Bengals Takeaways: Mistakes Were Cincy’s Undoing
Credit: Sam Greene-Imagn Images
In a game that was truly yin and yang for both teams, the Cincinnati Bengals fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium by a final score of 26-25. It was a wild affair from the opening kickoff to the walk-off kick from Harrison Butker. But even though the team looked much more competitive than in Week 1, the Bengals will bring an 0-2 record back home as they welcome the Washington Commanders in prime time.
What are our top takeaways from the afternoon’s best game?
The Heat of the Moment Produced Mistakes
This afternoon’s Chiefs-Bengals game proved exactly why these two teams are bitter rivals. Both teams made fantastic plays that demonstrate why they are among the NFL’s most elite teams. However, as great as the rivalry was to watch, each team let their history get to them, creating unforced errors that made the momentum swing back and forth.
The Chiefs, who are going for Trey-Champ status (Sorry, Pat Riley, no royalties for you), were far from mistake-free. Kansas City committed three turnovers for the first time since Week 8 of last season. And hot damn, let’s take another look at that third turnover of the day, which is an early favorite for play of the year.
CAM TAYLOR BRITT WITH THE ONE HANDED INT OH MY GOD
MAHOMES' SECOND PICKpic.twitter.com/PKQGjjQSlW
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 15, 2024
(Fun fact: my scream was so loud, people on Venus told me to keep it down.)
Unfortunately, the Bengals made several missteps of their own, and they compounded to play a factor in the loss. Evan McPherson missed a PAT in the third quarter. While you can point to that as the literal difference in a one-point game, Joe Burrow lost a fumble in the backfield that was returned for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Andrei Iosivas and Mike Gesicki both dropped passes that would have given the Bengals crucial first downs. Ja’Marr Chase got a personal foul penalty where he found the only thing dumber than yelling at a ref: yelling at a ref in the fourth quarter of a tight game. The final nail in the coffin came on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter, with a brutal pass interference penalty. (To add insult to injury, the penalty was committed by the player the Bengals drafted with the pick they received in exchange for Joe Mixon.)
PASS INTERFERENCE ON 4TH AND 16 🤯
Bengals rookie Daijahn Anthony was flagged for pass interference on this CRUCIAL play.
Good call or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/BYcW5DRiPP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 15, 2024
Despite Cincinnati’s monsoon of mistakes, the Bengals only lost by a single point. Unlike Week 1, Zac Taylor’s offense started to get their motor going. It provides optimism as the Bengals head into Week 3, where they will take on the Washington Commanders and their putrid pass defense. Luckily for Cincinnati…
Burrow’s Wrist Is Just Fine
A video went viral of Joe Burrow moving his wrist around during the Bengals’ Week 1 loss to New England. That, combined with his lackluster performance, sent concerns about his long-term wrist health into overdrive. Despite that, Burrow said prior to Week 2 that there is “absolutely not” a reason to be concerned.
“That’s part of ligament injuries,” Burrow said, via ESPN.com’s Ben “Boss” Baby. “If you don’t move it, you’re going to lose it, so I’m always moving it around, keeping it loose, keeping my mobility the way it’s supposed to be, so it’s going to continue to happen.”
While Burrow served up his usual helping of checkdown passes, his underrated arm strength began to resurface. Take Jermaine Burton’s first career reception, for example, which happened in the most Jermaine Burton-like way possible.
JOE BURROW TO JERMAINE BURTON BOMB 💣 pic.twitter.com/tjYtMVGECE
— PFF (@PFF) September 15, 2024
Week 1 is well-known for its overreactions, and a loss to the Patriots in which Burrow was heavily inefficient did not do them any favors. However, the franchise QB significantly stepped his game up in Week 2, completing 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Iosivas.
.@joeyb to @AndreiIosivas for 6 🙌
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS/@paramountplus pic.twitter.com/NokwiGTJ4k
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 15, 2024
Hang that toe tap in the Louvre.
No More Tight End Nightmares
In 2023, tight end play was a significant weakness for the Bengals. Not only were their own tight ends mediocre (at best) in terms of production, but Cincinnati struggled mightily in terms of tight-end coverage. Fortunately, 2024 is seeing them raise their game on both sides of the ball.
Free agent acquisition Mike Gesicki was far and away the receiving leader in this afternoon’s matchup, as he led both teams with seven receptions and 91 reception yards. His critical fourth-down catch-and-run early in the game set the Bengals up for an early field goal.
.@Bengals go for it on 4th and 4 and get a big gain from Gesicki!
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/WxyzVnkt4b— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
Elsewhere on the Bengals, Erick All (four receptions, 32 yards) and Drew Sample (three receptions, 28 yards) each had solid afternoons.
On defense, not only did the Bengals allow the second-fewest passing yards of Patrick Mahomes’ career (151 yards!!!), but they held the Chiefs’ tight ends to 12 yards. Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ future Hall-of-Famer tight end only three targets. He had only one more receiving yard (5) than Taylor Swift has album re-releases (4). The only other Chiefs tight end to catch a pass was Jared Wiley, who caught a solitary seven-yard pass near the end of the third quarter.
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