Last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 18-12. It wasn't a particularly flashy game, and no Bengals had a breakout game, so the result was a bit surprising.
Earlier this week, AP user soybon had a nice post arguing that the Chiefs had to follow the blueprint the Bengals had set. Read his post here which is a good read now since you know how everything turned out.
I never mentioned this, but a couple of Bengals fan sites had picked up on his post and were sarcastically saying things like, 'Oh, just play like the Bengals, it's that easy'.
Well, apparently it is. For the most part, the Chiefs offense performed similar to the Bengals offense. A few more things went the Chiefs way but the numbers are similar in a few key categories.
Here's a fancy, easy-to-read chart on the Bengals and Chiefs against the Steelers:
Category | Bengals vs. Steelers | Chiefs vs. Steelers |
Net Passing | 157 yds | 214 yds |
Pass Comp-Att-Int | 18 - 30 - 0 | 15 - 30 - 0 |
Net Rushing | 61 yds | 68 yds |
Time of Possession | 29:08 | 22:25 |
Punt Return | 6.66 Y/Ret | 0 Y/Ret |
Total 1st downs | 14 | 13 |
3rd Down Conversions | 28% | 40% |
Sacks Allowed | 2 | 5 |
Yds Allowed | 226 | 515 |
Apparently we're not the only ones noticing this. The folks over at Behind the Steel Curtain picked up on it as well.
"With the game on the line today, BTSC writes, "the Chiefs followed the blueprint the Bengals laid out last week by bringing a full on blitz on Big Ben. Despite not getting Ben to the ground until the 4th quarter, the offensive line eventually gave in and was unable to keep blitzers out of Roethlisberger's face with the game on the line."
Interesting stuff. I'm not sure the Chiefs (or the Bengals) took the normal route in a victory a win is a win.