NFL Game of the Week: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs

It’s that time of year again: the Bengals are back in “Burrowhead”, but will it be "Burrowhead" no longer?

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season features the Cincinnati Bengals heading to Kansas City to face the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.

This will be the fifth head-to-head matchup between these two quarterbacks, and each of the past four meetings has been decided between three points.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the last quarterback to defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the preseason, the 2022 AFC Championship and he is one of the most successful quarterbacks against Mahomes with a 3-1 record.

However, Cincinnati is coming off a huge loss last week versus the New England Patriots and is looking to avoid a 0-2 start. Meanwhile, the reigning Super Bowl champs are starting off strong on their quest for a three-peat and become 2-0 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens.

As we prepare for this late-window match-up, let’s break down each team and look at how they can come on top.

The Bengals’ needs for their first season win:

Cincinnati will likely be one wide receiver down with Tee Higgins not practicing all week due to a hamstring injury, so Ja’Marr Chase is going to be the prime target for Joe Burrow.

Chase has some impressive stats in his five games against K.C., including 533 receiving yards and four touchdowns, but the majority of that comes from the first game. He averaged only 66.7 yards and one touchdown in the last four games.

With the absence of Higgins, he will need to up those numbers in order to put points on the board.

Another big story around the league this week has been Burrow’s wrist. He underwent season-ending wrist surgery in November of the 2023 season following a game against the Ravens and starting practicing again in May.

In their Week 1 game, a video went viral on social media of Burrow picking up his water bottle, and fans were concerned that his wrist was causing discomfort, which could have led to his poor performance.

He addressed the issue later in the week saying that he did not know what they were talking about. “I don’t know. I drank water. Can’t say I have seen that [video] or know what anyone is talking about.”

Burrow threw for 164 yards last week, averaging 5.7 yards per completion. If he wants to keep up with the Chiefs, he’s going to have to have a much stronger performance this week, just like he has in the past against his now foe.

But given his history of starting off the season, there is definitely some reason for Bengals fans to be concerned, especially with the Chiefs’ defense’s solid performance last week.

The Chiefs’ way to continue their quest for a three-peat:

Kansas City proved last week why they have been the Super Bowl Champions for the past two years in the season-opening game against the Ravens, and they look to do it again this week.

However, the Bengals renamed Arrowhead Stadium “Burrowhead” because of Joe Burrow’s 3-1 record against Patrick Mahomes. The biggest question is if this streak will continue.

Earlier this week, the Chiefs’ biggest offseason signing, was announced that wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown would need to have surgery on his sternoclavicular injury and would most likely be out the entire regular season.

However, with Xavier Worthy’s incredible rookie performance, including two touchdowns, there should not be much worry.

Mahomes threw 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, one touchdown, and one interception last week, which was a relatively strong performance. He has averaged 8.3 yards per completion in his four regular-season games against the Bengals and has thrown eight touchdowns. He’ll need to keep these numbers up if he wants to earn a victory this week.

There are several options for Mahomes to rely on, including his go-to option, tight end Travis Kelce. He will more than likely be used often today to get the ball further down the field.

Running back Isiah Pacheco could also have very high numbers today as the Bengals’ defense allowed 170 yards and a touchdown last week.

Will the back-to-back world champions continue their hot start to the season, or will the Bengals pull out the underdog win?

The Bengals face off against the Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

Ashley Mascaro is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email aem6398@psu.edu.