Cincyfan78
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It isn't just a matter of preventing yards on these downfield throws, as the Bengals have racked up six picks on deep and bomb routes in the aforementioned time frames.
The combination of across-the-board positives is something that no other team in the AFC can match, as every other contender in the conference outside of Denver has at least one major weakness:
• San Diego has huge pass coverage issues (7.55 net yards allowed per pass attempt, ranked 31st).
• Kansas City has displayed similar coverage troubles of late, as the Chiefs ranked tied for 25th in vertical YPA over the last five weeks of the season.
• The Patriots can't stop the run (ranked 30th in rush yards allowed per game), and their vertical pass offense hit a wall over the last three weeks of the season (5.90 vertical YPA, ranked last in the league).
• Indianapolis has a mediocre defense that struggles to stop the run (4.47 yards per rush, ranked 25th) and the pass (6.92 net yards per attempt, ranked 21st).
It also helps that the Bengals open the playoffs against the weakest team on the AFC side of the Super Bowl tournament. Being the No. 3 seed also means they would not have to face the Denver Broncos until the AFC Championship, thus giving them as favorable a path through the AFC playoffs as could be desired for a team outside of the top two seeds.
None of this is a guarantee that Cincinnati will be taking a trip to play at MetLife Stadium in February, but it does say it shouldn't be a huge surprise if the Bengals end up making their franchise's third Super Bowl appearance.
The combination of across-the-board positives is something that no other team in the AFC can match, as every other contender in the conference outside of Denver has at least one major weakness:
• San Diego has huge pass coverage issues (7.55 net yards allowed per pass attempt, ranked 31st).
• Kansas City has displayed similar coverage troubles of late, as the Chiefs ranked tied for 25th in vertical YPA over the last five weeks of the season.
• The Patriots can't stop the run (ranked 30th in rush yards allowed per game), and their vertical pass offense hit a wall over the last three weeks of the season (5.90 vertical YPA, ranked last in the league).
• Indianapolis has a mediocre defense that struggles to stop the run (4.47 yards per rush, ranked 25th) and the pass (6.92 net yards per attempt, ranked 21st).
It also helps that the Bengals open the playoffs against the weakest team on the AFC side of the Super Bowl tournament. Being the No. 3 seed also means they would not have to face the Denver Broncos until the AFC Championship, thus giving them as favorable a path through the AFC playoffs as could be desired for a team outside of the top two seeds.
None of this is a guarantee that Cincinnati will be taking a trip to play at MetLife Stadium in February, but it does say it shouldn't be a huge surprise if the Bengals end up making their franchise's third Super Bowl appearance.
