KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ It was basic Bengals-Chiefs as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes delivered considered one of their riveting heavyweight bouts.
For the sixth time within the six video games they’ve performed since Jan. 2, 2022, the groups traded leads within the fourth quarter. This time, they did it 3 times.
The 2024 rendition ended on the foot of Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who drilled a 51-yard area aim to provide Kansas Metropolis the 26-25 victory.
The Chiefs obtained the ball again down two with 2:35 remaining. The Bengals protection compelled Kansas Metropolis right into a 4th-and-16, however a cross interference name on rookie security Daijahn Anthony gave the Chiefs the primary down and pushed them into Butker vary. Cincinnati falls to 0-2 for the third consecutive season with the loss.
Mahomes opened the second half with a 13-play landing drive that consumed half of the third quarter as KC took a 17-16 lead.
However Burrow got here again with a haymaker of his personal. On the very subsequent snap, he launched a 47-yard pearl to rookie extensive receiver Jermaine Burton for his first NFL catch, racing previous cornerback Jaylen Watson.
That put the Bengals within the purple zone, and Burrow delivered three big performs. He muscled for a primary down when he broke away from a sack for 3 yards, he bulled for a third-and-one quarterback sneak after which hit extensive receiver Andrei Iosivas for his second landing of the day on an ice chilly fourth-and-three the place he calmly bided time within the pocket.
Evan McPherson then missed his first area aim or further level in six video games in opposition to the Chiefs, however the Bengals had a 22-17 lead with 2:16 left within the third quarter.
The Bengals protection was down their two beginning defensive lineman late, when Sheldon Rankins left. B.J. Hill left within the first quarter with a hamstring damage.
On the subsequent collection, two snaps after cornerback DJ Turner II’s interception was overturned by a penalty on rookie security Daijahn Anthony, Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt made a spectacular one-handed interception engaged on rookie speedster Xavier Worthy on a go ball down the left sideline. Mahomes was too brief, and Taylor-Britt turned and plucked it out of the air.
However Burrow turned it over three performs afterward third-and-10. When he scrambled out of a collapsing pocket, he was dragged down by finish Mike Danna and sort out Tershawn Wharton for a sack. Burrow misplaced the ball because it rolled into the arms of Chamarri Conner for a fumble return landing that gave the Chiefs a 23-22 lead with 14:40 left within the sport.
The Bengals had been driving on the subsequent possession, due to a pleasant 12-yard-run-and-catch by operating again Zack Moss. The drive stalled rapidly, although, when left sort out Orlando Brown Jr., was known as for holding, and extensive receiver Ja’Marr Chase was known as for unsportsmanlike-conduct after he was stopped for a four-yard acquire.
However McPherson saved the day with a 53-yard area with 9:28 left within the sport that gave the Bengals a 25-22 lead.
Within the first half, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo flashed their creativity to forge a 16-10 halftime lead behind three McPherson area objectives.
Utilizing a number of tight finish units in opposition to monstrous Chiefs defensive sort out Chris Jones, 9 of Burrow’s 13 completions within the first half went to tight ends for 113 of his 140 passing yards. Mike Gesicki (58), Drew Pattern (28) and rookie Erick All Jr. (27), had been the Bengals’ main receivers with three catches every.
With the Chiefs hurting the Bengals within the run sport with 91 yards on 17 carries within the first half, Anarumo turned to a few linebackers in some packages as a substitute of his regular two. The third one, Akeem Davis-Gaither, obtained the Bengals’ first turnover of the season together with his second profession interception, the primary of two the Bengals compelled within the first half.
Mahomes seemed to be throwing to Professional Bowl tight finish Travis Kelce over the center, however he apparently did not see Davis-Gaither’s deep drop. That put the ball on the 31 in a 3-3 sport, and Taylor went to work.
All caught a shallow cross for 9 yards with Chase lining up within the backfield and motioning on the primary snap after Davis-Gaither’s interception. On one snap on the drive, operating again Zack Moss ran 5 yards to the Chiefs 9 for a primary down behind third sort out Cody Ford.
Then on third and aim from the 4, Burrow threw a bullet to extensive receiver Andrei Iosivas on an out route, and Iosivas in some way obtained each toes down to provide the Bengals a short-lived lead three minutes into the second quarter, 10-3.
Mahomes (10 of 13 passing for 93 yards within the half) obtained it again about three minutes later together with his greatest play of the younger season when he flipped a 44-yard magnificence to extensive receiver Rashee Rice operating previous Taylor-Britt for the tying landing.
Burrow did not wait round, both, and obtained a 19-yard catch from All to ignite one other purple zone march. Chase obtained some good YAC on a 12-yard after which picked up 14 extra when cornerback Trent McDuffie was known as for cross interference.
The drive stalled on the 12, when Burrow could not join with Gesicki on a leap ball ultimately zone on first down and had a cross go off extensive receiver Trenton Irwin’s face on second down. Then on third down, Chris Jones asserted himself for the primary Sunday and teamed up for a sack with edge George Karlaftis to power McPherson’s go-ahead area aim at 13-10.
The Bengals’ second turnover got here courtesy of defensive sort out Sheldon Rankins’ compelled fumble on Chiefs rookie operating again Carson Steele recovered by linebacker Germaine Pratt on the Chiefs 46 with 3:01 left within the half.
On second-and-four from the Chiefs 29, Burrow gave rookie extensive receiver Jermaine Burton his first NFL goal when he tried a go ball on the left pylon on veteran cornerback Trent McDuffie, however it went over their heads. Then on third-and-four, Irwin was known as for offensive cross interference to power McPherson’s 48-yard area aim that gave them a 16-10 lead with 1:33 left within the half.
Kelce caught his solely ball of the half when the Chiefs obtained the ball again, a five-yard flip. The drive died when Bengals Professional Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson obtained his first sack of the 12 months.
Burrow went to his a number of tight ends on the primary collection and drove to the Chiefs 4 the place they settled for a McPherson area aim. As languid as they regarded on the sport ‘s first collection final week, they regarded as crisp, due to the longest play of the season on fourth-and-three on the Chiefs 43 and Gesicki caught a 37-yarder over the center that was primarily yards after catch.
However they could not punch it in. On second down, McDuffie batted the ball away from Chase on a slant, and on third down Burrow obtained strain within the pocket and obtained a throw off as he was getting tackled to convey on McPherson.
On their first defensive drive, the Bengals let the Chiefs go 69 yards on 16 performs, however they denied the seventieth yard and compelled a Harrison Butker chip-shot area aim.
The Bengals bowed up when the Chiefs had first-and-goal from the two. The primary two downs obtained nothing within the run sport with stops by Rankins and left finish Sam Hubbard and on third down Mahomes floated a ball in the best flat to Pacheco and security Vonn Bell got here as much as make the cease and power a 3-3 sport.