Kansas City Chiefs hang on to beat Cincinnati Bengals 26-25
The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-0 to start the season with a pair of nail-biting wins, earning a 26-25 win in Week 2 over the Cincinnati Bengals to reach that mark.
As has been the case frequently for games between Kansas City and Cincinnati in the past four seasons, Sunday’s battle was close and competitive throughout, with kicker Harrison Butker drilling a walk-off field goal to clinch the Chiefs’ victory.
“I’m glad we played not as clean as we wanted to and still found a way to win,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “That speaks to the defense and the whole, entire team. But, obviously, we’ve got to clean up a lot of stuff on offense going forward.”
The Bengals took a six-point lead into halftime and led by five going into the fourth quarter. Mahomes even threw his second interception of the day on the final play of the third quarter. But momentum flipped just 20 seconds later when Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow lost a fumble that Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner recovered and returned for a touchdown to take the lead.
Cincinnati reclaimed the lead with a field goal, followed by a punt from each team. Kansas City got one final possession starting with 2:35 left on the clock and nearly squandered that final opportunity.
Mahomes connected with wide receiver Rashee Rice for a long completion on a fourth down and six yards to go, but it was wiped out due to a penalty on backup left tackle Wanya Morris. On the retry, Mahomes couldn’t connect with Rice on a deep shot, but this time a flag was thrown on the Bengals and rookie defensive back Daijahn Anthony for defensive pass interference. That gave the Chiefs new life and led to Butker’s game winner.
“I can’t say enough about Butker and that kick,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He’s so reliable, and we just appreciate how he goes about his business. As good a kicker as he is, he’s an even better person. I appreciate him all the way around.”
Mahomes finished the day 18-of-25 passing for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. That’s his lowest yardage total in a game he both started and finished in his career.
Rice led the Chiefs in receiving with five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, while the other passing score went to Morris after he reported as an eligible lineman. Running back Isiah Pacheco led all players with 19 carries for 90 yards, but he also left the game late with an injury.
After struggling in Week 1, Burrow completed 23-of-36 passes against the Kansas City defense for 258 yards and two scores.
The Chiefs were one of three AFC West teams to win Sunday, joining the Los Angeles Chargers, who are also 2-0, and the Las Vegas Raiders. The Denver Broncos lost again and are the only winless team in the division through two weeks.
Kansas City will hit the road for the first time this season next weekend when it visits the Atlanta Falcons. That game will kick off at 7:20 p.m. Sunday.
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