It wasn’t pretty, and, at times, the Kansas City Chiefs offense looked woeful. The defense had no answers in stopping Joe Burrows’s midfield passing attack, yet it came down to the game’s final play, and Harrison Butker won it walk-off style.
If you’re a diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan, you never had a doubt your team would pull out a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Though they were outplayed, gifted two turnovers, and Joe Burrow was near perfect, Mahomes led a last-minute drive, a fourth and forever pass interference penalty on Rashee Rice, who had a touchdown earlier in the game. Those events set the stage for Harrison Butker to hit the game-winning 51-yard field goal with no time left, and the Chiefs won 26-25.
Just how you draw it up, right?
The win pushed the Chiefs record to 2-0, and they are tied for the division lead position with the Los Angeles Chargers. They’ll go on the road next Sunday night to face the Atlanta Falcons.
On Sunday, Kansas City had significant issues to overcome offensively in this unlikely victory. Starting Left Tackle Kingsley Suamataia was pulled in the fourth quarter after being dominated by Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in the second half, he was a beast Sunday; Reid had seen enough of his rookie tackle on the field.
It was so bad for the Chiefs rookie left tackle, Wanya Morris, who replaced Suamataia and caught a touchdown in the third quarter. He also struggled against Hendrickson. In addition, on third and nine on the Chiefs’ final drive, he had a costly penalty, which thwarted a 50-yard pass completion for Travis Kelce. However, it didn’t cost the offense a chance to drive for the winning field goal.
If you look at this game logically, the Chiefs won a game they should have lost. They won largely due to two big plays by second-year cornerback Chammari Connor, who had a scoop and scored a touchdown, and a huge sack on the Bengals’ last possession that gave the ball back to Mahomes and the offense.
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo didn’t call a good game. Too often, in big situations, he played a lot of zone defense on third down, which allowed Burrows to pick apart the Chiefs’ defense. Linebacker Nick Bolton struggled in pass coverage for the second week in a row. It’s clear that opposing teams view this as a significant weakness, and Spags will have to make some adjustments in pass coverage.
As for Mahomes, he threw a pair of interceptions, and in both passes, he underthrew his targets. It seems he’s relying too much on throwing off his back foot. Yet, to counter my point, he was under duress most of the game. So, he could not get enough on the throws he makes with ease.
The bottom line to this victory and their matchup last week against the Baltimore Ravens is that the Chiefs faced two teams that played their best football game, and Kansas City didn’t. Yet they are 2-0, and the Bengals and Ravens start the season 0-2.
Kansas City is resilient and lucky, but they have so much experience in close games that even facing fourth and fifteen, Mahomes made the right throw. Fortunately, Rashee Rice was hit early on the pass attemot, setting the stage for the comeback win.
The downside to this victory is the injury to Running Back Isiah Pacheco, who left the stadium on crutches and in a walking boot. Fortunately, the Chiefs have a solid backup in Samaje Perine. Though he had a big fumble late in the first half, Carson Steele can run the ball as well. Losing Pacheco would be a harsh blow to the Chiefs’ offense, but they could overcome his absence for a few weeks.
They might need to add another veteran running back. If the time frame is longer, perhaps they can bring back Jerrick McKinnon, a free agent.
Either way, you look at this game as lucky to win or should not have won. The Kansas City Chiefs continue to get the best from their opponents, and with victory in doubt, they do what needs to be done to win. That’s precisely what they did in back-to-back wins at Arrowhead.
