Cincinnati Bengals

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to be the first overall pick when the Cincinnati Bengals make the virtual draft's opening selection on Thursday.

From there, much of the first round remains uncertain with an impressive class of players to select from and significant variations between teams in many of their pre-draft assessments.

The QB position, as ever, is one that is producing intrigue and debate.

There is a historic group of offensive tackles and wide receivers, while many of the key defensive positions have just one standout leader before a notable drop off.

With teams finalising their evaluations and embarking on draft simulations while reporters, analysts and fans submit their final mock drafts, it is almost time for the real action to begin.

Here, we look at the key storylines to watch and the pivot points that should determine the shape of a dramatic first round.

Herbert or Tua? Will teams trade up?

Oregon's Justin Herbert has seen his stock rise during the draft process amid continued debate over the fitness of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa.

In terms of on-field ability, Tagovailoa was, in the eyes of many, on a par with or at least a very close second to Burrow in the QB rankings.

The impressive Tagovailoa topped Burrow and Herbert when it came to yards per attempt (11.27) and the percentage of passes resulting in a touchdown (13.1 per cent) last season.

But his three surgeries in a 12-month period, on both of his ankles and a dislocated hip he suffered in November, have prompted a wave of speculation over how far he will drop.

His case has likely not been helped by the COVID-19 crisis, which has limited teams' ability to conduct their own injury assessment or meet with prospects face-to-face.

Neither the Detroit Lions nor New York Giants, picking at three and four respectively, have an obvious need at QB, though each team has indicated a willingness to move down.

The Washington Redskins have been strongly linked with Ohio State's pass-rusher Chase Young at number two, but reports on Tuesday suggested even their spot could be up for grabs.

With the Miami Dolphins, who boast three first-round selections, due to pick at five, and the Los Angeles Chargers at six, the biggest pivot point will be whether either of those teams push themselves up into the top four to land their favoured QB.

The growing speculation is that man for Miami could be Herbert, but we will not know which reports were just smokescreen until draft day and there remains a chance Tagovailoa has been their preference all along.

Either the Lions or Giants would love to assume extra draft capital in a trade with Miami or LA, and they may be able to do that while still selecting the player they want, cornerback Jeffrey Okudah in Detroit's case and a top offensive tackle for New York.

With a potential face of the franchise on the board, will the Dolphins or Chargers really have the patience to sit back and hope their QB remains available, or will the draft order get its first big shake-up?

After the top three options, Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts are other QBs tipped to go before the end of round two.

Historic tackle class could lead to early run

The offensive tackle class is so strong that even the second-tier of options, which is headed up by Houston's Josh Jones, is expected to have multiple first-round selections.

In the top tier is Tristan Wirfs, Andrew Thomas, Jedrick Wills and Mekhi Becton, all of whom have received top-10 buzz over recent months.

With the Giants, Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all picking in the top half and in need of urgent offensive line assistance, trades have again been mooted and a rapid run of selections should not be ruled out.

Such is the desire to land a top tackle, the best options in a magnificent WR class all have a chance of dropping.

Will Jeudy, Lamb and Ruggs all drop out of top 10?

As the offseason started and a detailed analysis began on a historic group of wide receivers, few would have thought there was a realistic chance of none being taken in the top 10.

But that is now a possibility which has teams picking in the middle of the round relishing the opportunity to land a dominant pass-catcher.

The class is headed up by all-round talent CeeDee Lamb out of Oklahoma, Alabama's superb route-runner Jerry Jeudy and his college teammate, the rapid deep threat Henry Ruggs.

Lamb's YAC ability was highlighted by his 21.4 yards per reception last year, making him the top receiver in college football in that category, while he also had no drops all season and averaged 102.1 yards per game.

But due to the depth of the class, many teams will be confident of landing a starting wideout in the second or third rounds.

That and the potential flurry for QBs and tackles above, could mean Lamb, Jeudy and Ruggs fall into the grateful arms of the Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and San Francisco 49ers.

They are all picking between 11 and 13, while the Denver Broncos have been tipped to trade up from 15.

Star defensive names amid the offensive noise

When it comes to other key position groups, many have one clear leader likely to be picked towards the top.

Young looks poised to go at number two, unless Washington trade out of the spot, and he is far and away the leading edge option, with Okudah the top CB.

When it comes to linebackers and safeties, the versatile Clemson phenom Isaiah Simmons is good enough to top the list of prospects at both positions, while at defensive tackle, Auburn’s Derrick Brown is not expected to remain on the board for long.

If those stars all go in the top 10 as expected, even more value should be created for those teams needing tackles and receivers.

Alternatively, if Simmons or Brown get lost in the noise around trades or a run on those competitive position groups, teams further down could get a steal.

New England pick at 23 is key

Later on in the first round, all eyes will be on what the New England Patriots do in their first draft since the departure of Tom Brady.

With free agent and trade options still available - despite claims they are happy to roll with last year’s fourth-round pick, Jarrett Stidham - there are a range of possible selections outside of the QB position.

However, if Bill Belichick has fallen in love with a prospect or if Tagovailoa begins to slide, this could be the draft where Brady's successor is selected.

If the Patriots opt to be aggressive, their situation is complicated by a limited number of premium picks.

After 23, they do not select again until number 87 and their roster is already lacking in offensive firepower, a situation which frustrated Brady prior to his departure.

The LSU signal caller is expected to be picked first overall in Thursday's draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, who play just over two hours' drive from Athens High School where he made his name.

Burrow went on to start his college career at Ohio State but, once it became clear Dwayne Haskins would emerge as the starter there, he transferred to LSU.

He produced a historic 2019 season to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the Tigers to the National Championship, throwing for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns, with just six interceptions.

Despite his exploits taking place 1,500 miles away, Athens High School and the surrounding area in south east Ohio relished Burrow's success.

And his coach at Athens, Nathan White, feels things will reach a whole new level now Burrow is set to return to the state as an NFL quarterback.

"The people in south east Ohio are pretty excited that it could be Cincinnati because it's a two-and-a-half-hour drive," White said to Stats Perform ahead of the NFL Draft.

"So a whole lot of people will get to him watch play on Sundays which would be different than any other team. It would be indescribable how exciting that would be. 

"He was in Baton Rouge this year, 1,500 miles away, and every Saturday in Athens it was crazy. LSU parties everywhere, people watching the games together. 

"To think that it could get bigger than that [is hard to believe] – but it certainly will now. It's kind of amazing that it can end right back here just a couple of hours away.

"It will be pretty neat if it does and as an Ohio team, there are already a lot of fans here. The biggest difference is that we will have a lot of people that drive to Cincinnati and go watch him play." 

Burrow was named Ohio's Mr Football during his time with Athens and threw six touchdowns as the team came agonisingly short of winning a state title in 2014.

A 56-52 loss to Central Catholic with the OHSAA Division III championship up for grabs was a rare sad moment, but White is glad Burrow is in the spotlight and spoke proudly about his team-first approach.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him to go first," he said. "I want him to be the first pick, that's something that he's worked for so hard. 

"He is such a team guy, it is always about his team and his coaches. It's going to be pretty neat to have one night that's kind of about just him. 

"I hope he goes number one and gets to enjoy the night and I know that the next day it will be about the team, whatever team that is."

White feels Burrow is capable of leading a pro locker room even as a rookie, adding of the QB: "I've been around him and I've seen him work day to day and how he operates. 

"I think he'll be a great leader even as a rookie, have an impact and make the locker room a great place and a unified place wherever he goes.

"I truly believe that wherever he goes they have a chance to be much better because he's a great player."

While the team are yet to announce their plans, head coach Zac Taylor's interview on the Dan Patrick Show reinforced the view that the team is not looking to trade down, despite reports last week suggesting the Miami Dolphins were looking to move up.

"It doesn't look that way," Taylor said when asked if he could see a scenario where the Bengals traded down.

"If there is a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10 to 15 years, then that's a hard thing to pass up on.

"You know, people all the time ask me what would it take to give up that pick. If there's somebody there that people are willing to give up a lot for, that they believe in, then that just really verifies what we think about those players as well." 

Taylor did not reveal who the Bengals were targeting at number one, but he did seem to indicate that the franchise has mostly made up its mind with just over a week remaining in the scouting process.  

"I think we're really comfortable with the direction we're headed," Taylor said. 

"I'm not quite ready to make any major announcements yet, but we've done our homework here the last three or four months, kind of vetted all these guys out."

Ever since last season went south for the Bengals, Cincinnati has been linked to Burrow, an Ohio native who was a backup for two seasons at Ohio State before transferring. 

His 2019 campaign at LSU is one of the best college seasons ever – throwing 60 touchdown passes, winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to a national title.  

The NFL has restricted teams' access to prospects due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the Bengals have maximised their allowable time talking with Burrow: three one-hour phone calls per week.  

"He's got a great edge to him, I think that's the best way to put it," Taylor said of Burrow.

"You can talk about confidence and all that stuff to quarterbacks, but he's one of those guys that put in the work, so he's got the confidence in his abilities because there's not a lot of unknown out there for him.

"We've gotten to know him. We've gotten to know a lot of the guys during this conversation over the last couple of weeks. We really maxed out that time talking to him. We feel comfortable with all those guys there at the top." 

Andy Dalton is still under contract with the Bengals but has previously made it clear that he wants no part of a full rebuild and was upset that the team would not trade him to a contender midway through last season.  

Taylor said that "all options are on the table" in regard to Dalton's future with the team.

LSU quarterback Burrow, who won the Heisman Trophy and guided the Tigers to the National Championship in a remarkable 2019 season, is the presumptive number one overall pick in Thursday's draft.

The Bengals went 2-14 last season and have not won a playoff game since 1990.

That has prompted a host of draft analysts to label the Bengals as an unattractive destination for prospects.

Nathan White coached Burrow with Athens High School in Ohio, a state where he is poised to return with the Bengals, and believes doubters like that are exactly what the QB needs to thrive.

White believes the Bengals are ready to "take off" if Burrow arrives due to the offensive talent they already have on the roster, including franchise-tagged wide receiver A.J. Green.

"All of the talking heads that are talking say Cincinnati might not be a great place to end up and they can't have success there, but I think that might be right up Joe's alley," White said to Stats Perform.

"It is exactly what he needs to hear to put that chip back on his shoulder."

Ahead of the draft, Burrow said being unable to earn a college starting QB role at Ohio State before transferring to LSU gave him the fuel to fight for his status atop the draft. 

White added: "If that chip on his shoulder has shrunk at all from the highs of winning the National Championship, going to Cincinnati might be exactly what he needs to put it back on there.

"It will give him another chance to fight and prove people wrong.

"The Bengals have a bunch of talent, I think that they are primed to take off in Cincinnati. They have a chance to be really good. 

"A.J. Green is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and has been for eight or 10 years. I think that will be a great mix right out of the gate. 

"A really good receiving core, Tyler Boyd and John Ross are incredibly talented too, and one of the best running backs too in Joe Mixon."

The 23-year-old led LSU to the National Championship and won the Heisman Trophy in a season that saw him throw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Burrow started the year in an optimistic mood but expected to be a draft prospect taken in the third or fourth round.

Now, he is widely expected to be taken at number one overall by the Cincinnati Bengals when the draft begins on Thursday.

"Absolutely not," Burrow told Sports Illustrated when asked if he thought he would be the presumptive top pick.

"I knew that I was gonna play really well my senior year. And I was going into it thinking I was one of the best guys in the country. 

"But I know what recruiting is, and I know how the draft is. It's always interesting seeing where people go and seeing who ends up panning out. 

"So I knew I had a chance to be a really good pro. But I didn't think I could do anything to get myself up to the number one pick in the draft.

"I expected to have the kind of season that I had. But I didn't expect for it to propel me to the number one pick. I thought I was gonna go third, fourth round."

Burrow's college career saw him transfer from Ohio State when he was destined to lose a quarterback competition with Dwayne Haskins after he was previously underrecruited.

Receiving constant praise in a draft process that has seen him consistently rated as the top QB option has therefore been something of a change.

"Yeah, it definitely has," he said. "In the past, you hear all the things wrong with your game, everything that you need to improve on to get to where you need to get to. 

"And now you hear everyone telling you how good you are. You just have to keep the same mentality of trying to prove yourself every single day. 

"But it's a lot easier when you have people telling you how bad you are than when people are telling you how good you are."

Burrow believes the NFL's greats play with a chip on their shoulder and is determined to maintain his.

He added: "There's a commonality in a lot of the great quarterbacks in the league, that they have the chip on their shoulder - from something.

"Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson - I mean, they all have something that got them to have a little chip on their shoulder, that makes you continue to work really, really hard. 

"I mean, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'd like to say I'd have had the same mindset if I was a five-star. But who knows? It's tough to tell."

LSU star Burrow was selected by the Bengals with the first overall pick in Thursday's first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Nathan White, who coached Burrow with Athens High School in Ohio, sees attributes in the 23-year-old comparable to some of the league's great names.

However, White also believes Burrow is "unique" and hopes he can similarly establish himself as a leading star.

"That's something I've thought a little bit about. I think a lot of people have compared him to Tom Brady a little bit," White told Stats Perform.

"I think he's got a bit of Tom Brady, as far as the leadership and swagger. I think Drew Brees a little bit, with the accuracy and commanding the scheme on the field. They run a similar offense.

"I think he's also unique, he's a little bit different. I think each quarterback in the NFL is pretty unique. It's tough to compare.

"I think Joe has little pieces of a few different guys but he's also his own guy. I hope in 10 years he's someone that they are comparing draft picks to."

White has long been confident Burrow could make it in the NFL, adding: "I told a lot of people this. Very early, when Joe was a 15-year-old sophomore, you just knew that he was different. Different from anyone I had ever coached.

"His preparation, even as a young kid, his leadership is just different from anything I've ever seen. Not to mention he's incredibly talented also."

The Bengals are not set to face Brees' New Orleans Saints in the 2020 season, but White foresees a special occasion when Burrow does get the opportunity to return to Louisiana with Cincinnati.

"That would be really interesting," he said. "I know that the state of Louisiana will be Joe Burrow fans forever. Of course they love the Saints.

"I think it will be a situation where they want the Saints to win but they are going to hope that Joe plays really well.

"That would be something that's pretty cool in the NFL if he gets to go back and play in New Orleans and feel that love again from the state of Louisiana."

Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald reportedly swung Bengals helmets amid one of the skirmishes, with pictures circulating on social media putting the spotlight upon the 31-year-old, leading to calls for a suspension.

In training sessions, clubs, and not the league, are responsible for overseeing the players' conduct in practice and a suspension would therefore be unlikely, though there could be disciplinary action.

The teams elected to end their joint practice session early and Rams coach Sean McVay played down the significance of the fracas later in the day.

"I just see guys swinging and some guys have helmets on, some don't. There's a scrum. You just never know what can occur," he said.

"And my biggest concern is just unnecessary injuries for people that we're counting on, whether it's for our team or the other team."

Bengals coach Zac Taylor made it clear the premature end to the session was not a major loss, with just a few snaps remaining.

"We just called it. We were in the last [practice] period. We got two really good days of work. So was it worth getting the extra couple of plays? No. So we called it," he explained.

The two teams will meet in their final pre-season match on Saturday.

Superstar quarterback Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain in the Divisional round victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

That sort of injury would generally bring about a spell on the sidelines, but Mahomes was determined he would not miss Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, who had won at Arrowhead Stadium last year to reach the Super Bowl.

While clearly limping in the second half, Mahomes battled through to finish with 29-of-43 passing for 326 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-20 Chiefs success.

Most notably, a painful five-yard run in the final seconds of the game was followed by a shove from Joseph Ossai that prompted a 15-yard penalty to put Harrison Butker in field-goal range to snatch victory.

Mahomes' fellow Chiefs were in awe of his commitment, including GM Veach, who said: "People don't realise how hurt he was.

"We all saw the injury. High ankles are terrible injuries, and sometimes guys miss two, three weeks, and he was out there and running for a first down and a big play in the game that got us in field-goal range.

"But it just adds to an already great legacy."

Mahomes' pain was not in doubt for those watching, but he emphasised afterwards: "I definitely didn't feel good.

"I think the worst one was when I fumbled. I tried to pick it up, and that was probably the worst I tweaked it during the game.

"[The team] got me as close as they could to 100 per cent. Then I just battled through, and I'll have a few more weeks to get it ready [for the Super Bowl]."

Allen suffered his elbow injury in the Bills' Week 9 loss to the New York Jets in early November, and despite trying to tough his way through it, it clearly affected his play.

The month of November was easily his worst of the season, throwing only four touchdowns with five interceptions over four games while also sporting a passer rating of 75.9 – far below the 98.8 figure he either reached or eclipsed in September, October, December and January.

Although his stats rebounded in the lead-up to and during the playoffs, Allen still appeared to be struggling with his elbow on certain throws, and he could only lead the Bills to one touchdown in the 27-10 elimination loss at home to the Bengals.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Allen acknowledged the pain in his elbow messed with his throwing mechanics but said the rehabilitation plan is simple.

"Rest and recovery is going to be really good for it," he said. "I mean, there was a period, obviously, right after, for a few weeks, where it was pretty bothersome – but again, it didn't affect me all that much.

"I just felt like maybe I was trying to throw it a little differently mechanically, had to change a few things and got away a little bit from how I'm used to throwing the ball. That's just a by-product of that.

"I think, really, two weeks ago is when I felt like I got back to mechanically what I like. Being the rotational thrower, it's very elbow prevalent, and maybe I got a little bit to more of a linear-type deal because I just couldn't really use all that much force and flicking it out there, but, again, just adapting."

When asked about what will stick with him from the 2022 season, Allen said he was proud of how his team came together during a string of traumatic events – including a deadly blizzard in Buffalo and the cardiac arrest of safety Damar Hamlin.

"The adversity that this team [has] overcome," he said. "There's a lot of stuff that happened to a football team that I don't know if it's ever happened before. 

"Just battling through that with the guys in this locker room and us trusting each other. Obviously, we want to win, make no mistake about it. But I'm proud of how this team was able to fight through some of the stuff that we went through."

That sentiment was echoed by defensive leader Von Miller, who said: "It's an honour to be a Buffalo Bill. I've never been on a team that handled as much adversity in a season."

The Bengals have moved in a different direction at quarterback after taking Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of last week's NFL Draft.

Attempts to trade Dalton, 32, have not come to fruition, so the team have opted to make him a free agent rather than play out the last year of his contract.

The move almost certainly means Burrow will start Week 1 at QB and ends suggestions the team could retain Dalton in a backup role.

Speculation has connected Dalton with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, as he joins former NFL MVP Cam Newton among the top signal callers available on the open market.

Dalton had a winning record as the Bengals' QB, going 70-61-2 in the regular season while throwing 204 touchdowns to 118 interceptions.

But the 2011 second-round pick was unable to end the franchise's long wait for a playoff win, their last having come in 1990.

The Bengals have moved in a different direction at quarterback after taking Joe Burrow with the first overall pick of last week's NFL Draft.

Attempts to trade Dalton did not come to fruition, so the team have opted to make him a free agent rather than play out the last year of his contract. The 32-year-old, who spent nine years with the Bengals, was slated to earn $17.7 million this season.

"Andy will always hold a special place with this franchise, and I know that he holds a special place in my heart," Brown said in a statement.

"This is a hard day for our club because we know and appreciate what a consummate professional Andy has always been. We respect and appreciate Andy, and we thank him."

The move almost certainly means Burrow will start Week 1 and ends suggestions the team could retain Dalton in a backup role.

Speculation has connected Dalton with the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, as he joins former NFL MVP Cam Newton among the top signal callers available on the open market.

"I'm really happy for Andy. I think [the Bengals] did the right thing for him and he's got a chance to continue his career," former Bengals QB Ken Anderson added.

"I think it's the best thing for everybody. It's the Joe Burrow era now."

Dalton had a winning record as the Bengals' QB, going 70-61-2 in the regular season while throwing 204 touchdowns to 118 interceptions.

He holds Cincinnati's franchise record for passing touchdowns and his 87.5 passer rating is the highest by a Bengals quarterback with at least 25 starts with the team.

The 2011 second-round pick led the Bengals to the playoffs in each of his first five seasons but was unable to end the franchise's long wait for a playoff win, their last having come in 1990.

"If you had told me there was this quarterback in the second round from TCU that's going to the playoffs the first five years, I'd say sign me up. No Bengals quarterback ever did that," Anderson said.

Dalton's career peaked in 2015, when he led the AFC with a 106.3 passer rating and helped Cincinnati to a 12-4 record and an AFC North title. Both he and the Bengals began to decline thereafter, however.

Cincinnati have recorded four straight losing seasons, while Dalton was benched in favour of rookie Ryan Finley for three games during the Bengals' 2-14 campaign in 2019, a record which put them in position to select Burrow with the first overall pick.

The Chiefs, competing in their third consecutive AFC Championship Game, went down 30-27 in overtime to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Mahomes was dominant early with three touchdown passes in the first half as they opened up a 21-3 second-quarter lead, finishing the game completing 26 of 39 attempts for 275 yards.

But the Chiefs, champions two years ago and runners-up last season, let slip their lead with Mahomes' overtime pass intercepted by Vonn Bell before Evan McPherson's game-winning field goal.

"The leaders on this team know this isn't our standard," Mahomes said at the post-game news conference. "We want to win the Super Bowl.

"Whenever you taste winning the Super Bowl, anything less than that is not success. It's definitely disappointing.

"Here, with this group of guys that we have, we expect to be in that game and win that game, and anything less than that is not success.

"We'll go back and look at all the things we did well, the adversity we battled through, the team we became at the end of the season and try to learn from the mistakes we made and try to be better next year.''

Mahomes threw 11 touchdown passes in the postseason but the Chiefs were undone in defense against the Bengals, conceding 55 points in their two losses to the AFC champions across the season.

"Unfortunately this is final and that's where we sit now," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said at the post-game news conference.

"Our players are disappointed obviously. They've put a lot of time and effort into this, putting themselves into this position for a Championship Game, I'm proud of that."

The Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) and Minnesota Vikings (8-2) look set to slug it out for number one spot in the NFC but the picture is far tighter in the AFC, where the 8-2 Kansas City Chiefs lead the way ahead of four sides with a 7-3 record.

Week 12's action includes a number of sides looking to boost their chances of featuring in the postseason, with the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs all having home field advantage.

Stats Perform has taken a look at some of the more interesting numbers ahead of these and other big games on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) @ Tennessee Titans (7-3)

The Bengals head to Tennessee having scored 37 and 42 points in their last two games, with a total of 79 standing as their most over a two-game span since 2005, and Joe Burrow will be looking to make an impact against an opponent he went touchdown-less against last time out.

In the playoff win against the Titans last season their franchise quarterback did not throw a touchdown pass, with that still the only game which the Bengals have won without Burrow throwing a TD when he has started.

The Titans only really got going in Week 3 this season, boasting a 7-1 record since. That stands as the joint-best across the NFL, tied with Minnesota and Philadelphia – the top two in the NFC, as it stands.

Since Week 4, the Titans have held their opponents to an average of 2.8 yards per rush, the best in the NFL, while the 387 yards rushing allowed in those seven games is the lowest tally by any NFL side in such a span since the 2014 Detroit Lions.

Chicago Bears (3-8) @ New York Jets (6-4)

The Bears have won five straight in matchups against the Jets but travel to New York on the back of a three-game losing streak, each of which has been decided by three or fewer points – the first time in franchise history they have experienced such a run.

Chicago will come up against Mike White as the starting QB for the Jets, who have benched Zach Wilson after last week's horror show against the New England Patriots, where they scored just three points despite not turning the ball over in the game.

White last started in Week 10 of last season, while his four games in 2021 saw him throw an interception on 6.1 per cent of his passes, the highest mark of quarterbacks across the NFL last season with at least 100 passing attempts.

Sunday's matchup will see two vastly different teams on the ground, with the Bears rushing for 54 first downs since Week 8, 15 more than the next-closest team over that span, while the Jets have rushed for just 13 first downs in the same period – the lowest total across the NFL.

Las Vegas Raiders (3-7) @ Seattle Seahawks (6-4)

The Raiders head to Seattle having lost their last five road games against the Seahawks, tied for their longest active losing streak on the road against a single opponent – also losing five straight at Green Bay.

Las Vegas have had no more than one takeaway and no more than one giveaway in nine straight games, the longest streak by any NFL side in the Super Bowl era, but come up against a formidable force in rookie Tariq Woolen.

Woolen has five of the Seahawks' seven interceptions in this season (71.4 per cent) and is on course to shatter the NFL rookie record for the highest percentage of a team's interceptions, which is currently held by Washington's Dan Sandifer, who had 13 of 24 in 1948 (54.2 per cent).

Quarterback Geno Smith has completed at least 64 per cent of his passes in all 10 games so far this season, tying him with Steve Young (1992), Drew Brees (2011) and Kyler Murray (2021) for the longest streak to start an NFL season.

Los Angeles Rams (3-7) @ Kansas City Chiefs (8-2)

The Rams head to Kansas City on the back of a four-game losing streak, tied with the 1999 Broncos and 2002 Patriots for the third-longest losing streak by a defending Super Bowl champion – behind only the 1987 Giants and 2009 Steelers (five straight losses).

In the past eight games, the Rams have just a single takeaway, which stands as the lowest by any side over an eight-game span in the Super Bowl era.

The Chiefs have a devastating record against the Rams, having scored 246 points (41 per game) over their last six games against Los Angeles, the second most by any NFL team over a six-game span against an opponent since the 1970 merger.

Having fought back from behind to beat the Chargers last time out, the Chiefs have now won six in a row when trailing at halftime, dating back to last season, the longest streak by any NFL team (regular and postseason) since the 49ers won seven such games in a row from 1989-90.

Elsewhere…

All 10 of the Denver Broncos' games this season have been decided by single digits. If that happens again against the Carolina Panthers, they will tie the second-longest such streak to begin any NFL season, trailing only the 2015 Ravens (12 games).

Green Bay head to Philadelphia having won six of their last eight matchups against the Eagles. They had won just five of their previous 17 prior to that.

The 49ers host the Saints having recorded at least one sack in 37 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak for San Francisco in the Super Bowl era.

The Falcons travel to Washington with six wins in their last seven against the Commanders. Atlanta have scored at least 24 points in nine straight games against Washington – the franchise's longest streak against any opponent in team history.

Beckham Jr joined the Rams in November on a one-year contract after being released by the Cleveland Browns, and is now just one game away from winning his first Super Bowl after the Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Kupp led the NFL this season in the key receiver statistics with 145 receptions, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, and has 386 receiving yards so far in the postseason, which is the third all-time most in playoffs history before the Super Bowl.

During media duties for the NFL ahead of the Super Bowl, Beckham Jr laid out how impressed he has been with the 28-year-old, stating his belief that Kupp deserves to win on Sunday.

"Coming here and being with Coop has just been really amazing for me," he said, "You come in somewhere where they have their guy and you watch and you witness greatness between him and [Matthew] Stafford as far as the attention to detail, the relationship that they have.

"That's everything you want from a QB and a receiver, details, the way he actually runs routes, the football knowledge.

"I've learned so much from him, he's a great guy, obviously an incredible talent and I'm just happy that I made the right choice [to join the Rams]. Now I just feel like he deserves this trophy and he deserves a ring and I just want to help them finish the job."

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also gave his thoughts on the game, insisting that despite having stars such as himself, Von Miller, Kupp and Beckham Jr, they have reached the Super Bowl because of the efforts of the entire team.

"As far as a superstar heavy team, I think that's what the outside world probably thinks of us, but for us we just come in to work every single day and we've got nothing but guys who want to work hard."

Stafford also reserved praise for Kupp and Beckham Jr, adding: "Getting to work with Cooper and Odell has been a blast. Obviously I've gotten a full year with Cooper and his greatness and his ability to affect the game both with the football [and] without the football... such a great teammate, such a great friend and football player.

"Then with Odell he's come in since day one, his ability to grasp what we're asking him to do mid-season with no OTAs, no training camp, it was really impressive from my standpoint what he's been able to grasp, go out there and execute and play. He's been huge for us in the playoffs.

"It's been a blast working with those guys, really everybody on this team. I pinch myself sometimes thinking about the opportunity I'm getting to do, getting to play this game, the Super Bowl, with a bunch of great teammates and a bunch of great coaches, just happy for the opportunity." 

Victory for the Bills on Sunday, due to the cancelled regular season game between the teams when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, would have seen them meet the Chiefs in Atlanta.

The NFL had even set in motion ticket sales, which did great business with the game just a week away, but the alternative plan will not now be required after the Bengals won 27-10 in Buffalo.

Joe Burrow had the Bengals in control from the outset, and he had advice for those who had planned to see the Bills play the Chiefs.

"Better send those refunds," he told CBS.

Coach Zac Taylor added at a news conference with a grin: "We had our minds set to go and play in Kansas City.

"It is tough, because they have to formulate the plans for coin tosses, they have to formulate the plans for neutral site games, and we just keep screwing it up for everybody.

"I hate that for the people who have to endure all those logistical issues. We just keep screwing it up, so I'm sorry."

The Bengals won in Kansas City in last year's AFC Championship Game, and Taylor has no doubts they are capable of a repeat.

"We're built for this," he said. "It doesn't matter what anybody thinks about us.

"We don't care who's favourite and who's not; we're built for this. We're excited to go on the road to Kansas City."

The Bills had been 13-1 in home playoff games in the Super Bowl era, but that record merely provided a source of motivation for Taylor's team.

"In our whole team, you just look at the leadership in every position," he said.

"We talked about last night how they were 13-1 in the playoffs, the best home winning percentage in NFL history. I wanted to show that to the team, because I knew what that would do to them.

"It wouldn't put fear in them that 'oh my God, we're walking into an environment that people don't win in', it was completely the opposite for our guys. It was."

Burrow completed his first nine passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, putting the Bengals 14-0 up before the Bills had a first down.

"He's the greatest," Taylor said. "He does a great job leading this team, managing situations. The bigger the moment gets, the calmer he gets, and the team feeds off that."

But Burrow was keen to deflect praise onto the offensive line, which was missing key personnel but ensured the quarterback took only a single sack.

"It was one of their best games of the year – rushing, pass blocking," Burrow said. "It might be our most complete game of the year as a team."

Burrow, like Taylor, is confident of the team's chances against the Chiefs, believing they are better now than they were when winning that game last year.

"I think we're a more complete team, I think we're a better team," he explained. "We just seem to make plays when it counts. That's all there is to say.

"I think our O-line is better, I think our run game is better, I think our defense is better, I think our special teams is better. We're just overall a much better team than we were last year."

The Bengals, who had not previously won a playoff game in 31 years, came within minutes of their first Super Bowl victory.

But a drive led by Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp put the Los Angeles Rams into a 23-20 lead, which three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Aaron Donald protected when the Bengals attempted to come back down the field.

Donald finished with 10 pressures – a total only topped in a Super Bowl once since 2006 (Nick Bosa, 12, in Super Bowl LIV) – of the 23 Burrow faced.

In that same recent period, there have been six examples of a quarterback being pressured 20 or more times in the Super Bowl and only one (Patrick Mahomes, 28, also in Super Bowl LIV) has won.

Burrow's seven sacks tied the Super Bowl record (Roger Staubach in Super Bowl X) and followed his league-leading 51 in the regular season.

It is no secret that the Bengals' issues are on the offensive line, although that much was clear last year, too, when Burrow tore his ACL and MCL in his left knee after being hit by two Washington defenders.

Rather than address the problem with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who had played with Burrow at LSU.

The Bengals were rewarded as Chase had 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honours, but their inability to protect Burrow proved costly in the closing seconds of the season.

Can they now belatedly find a fix? That certainly appears to be the plan.

"Joe is a smart player and that shines through," Bengals owner Mike Brown said. "He's accurate, he's tough as nails. We want to do some things to help him."

Brown added: "I think we have the core of a top team, we'll add to it and I think we can make it better."

If the Bengals can just keep Burrow clean a little more often, they have every chance of returning to the big game during the quarterback's tenure.

"We're a young team," Burrow said immediately after Sunday's defeat, "so you'd like to think we'll be back in this situation multiple times over the course of the next few years.

"We take this and let it fuel us for the rest of our careers."

Addressing the team's fans, Brown said: "My one regret is I'm not carrying a new trophy. The Bengals are real. The future is bright. You, our coaches and our players are going to have some trip."

The Bengals later tweeted a gif of the quarterback dancing, appearing to confirm the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was now under contract.

Burrow's deal is believed to include a $23.9million signing bonus and he is the last of the top five picks from this year's draft to agree a rookie contract with the franchise that selected them.

The Bengals drafted Burrow with the first overall pick back in April and they will hope the former LSU QB can turn around their fortunes, with the franchise having not won a playoff game in three decades.

Burrow won the Heisman Trophy last season having led LSU to a national title, breaking numerous records along the way, including throwing 60 touchdowns - an all-time leading mark in the NCAA.

The Bengals went to their third Super Bowl last year after upsetting the Chiefs in the conference title game, and they will get the opportunity to repeat that feat next week.

Damar Hamlin, recovering after his cardiac arrest in the regular season meeting between the teams, was in the building to see the Bills, but Joe Burrow kept his cool with a clinical display in snowy conditions to cut short Buffalo's season.

The Bengals had made a bright start to that Week 17 game before it was halted and did so again in this encounter, taking control before the end of the first quarter.

Burrow completed his first nine passes across two drives for 105 yards and two touchdowns – including a 28-yard TD pass to Ja'Marr Chase – while the Bills had to wait until the second quarter for a first down.

That belated drive ended with Josh Allen running in to score, before a second Chase TD was taken off the board following a marginal review.

But a Bengals challenge after halftime resulted in a Joe Mixon TD when he was initially adjudged to have been halted at the goal line following a six-minute drive, and the lead was out to 17 points early in the fourth quarter.

Still Allen could not get the Bills offense to fire, with his last desperate effort an interception thrown to Cam Taylor-Britt to seal the Bengals' 10th straight win.

Ok, that may be going a little far. However, after their thrilling 27-24 win in Week 13, it is clear the Bengals are the dominant team in a rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs, who they have now defeated in three successive games including their remarkable AFC Championship Game triumph last season.

That dream run to the Super Bowl was one that looked difficult to replicate, especially after the Bengals made an 0-2 start to the season with defeats to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys.

But the concern from that early disappointment has long since dissipated, with Burrow once authoring an increasingly impressive follow-up to his outstanding 2021 campaign.

Continually perfect placement

He reached a highpoint for the 2022 season on Sunday by once again outduelling Patrick Mahomes in an undulating thrill ride in Cincinnati, exhibiting the accuracy that defined the Bengals' unexpected 2021 ascension.

The former number one overall pick delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 87.1 per cent of his pass attempts, according to Stats Perform data, his superb ball placement helping him complete 25 of his 31 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Burrow also opened the scoring with a rushing touchdown.

While the final stat line in terms of yardage may not be eye-popping, Burrow averaged 9.23 yards per attempt, his precision as a passer ensuring the Bengals maintained offensive efficiency that is critical against the Chiefs.

Burrow ended the game with a completion percentage of 80.6, over five per cent higher than his expected completion percentage of 75.4.

And yet, even in a game where Burrow was deadly accurate, the Bengals averaged 8.7 yards per pass play and Ja'Marr Chase had 97 yards on seven catches on his return from injury, it could be argued the Bengals did not fire on all cylinders.

Though they moved the ball well, the Bengals went three of seven in the red zone, with Tyler Boyd committing a crucial drop on a would-be touchdown on third down in the third quarter, and Burrow regularly had to make plays with his legs when pass protection that has improved this season broke down.

Normally such missed opportunities as the Bengals had inside the 20-yard line would be fatal against the Chiefs and the most feared quarterback of his generation, but since Burrow returned from the knee injury that prematurely ended his rookie year to reassume command of the offense in 2021, he and Cincinnati have become experts in finding a way to prevail against any calibre of this opposition.

On this occasion versus the Chiefs, it was success in finding balance that saw them navigate a path to a win over the team that entered Week 13 as the AFC's number one seed.

Yin and Yang

Cincinnati's passing game was complemented by a ground attack that took advantage of Kansas City's vulnerability defending the run.

Backup running back Samaje Perine averaged five yards per carry, with the efforts of the offensive line aiding him in putting up 3.29 yards before contact per rush, the sixth-most among backs with at least 10 carries in Week 13.

More critical, though, was the fourth-quarter defiance of the defense, which, despite struggling to get Mahomes off the field, came up with two crucial stops when the Bengals needed them most.

Germaine Pratt forced and recovered a fumble from Travis Kelce on a 19-yard reception to set up a go-ahead touchdown for the Bengals, on which Burrow found a wide-open Chris Evans after Boyd redeemed himself with a key third-down catch, and Joseph Ossai – who missed all of his rookie year due to injury – showcased his pass-rushing prowess and his motor to bring down Mahomes for a sack on third and short, ending the Chiefs' subsequent drive and forcing a long game-tying field goal attempt that Harrison Butker pushed wide right.

That gave Burrow the chance to kill the game in the final minutes and, after a second-down sack that appeared as if it might give the Chiefs one more chance, he extinguished any lingering Kansas City hope with one final display of his elite marksmanship.

Under pressure from Derrick Nnadi, Burrow calmly delivered a perfect ball to Tee Higgins over the middle as the Bengals ran a slant-flat concept, his throw delivered with the timing and anticipation to dart into the grasp of Higgins and defeat the excellent coverage of rookie Joshua Williams, ensuring Cincinnati picked up a first down on third-and-11 and ended the ball game.

Since Week 6, when the Bengals set off a run that has seen them win six of their past seven games, Burrow leads the NFL in completion percentage (72.3) and passing touchdowns (16), while he is third in yards per attempt (8.55), showcasing the kind of form that lifted the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season.

While he was both devastatingly accurate and efficient in Sunday's engrossing victory, it was a Bengals performance that, a week on from a hard-fought 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans, further demonstrated they do not necessarily need Burrow to carry the entire burden of their hopes on his shoulders.

Against Kansas City, the Bengals used a balanced offensive approach to win the time of possession battle – Cincinnati limiting the Chiefs' opportunities by holding the ball for over four minutes more than their high-powered opponents – and delivered defensive stops in the crucial moments.

But such key plays may not have borne fruit had Burrow not answered the bell with an unstoppable throw to Higgins when it was all on his shoulders.

There is the talent on the Bengals' roster that Burrow doesn't have to do everything, but approaching the end of his third season as pro, the overwhelming evidence is that he can.

This latest win over the Chiefs does indeed represent the zenith of 2022 for Burrow and the Bengals to this point. The exciting thing for Cincinnati, though, is that, for as much as he impressed, it was not Burrow's best performance of the season.

The ceiling for the Cincinnati offense is higher than what the Bengals produced in Week 13, and the fact they weren't required to reach it to knock off Kansas City once more should offer substantial encouragement to the reigning AFC champions, and terrify the rest of the conference looking to usurp them.

The Bengals fell to 0-2 on Sunday as they suffered a 20-17 defeat to a Dallas Cowboys team led by quarterback Cooper Rush in the absence of the injured Dak Prescott.

After being sacked seven times by the Pittsburgh Steelers in an overtime loss in Week 1, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was brought down for six more sacks by the Dallas defense.

It is a worrying start for a Bengals team who spent significant resources remodelling an offensive line that allowed Burrow to be sacked 51 times last season.

"It's all frustrating," head coach Taylor said of the Bengals' pass protection issues. 

"We've given ourselves an opportunity to win these games against good teams, so once things settle down, I know that we're going to be a really good football team."

Praising Micah Parsons, who registered his second successive two-sack game, Taylor added of the Cowboys: "Maybe they haven't gotten the sacks against everybody you watch, but quarterbacks are just springing out of the pocket when you watch all of the tape from last season against these guys.

"They have a really stellar pass rush. They use these guys really well.

"Micah Parsons is going to be in the conversation for one of the best, if not the best pass rushers, just the way they can move him around. The way he can take advantage and bend.

"He's a real problem, and they've got real good players behind him, too. We put ourselves in some positions where they could really tee off and maximise what they're really good at. And that was frustrating early on.

"I thought we settled in better later in the game and were a lot more efficient."

Following defeats for the rest of their AFC North rivals on Sunday, the Bengals are only a game back in their division despite their winless start, which they have the chance to end next week on the road against the New York Jets.

"Every team's going to go through this, where you face a two game losing streak at some point," said Taylor. "Unfortunately for us, it's the first two games of the season. It's a long season.

"We've just got to hit the reset button, not in a negative way, but just regroup for Tuesday to get ready for the Jets this Sunday. I know our guys are going to be focused the right way. We have great leadership.

"So again, that's just what we're relaying on right now, is those guys to get focused, have a great week of practice and go to New York and find a way to win.

"I think we're going to be in great position going forward. Any time you lose, it's going to feel like, from everybody that's watching, that's the story. I get it. That's how it should be. We're going to work hard, just as we have, to go on the road and find a way to win against a good team."

Burrow, meanwhile, hailed the second-half improvement in pass protection but recognised the need for a complete game for the Bengals to get back on track.

"Second half, I thought the protections was great. They have a great rush, I would say top two or three best rushes in the league," Burrow explained. 

"They've got DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah, they do a really good job with their picks in game, too. And so, early in the game, you're going to have those, and I can do a better job of getting the ball out quickly.

"I thought, for the most part, we protected the ball well in those situations, and that was my goal this week. And then in the second half, I thought the offensive line protected great.

"We kind of warmed up in the run game, and then we're able to have some more time in the pass game, and that's what comes off of that.

"When we're able to run the ball well, they might be thinking 'run', and so then they're not so quick to get into their pass rush. So, the second half was more efficient, better for us, but just need to prolong that for the entire game."