Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
After an 0-2 start, the defending AFC champion Bengals have now won seven of their last nine games entering Week 13. They're riding a three-game win streak after bouncing back from a blowout loss at Cleveland on Monday Night Football in Week 8.
That streak started and has continued while Ja'Marr Chase has been injured. Quarterback Joe Burrow's passer rating has been above 100 in that stretch. And the Bengals' defense had an envious performance after limiting one-time MVP candidate Derrick Henry to just over two yards per carry.
Cincinnati's schedule only gets harder and harder as the season pushes forward. But, even then, should their respective opponents be extra concerned?
The Bengals will get a taste of that fiery schedule when they welcome Kansas City for the first time since last year's historic AFC championship game back at Arrowhead Stadium. Then they face three more likely AFC playoff contenders down the stretch, including division foe Baltimore in the season finale.
Speaking of the Chiefs, Burrow will duel off against MVP frontrunner Patrick Mahomes. Despite the small sample size of matchups between each other, will the headline of 'Burrow vs. Mahomes' match the legendary battles between 'Brady vs. Manning?'
The Strictly Stripes podcast assesses where the Bengals stand in the upper tier of the AFC and whether or not there is potential for Burrow and Mahomes to headline the league's top quarterback battles in the days to come.
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad, Andrew Gillis and Michael Niziolek.
Music: Starfields by Hallman
Music Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/nQ9ldbVF7D/
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