Cincinnati (0-1) at Kansas City (1-0)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Chiefs by 6.
Series record: Bengals lead 18-16.
Against the spread: Bengals 0-1, Chiefs 1-0
Last meeting: Chiefs beat the Bengals 25-17 on Dec. 31, 2023, in Kansas City.
Last week: Bengals lost to the Patriots 16-10; Chiefs beat the Ravens 27-20.
Bengals offense: overall (30), rush (30), pass (24), scoring (T28)
Bengals defense: overall (14), rush (27), pass (3), scoring (6)
Chiefs offense: overall (11), rush (28), pass (3), scoring (T11)
Chiefs defense: overall (32), rush (31), pass (28), scoring (T12)
Turnover differential: Bengals minus-2; Chiefs even.
Bengals player to watch
QB Joe Burrow threw for just 164 yards without a touchdown in a season-opening 16-10 loss to the Patriots at home. It was his first game since surgery on his right wrist. He will need to do better against what was one of the best pass defenses in the NFL last season, albeit one that allowed the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson to throw for 273 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
Chiefs player to watch
WR Xavier Worthy showed why the Chiefs made him their first-round pick in his debut against Baltimore, taking a handoff 21 yards for a touchdown and hauling in a 35-yard TD pass later in the game. Worthy set the NFL scouting combine record with his 4.21-second 40-yard dash, and that speed has given the Kansas City offense another dimension.
Key matchup
QB Patrick Mahomes against the Bengals defense, which kept them in the game against the Patriots while their offense when nowhere. Mahomes threw for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Ravens last week.
Key injuries
Bengals WR Tee Higgins (hamstring) missed practice this week. Chiefs WR Marquise Brown (shoulder) also missed practice.
Series notes
The Bengals beat the Chiefs three times during the 2022 calendar year, including an overtime victory in the AFC title game in Kansas City that sent them to the Super Bowl. But the Chiefs have bounced back to take the past two meetings, winning 23-20 in the AFC title game in 2023 and 25-17 last New Year’s Eve in Kansas City.
Stats and stuff
QB Joe Burrow needs one 300-yard passing game to reach 20 for his career, breaking a tie with Ken Anderson for third most in Bengals history. … Cincinnati had just 70 yards rushing last week against the Patriots, and 224 total yards. … Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase had 266 yards receiving against the Chiefs in 2021, setting an NFL rookie and the Bengals franchise record. He has 33 catches for 533 yards and four TDs in five games against Kansas City. … Chiefs coach Andy Reid is 4-6-1 against the Bengals. The Patriots, Packers and Cardinals are the only other teams against whom he has a losing record. … QB Patrick Mahomes passed Len Dawson for the Chiefs record last week with 28,715 yards passing. … Kelce has 74 TD receptions, tied with Jason Witten for fifth most among TEs in NFL history. Kelce needs three to pass Tony Gonzalez for the Chiefs record. … Kelce has 910 catches, leaving him seven shy of Gonzalez’s club record. … Chiefs C Creed Humphrey has started 52 consecutive games since entering the league in 2021, breaking Art Still’s franchise record. … Chiefs K Harrison Butker surpassed 900 points last week. He now has 909, putting him third in Chiefs history behind Nick Lowery (1,466) and Jan Stenerud (1,231).
Fantasy tip
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce should be more involved in the Kansas City offense after three catches for 34 yards with a drop against the Ravens. The Bengals will no doubt give Worthy more attention than Baltimore after his debut, and that means less attention on the perennial Pro Bowl tight end, who was outperformed by understudy Noah Gray (three catches, 37 yards) last week.
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