Chiefs-Bengals 5 things to watch in Week 2 matchup

The Kansas Metropolis Chiefs (1-0) are contemporary off a season-opening, dwelling victory in opposition to an AFC contender — and hope to get one other such victory in Week 2. The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is ready for 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time.

In Week 1, there was some big-game vitality between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens — and in opposition to the Begals, we are going to see extra of that. This would be the sixth matchup between these franchises since 2021, together with two postseason clashes within the AFC Championship.

Cincinnati may even be attempting to keep away from an 0-2 begin following an unsightly, 16-10 dwelling loss to the New England Patriots. With 10 days of relaxation, the Chiefs can be able to match their depth — and except for broad receiver Hollywood Brown, no one can be coping with an damage.

Listed below are 5 issues to observe in an essential, early-season battle:

1. Letting the go rush unfastened

Initially of the Kansas Metropolis’s Week 1 win, a number of Chiefs regarded unblockable. Defensive tackles Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton gave an inexperienced inside offensive line all it might deal with.

However as the sport continued — and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson began scrambling extra — the stress dwindled. The Chiefs completed with a stress price of 23.1%, which ranked twenty eighth amongst NFL defenses in Week 1.

On Sunday, the technique needs to be easier: disrupt the offensive entrance and beat blocks quick. In Week 1, Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow had the league’s fifth-fastest time to throw; he desires to get the ball to his playmakers rapidly. It will likely be as much as Jones and Wharton to make it exhausting to see these choices over the center.

Defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will concentrate on tightening the pocket from the sting. Whereas Cincinnati offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown are massive gamers, every might be vulnerable to hurry rushes across the outdoors.

2. A extra balanced offensive assault

In opposition to the Ravens, the Chiefs did not discover a good rhythm for his or her working sport. And of their sport in opposition to the Patriots, the Bengals’ protection allowed New England to regulate the clock with its speeding assault, which ran the ball 39 complete instances, gaining 170 yards and a landing over these performs. Working again Rhammondre Stevenson averaged 4.8 yards over 25 carries; none of them gained greater than 17 yards. The Patriots had eight extra minutes in possession.

Whereas Kansas Metropolis shouldn’t commit as exhausting to the working sport, the penetrable Cincinnati entrance could give the Chiefs’ beginning working again Isiah Pacheco extra room to work. That may assist open up the passing assault much more than it was in opposition to Baltimore.

In final 12 months’s Week 17 matchup in opposition to the Bengals, Pacheco totaled 130 yards on the bottom over 18 rushes. The Bengals’ entrance seven has modified little since then.

3. Defending Patrick Mahomes

In Week 1, the Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked twice and hit three different instances, in accordance with PFF. That got here on solely 31 dropbacks. That tied for his second-fewest dropbacks in a single sport during the last two years.

The Ravens had a gifted entrance — however they lacked the sting menace that defensive finish Trey Hendrickson gives Cincinnati. In Week 1, Hendrickson lined up on the left facet of the offensive line on 94% of his snaps. That units him up for a one-on-one battle with Chiefs’ rookie left sort out Kingsley Suamataia.

The Chiefs generally left Suamataia on an island in opposition to Baltimore. A few of these performs ended with a success on Mahomes. In final 12 months’s matchup with the Bengals, Hendrickson beat then-rookie left sort out Wanya Morris across the edge and created a strip-sack that resulted in a turnover.

Kansas Metropolis will want a plan to assist Suamataia in opposition to the three-time Professional Bowl go rusher. It might develop into obligatory.

4. Protection technique

The Cincinnati offense’s largest menace is thru the air — when Burrow can get the ball to a top-heavy pass-catching group led by broad receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That could possibly be stunted by Higgins’ hamstring damage; he has been listed as uncertain after lacking this week’s practices.

In earlier seasons, former Chiefs’ cornerback L’Jarius Sneed performed a job in limiting their manufacturing. With out him, cornerback Trent McDuffie is slated to tackle Chase; in Week 1, McDuffie was the first defender to account for the Ravens’ prime receiver: Zay Flowers.

Chase, nonetheless, is a extra bodily (and extra gifted) receiver. So defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could depend on a extra team-oriented method to containing him — like a security dishonest to assist one of many different cornerbacks cowl him.

That technique would arrange McDuffie on an island in opposition to one of many Bengals’ auxiliary receivers: second-year wideout Andrei Iosivas or veteran slot receiver Trenton Irwin. He could be anticipated to close them down as throwing choices by himself.

5. Ending drives

The Kansas Metropolis offense made the Week 1 win means nearer than obligatory. Two first-half possessions superior into the pink zone, however neither one ended with a landing. The workforce punted from Baltimore territory within the third quarter — after which couldn’t shut the sport out on their remaining possession.

A few of that may be blamed on three Mahomes passes that have been dropped, in accordance with PFF. (Personally, I consider the depend could possibly be 4). However that wasn’t the one drawback. The shortage of go safety ruined some third-down makes an attempt — which solely occurred as a result of the working sport wasn’t a lot assistance on early downs.

Final 12 months, Kansas Metropolis ended the season ranked seventeenth in red-zone touchdowns. It’s a side of the sport the place the Chiefs have generally been elite — the workforce ranked second in 2022 — so their progress on this space can be essential to watch.