The Bengals were able to come up with the right defensive plan of attack to slow down the Chiefs after halftime of the AFC Championship Game and it started with making life difficult for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
After throwing for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, Mahomes went 8-of-18 for 55 yards and two interceptions as the Bengals came from behind for a 27-24 overtime win that put them in the Super Bowl. Coming up with a plan to deal with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford that picks up where they left off against the Chiefs would be good for their title bid and Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby’s discussion of what they’re up against focused on the similarities between the two quarterbacks.
“Both of them really have strong arms and both of them can kill you with their feet,” Hobby said, via the team’s website. “Oh my God. Both of them have weapons all over the football field. I can’t say that upfront we’re going to just take a different approach because we watched tape and we see that they can make all the throws. They will scramble. . . . Mahomes is going to run a little bit more than Stafford. . . . Both of them are really, really good football players. When I say football players, I say a quarterback who’s trying to win the game at all costs. He’ll do whatever he has to do to win the game. Both of them have that same trait.”
Based on the two halves of the AFC Championship Game, the similarities between the quarterbacks could turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing for the Bengals this weekend.