Week two of the NFL season is upon us, and we’ve already seen one NFL Game that could change the fortunes of the Miami Dolphins. In Kansas City, the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals in an early AFC showdown.
It’s Sunday morning, and the fans are already lining the gates in Kansas City for the Chiefs’ afternoon kick-off against the mighty Cincinnati Bengals. There are so many stories within this game that it was a no-brainer this is the CBS Game of the Week.
That means Jim Nantz and Tony Romo for those watching at home. The last time we saw the Chiefs play was Super Bowl LVIII, so we know they’ll fuel the fire of the Patrick Mahoes versus Joe Burrow debate.
Burrow has always had the Chiefs’ number, going 3-0 in the regular season and 1-1 in the AFC Championship game. However, he’s lost some offensive weapons, and the Chiefs have gained a few.
Still, week two is an important one for both teams.
With a victory Sunday at Arrowhead, the Chiefs can open a two-game lead over the Bengals and hold the tie-breaker for the postseason. The Bengals can erase their ugly performance against the New England Patriots last week with a win today, which would likely right some of their ship.
Either way, I suspect the Bengals will play better football than they did in their home opener. The Chiefs were good against the Ravens but hardly at their best. Still, Baltimore played the best game they might play all season and still lost.
So, how great can this Chiefs team be this season?
That might be answered today. When the NFL schedule came out in May, the NFL gave the Chiefs two home games to start the season. However, they were against the Ravens and Bengals.
Generally, these AFC Titan games come at the season’s end. That’s not the case this year, and that probably helps the Chiefs, who are usually invincible in September. Indeed, that’s been the case for Andy Reid and Mahomes.
Today offers a stark reminder that the NFL is unpredictable. What we saw in week one might not happen in Week two.
So today, when watching football, don’t be surprised if teams that struggled in week two make strong comebacks. Conversely, teams that seemed to beat down their opponents in week one struggled on Sunday.
For the Chiefs today, the loss of Hollywood Brown for the 2024 regular season is a blow to their collective, but he’s not been practicing since he injured his shoulder in the preseason opener. His loss is a bummer for arguably one of the better receivers in the NFL, but the Chiefs can absorb that loss.
The key for Sunday won’t be the Chiefs’ offense but the defense. With Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins out and Ja’Marr Chase rerunning his mouth, complaining about the Chiefs and his contract status, Chris Jones and the company need to be a wrecking ball Sunday to thwart any Bengals offensive consistency.
The Chiefs are the better team, and I think the chip on Mahome’s shoulder is greater than the one on Burrow.
Final Score Prediction: Chiefs 34 – Bengals 16
