W2L4: How Bengals Can Start Fast, Bounce Back In KC in Week 2

Bengals (0-1) at Chiefs (1-0) Sunday, Sept. 15 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (natural grass), 4:25 p.m. ET, TV: Ch. 12 CBS-WKRC-TV (Cincinnati) Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson. Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530

CINCINNATI – If there’s been a common theme inside the Bengals locker room this week about approaching Kansas City it’s getting off to a fast start. Get that first first down on the first drive and go from there.

The stumbling start against the Patriots has been pointed to several times this week by Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow as the primary culprit in flat performance Sunday. The Bengals were held three-and-out on their first three possessions.

They did recover on the fourth drive but had a touchdown overturned and fumbled on the next snap to end that momentum. The Bengals were down 10-0 at the half and it felt like three or four times that deficit.

The Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) look to build upon their momentum from a dramatic opening night win while the Bengals (0-1) aim to forget a dismal showing in their opener when the two teams meet Sunday in at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs held on for a 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens when Isaiah Likely’s toe landed just out of bounds in the closing seconds, nullifying his touchdown grab.

The Bengals managed just 10 points in a 16-10 stunning home loss to the rebuilding New England Patriots, with Joe Burrow completing 21-of-29 passes but only for 164 yards and no touchdowns.

The Chiefs and Bengals are certainly no strangers to each other. They are meeting for the sixth time in the last four seasons, with the Bengals winning three times, including the 2021 AFC Championship at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs returned the favor in the 2022 AFC Championship, Patrick Mahomes first win over his rival Joe Burrow in four meetings. Last year, the Chiefs prevailed in Week 17 with a 25-17 victory, a game Burrow missed with torn ligaments in his right wrist. Jake Browning started in Burrow’s place and the Bengals lost, eliminating them from postseason contention.

“Yeah, of course, you miss that,” Burrow said of missing the Chiefs game in 2023. “I just miss playing football. I miss being out there with the guys, so it’s a luxury right now to be criticized by all (the media) about how we played on Sunday, because I was sitting in the wings for seven weeks last year. So I’m just excited to be out there.”

Injuries could again play a key factor in Sunday’s outcome as Tee Higgins, who missed Week 1 with a strained hamstring, did not practice to start the week on Wednesday. The Bengals are hopeful to get rookie right tackle Amarius Mims back and could get rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. back after thumb surgery on Sept. 6.

Veteran receiver Hollywood Brown was placed on injured reserve this week and won’t be able to join Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce in the passing attack. Brown missed most of the preseason and the regular-season opener due to a shoulder dislocation he suffered during Kansas City’s preseason opener. Coach Andy Reid had said Brown was feeling better and making significant progress before imaging revealed that a

Mahomes completed 20-of-28 passes for 291 yards, with a 35-yard pass to 21-year-old rookie Xavier Worthy, who also ran 21 yards for a score. The Bengals could get almost nothing going offensively, going three-and-out on their first three possessions, scoring just one touchdown and trailing the entire game before a frustrated home crowd.

“They’ll be fired up, and the Patriots played really well,” Travis Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast. “The Bengals are going to be ready for us. We’re going to be dialed up and have a great game plan. It’s going to be exciting to go up against one of the best teams in the league.

“I think they have a great defense. Their defensive coordinator (Lou Anarumo) always plays extremely tough. They’re very well coached. They got players all over the place, and great players all over the place. And sure enough, it’s one I would call rivals, now that we’ve actually won a few.”

After beating Mahomes twice in 2021 and once in 2022, Zac Taylor and the Bengals have dropped the last two to Mahomes, both in Kansas City, the site again of Sunday’s showdown.

“He’s one of the greatest ever to do it,” Taylor said of the Chiefs quarterback. “So it’s just putting a label on his style. He’s just a very aware player. He’s always in the moment. He’s got a lot of strengths, not a lot of weaknesses.

Here’s what to look for:

• When the Bengals have the ball:

Head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow have emphasized a strong start this weekend to counter what happened last week, when they went three-and-out three times to start the game. Build momentum in small steps and go from there. Burrow was also stressing the process this week, the process of preparation, the process of having good practices. Those good practices get stacked and then lead to good execution in games. Good execution in games leads to first downs and then big plays. There was the sense that the Bengals expected to flip a switch last Sunday and the results would be there. They weren’t and that starts with Burrow and trickles down from there. Taylor said Friday they’ve had very good practices this week and should be ready. The Bengals are preparing again not to have Tee Higgins available Sunday and that’s a killer against a team like the Chiefs. Higgins has had big moments and big gains.

• When the Chiefs have the ball:

No team uses its speed more than the Chiefs. And while their offense is centered around Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the Bengals secondary will be tested with the likes of Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and occasionally running back Isiah Pacheco. Speed galore. The Bengals have made a point of improving their finishes on tackles from Week 1, when they missed 14 and allowed 85 yards of rushing after contact to the Patriots. You miss a tackle with the Patriots, it’s 15-20 yards down the field. Miss one with the Chiefs in open space, and it’s six points. The Bengals biggest hope in this game is create turnovers. They lost the battle, 2-0, against the Patriots and it’s the reason they couldn’t score in the first half. The Tanner Hudson fumble at the 2 took all the wind out of their sails.

• Bottom Line:

The Bengals should get out of the gate faster and score more than 10 points against Kansas City, barring turnovers. The defense should improve its tackling. But at this point of the season, it may be too much to expect the Bengals to take down the mighty Chiefs in Kansas City.

Chiefs 28, Bengals 23