the Ground Game
A pair of former University of Texas standouts will be on display on Sunday as Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles and Bengals RB Cedric Benson will be in the spotlight in the ground game. Both players are arguably the key ingredient for both teams’ offensive recipes. While Benson ranks seventh in the NFL with 1,118 rushing yards, Charles has averaged 101.2 rushing ypg and 184.2 combined net yards (rushing, receiving and returns) over the last six games. In his last six starts, Benson has averaged 97.8 rushing ypg and 104.2 combined net yards.

Charles has produced seven TDs over that six-game span, including a 97-yard KO return TD vs. Pittsburgh (11/22), a 76-yard TD run vs. Buffalo (12/13) and a 47-yard TD run vs. Cleveland (12/20). Charles has three 100- yard contests this season, including a career-high 154-yard effort vs. Cleveland (12/20). Charles owns at least one TD in each of those six contests. In the season’s fi rst eight games, KC averaged 3.6 yards per carry and didn’t register a rushing TD. In the last six games, KC has averaged 4.5 yards per carry and has fi ve rushing TDs. Charles has 18 runs of 10 yards or more this season and has accounted for 28.0% (7 of 25) of KC’s touchdowns in 2009.

The Bengals are 5-0 this season when Benson registers a 100-yard rushing game. Dating back to 2003, Cincinnati is 27-5 (.844) when the club has a 100- yard back. In Benson’s last six starts, he has accumulated 145 carries for 587 yards with two TDs. Thanks to Benson, the Bengals currently rank ninth in the NFL, averaging 131.4 rushing ypg. Benson has been held without a rushing TD in four straight games and was limited to 53 rushing yards in a 27-24 loss at San Diego (12/20). Benson is sixth in the NFL with 27 runs of 10+ yards.

The Bengals rank third in rushing defense, allowing 85.2 ypg. Only Pittsburgh (83.1 ypg) and Green Bay (83.6 ypg) are better. Cincinnati is 9-26 (.257) when allowing a 100-yard rusher under Marvin Lewis, but the Bengals have allowed just one 100-yard effort this season, a 121-yard performance by RB Jerome Harrison at Cleveland (10/4).

Chiefs-Bengals Scoring Stats
The Chiefs will face a Cincinnati defense that has permitted just 116 points (14.5 ppg) over the past eight games. Only Baltimore (95 - 11.2 ppg) has relinquished fewer points over that span. The Bengals rank seventh in the league in terms of actual offensive points allowed (excluding return scores), relinquishing just 230 points (16.4 offensive ppg). The N.Y. Jets (172 - 12.3 ppg) lead the league in that category.

Kansas City has registered two of its three victories on the road this season, but the Chiefs have averaged just 17.2 ppg in their six away contests. Cincinnati has won its last four home games and has held each of those opponents to 13 points or less, permitting just 9.3 ppg in those four wins. The Bengals have permitted 127 points (14.1 ppg) in their nine wins. Cincinnati is 24-4-1 (.845) at home under Marvin Lewis when holding opponents to 21 points or less, including a 5-0 mark in 2009.

Putting points on the board early will be a priority against a Cincinnati squad that ranks ninth in the league by outscoring its opponents by a 55-point margin (176 to 121) in the first half. The Bengals typically don’t fare well if they fall behind early. Cincinnati has lost 17 of its last 20 games when trailing at halftime. The Chiefs have led at halftime in two of their three victories in 2009. KC’s defense has permitted 40 points (13.3 ppg) in those three wins. The Chiefs led by a 24-20 margin vs. Cleveland (12/20), marking the highest first-half point total by KC since registering 24 points vs. Miami (12/21/08).

A Pair of USC Passers Square Off in the Air: Cassel vs. Palmer
A pair of former USC teammates will be under center on Sunday when Chiefs QB Matt Cassel makes his fi rst career start against the Bengals. Cassel owns a 5-1 record as a starter when he posts a rating of 100.0 or better (min. 20 atts.), including a 27-24 OT win vs. Pittsburgh (11/22) when he threw for 248 yards with two TDs, compiling a season-high 100.4 rating. Cassel threw for a season-high 331 yards vs. Cleveland (12/20), his fourth career 300-yard game and his first as a member of the Chiefs. Cincinnati is 2-25 (.074) when allowing an opposing QB to post a 100.0+ rating (min. 20 atts.) dating back to 2004, including a string of 10 straight losses.

Cassel has been especially sharp in the Red Zone, completing 29 of 57 passes for 185 yards with 12 TDs and no INTs, good for a 97.6 Red Zone passer rating. Cassel and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers are tied with an NFL-high nine fourth-quarter TDs.

Palmer threw for a season-high 314 yards at San Diego (12/20), snapping a 29-game drought without producing a 300-yard passer. Buffalo (52) owns the NFL’s longest active stretch without a 300-yard QB. Over his last eight starts Palmer has completed 63.4% (144 of 227) of his passes for 1,580 yards with 11 TDs and four INTs, numbers that translate into a 92.8 rating. KC’s defense has allowed an average of 69.5 net passing yards in its last two games, allowing zero completions of 20+ yards in those contests.

The Chiefs are seeking to register an INT in three straight games for the first time this season. Palmer suffered two INTs in a 27-20 loss at Arrowhead (10/14/07). He also tallied 320 yards and two TDs in that contest.