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THE WIRE
WK 15 FINAL Ravens 34, Broncos 0 WK 15 FINAL Steelers 24, Chargers 17 WK 15 FINAL Dolphins 24, Jets 30 MOVE LaNorris Sellers dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE Christian Benford dev trait up Star to Superstar MOVE T.J. Moore dev trait up Star to Superstar WK 16 Bills (8-6) at Jaguars (12-2) WK 16 Lions (9-5) at Packers (11-3)
WEEK 5 · FINAL
CHIEFS 8-6 · 30.0 PPG 29 – 46 BENGALS 7-7 · 24.0 PPG
THE READ
Bengals win the turnover battle and the game

Cincinnati's 46-29 win over Kansas City came down to what everyone in the building saw coming: Patrick Mahomes threw 5 interceptions against a Bengals defense that made him uncomfortable, while Joe Burrow stayed clean with 5 touchdown passes and a ground game that gained 190 yards. Xavier Worthy still found the end zone 3 times for 213 yards, but Kansas City's 36 rushing yards and 5 giveaways total couldn't keep pace with Cincinnati's balance. Both teams sit at 4-4, but the difference was turnover margin in a game where Mahomes had his worst afternoon in weeks despite 417 yards and 4 scores.

Elise Carter The insider
THE WIDER PICTURE
Team SRS SOS MARGIN TO +/-
Chiefs +2.1 +1.7 +0.4 +10
Bengals -2.2 +1.7 -3.9 +2
SRS is how many points a side beats an average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20. SOS is how hard that schedule has been. Full table.
Chiefs — in the hunt · 8-6 Playoff picture →
IN THE BOOTH
Jordan Hayes The armchair coach
Kansas City's 5 turnovers decided this game—you can't gift a team 46 points and stay competitive, no matter what Mahomes does through the air. The Chiefs forced the issue on offense and paid for it.
Ava Collins Beat reporter · replying
Cincinnati's 46 points wasn't a fluke—they ran the ball 29 times and got 190 yards on the ground, a complete game that broke pattern from their season. Kansas City's meltdown with 5 turnovers is the real story, but it masks a different problem: they abandoned the run entirely and leaned on Mahomes doing impossible things, which means Xavier Worthy had to be perfect (he was) for them to even stay close.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers — none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that did not happen.
Patrick Mahomes
Chiefs
15/31, 417 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT
Joe Burrow
Bengals
17/26, 304 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT
Xavier Worthy
Chiefs
6 catches, 213 yards, 3 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
On the ground Bengals 190, Chiefs 36 Bengals
Through the air Chiefs 417, Bengals 304 Chiefs
Total yards Bengals 494, Chiefs 453 Bengals
Giveaways Bengals 3, Chiefs 5 Bengals
THE ROOM Final. The recap is below.
📺 THE WEEK 5 SHOW this game is in the week's show ▶ Watch the show
THE MATCHUP SCOUT every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy Pass 68% · Rush 32% · 30.9 scored, 30.6 allowed
8.6 yds/att 59.9% completions 5.1 yds/carry 409.1 yds/game 1.9 giveaways/game 7.0% sack rate last 5: 4-1
Primary weapon: Xavier Worthy WR — 33% of the receiving yards · DEPENDENCY HIGH
SAPPHIRE METRICS QB efficiency 60 · Aggressive Balance 82 Ball security 46 Back usage 26% QB runs 3.6/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 1.9 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 96 WR 90 TE 77 RB 88 OL 85 DL 86 LB 85 DB 84
Best: Kenneth Walker HB 97 Fastest: Xavier Worthy WR 99 SPD 7 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
KNOFLOCKINN$$
Bengals · his last 8 games
Balanced
Pass / run61% / 39% Points for / against21.5 — 26.5 Margin-5.0 Giveaways a game1.0 Sacks taken3.1% of dropbacks Lead backChase Brown · 14.8/g Top targetJa'Marr Chase · 33% QB carries2.6 a game
will2nice400
Chiefs · his last 8 games
Throws it
Pass / run62% / 38% Points for / against30.9 — 24.0 Margin+6.9 Giveaways a game0.9 Sacks taken7.9% of dropbacks Lead backKenneth Walker · 13.5/g Top targetXavier Worthy · 27% QB carries2.9 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
THE SERIES will2nice400 against KNOFLOCKINN$$ — the men, not the teams
KNOFLOCKINN$$ leads it 1-0. KNOFLOCKINN$$ won the last one.
1 meeting avg 29.0 — 46.0 biggest: 17 pts to KNOFLOCKINN$$
S2 · week 5 will2nice400 29 — 46 KNOFLOCKINN$$ KNOFLOCKINN$$
Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Chiefs receivers vs Bengals secondary 90 v 82 CHIEFS
Bengals receivers vs Chiefs secondary 88 v 84 BENGALS
Chiefs line vs Bengals front 85 v 84 EVEN
Bengals line vs Chiefs front 78 v 86 CHIEFS
Chiefs backs vs Bengals run defence 88 v 82 CHIEFS
Bengals backs vs Chiefs run defence 80 v 86 CHIEFS
Chiefs passer vs Bengals secondary 96 v 82 CHIEFS
Bengals passer vs Chiefs secondary 97 v 84 BENGALS
TOP PERFORMERS
Patrick Mahomes QB Chiefs 417 pass yds
Joe Burrow QB Bengals 304 pass yds
Xavier Worthy WR Chiefs 213 rec yds
Chase Brown HB Bengals 143 rush yds
Ja'Marr Chase WR Bengals 129 rec yds
Colbie Young WR Bengals 118 rec yds
T.J. Moore WR Chiefs 103 rec yds
Jeff Caldwell WR Chiefs 68 rec yds
Barrett Carter MIKE Bengals 2 INTs
Kyle Dugger SS Bengals 1 INTs
🎬 The Game Recap
this game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
CHIEFS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
Patrick Mahomes QB 15/314174529094.4
BENGALS
PLAYER C/ATTYDSTDINTSCKLNGRTG
Joe Burrow QB 17/2630452141112.8
RECENT FORM
Chiefs
L 24–35 vs Raiders WK 4
L 28–38 vs Vikings WK 3
W 38–35 vs Chargers WK 2
Bengals
L 23–25 vs 49ers WK 4
L 10–62 vs Seahawks WK 3
L 16–18 vs Patriots WK 2
TEAM STATS
Chiefs Bengals
453 TOTAL YARDS 494
417 PASSING YARDS 304
36 RUSHING YARDS 190
2 SACKS ALLOWED 1
1 SACKS MADE 1
5 GIVEAWAYS 3
3 TAKEAWAYS 5

Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
0 CHIEFS — 1 BENGALS
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