That was different than the expected outcome for this game. I have to say I’m disappointed in the performance but delighted with the result. This game reminds me of the famous quote by former Chiefs Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer, “Hit ‘em in the mouth and win by one point,” or was it former GM Carl Peterson? Regardless, the Chiefs have another victory and are 2-0 on the season. Patrick Mahomes continues his September dominance.
While this wasn’t a pure “Martyball”-type effort, as it was a deliberate gameplan, it appeared very similar to some of the games from the 1990s era of Chiefs football. They did grind out 149 rushing yards. However, 29 yards added by Patrick Mahomes was him running for his life. The offensive line was overmatched in this game. Rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia showed his inexperience. He was benched in the final minutes for second-year man Wanya Morris, who had already added a “Big Man” touchdown on a tackle-eligible play earlier.
Suamataia was up against Bengals top pass rusher DE Trey Hendrickson, who exploited the rookie’s poor technique, put constant pressure on Mahomes, and wound up with two credited sacks and three QB hits. The pocket collapsed once the edge was opened, and Mahomes was on the run. Unfortunately, that result ended up in two interceptions and could’ve been Cincinnati’s penalty overruled three but one. Offensive Line Coach Joe Cullen has a lot of work to do this week.
Rookie FB Carson Steele was also rattled by shaky line play after getting dumped by Bengals OLB Germaine Pratt on a downhill rush. This resulted in a fumble, which Pratt recovered—tentative outings by the rookies in this game. The untimely injury to Isaiah Pacheco, resulting in a broken fibula, will not make rushing easier, with his output of 90 yards for this game not being a factor for the next several weeks.
The Bengals won the turnover battle but lost the game, thanks to another stellar performance from Harrison Butker. If he can keep this up over the next few years, Butker could become one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. The Chiefs were -2 in turnover differential, which usually results in a defeat in over 90% of NFL games. The difference was Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub’s unit. Even though the offense had a shaky outing, special teams saved the day.
Steve Spagnuolo’s unit didn’t do itself any favors to keep this game in the bag for the Chiefs. They gave up 320 yards of offense to Cincinnati. Although the line did get after QB Joe Burrows, he was sacked three times, one of which ended up in a fumble with a recovery by DB Chamarri Conner and returned for a defensive score, and Burrow was hit seven times. Also, Conner’s number was called on a perfectly timed cornerback blitz that resulted in a fourth down and essentially sealed the game for the Chiefs.
So far, this team is getting hard to define, even though it is early in the season. A couple of things I hope they get cleaned up are offensive tackle play (I hear there are a couple of veteran tackles out there, including former Green Bay Packers LT David Bakhtiari, who could provide a veteran presence and fill in when needed) that doesn’t rely solely on first—or second-year players.
A win is a win, and I will take it all day, but the Chiefs have work to do. Game planning, play-calling, and execution will become more critical in the coming weeks. I hope this game sparks a sense of urgency and we see a dominant performance on this week’s edition of Sunday Night Football.
