5 things to watch as the Chiefs host the Bengals in Week 2

The Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) are fresh off a season-opening, home victory against an AFC contender — and hope to get another such victory in Week 2. The Chiefs will host the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead Time.

In Week 1, there was some big-game energy between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens — and against the Begals, we will see more of that. This will be the sixth matchup between these franchises since 2021, including two postseason clashes in the AFC Championship.

Cincinnati will also be trying to avoid an 0-2 start following an ugly, 16-10 home loss to the New England Patriots. With 10 days of rest, the Chiefs will be ready to match their intensity — and aside from wide receiver Hollywood Brown, nobody will be dealing with an injury.

Here are five things to watch in an important, early-season battle:

1. Letting the pass rush loose

At the start of the Kansas City’s Week 1 win, multiple Chiefs looked unblockable. Defensive tackles Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton gave an inexperienced interior offensive line all it could handle.

But as the game continued — and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson started scrambling more — the pressure dwindled. The Chiefs finished with a pressure rate of 23.1%, which ranked 28th among NFL defenses in Week 1.

On Sunday, the strategy should be simpler: disrupt the offensive front and beat blocks fast. In Week 1, Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow had the league’s fifth-fastest time to throw; he wants to get the ball to his playmakers quickly. It will be up to Jones and Wharton to make it hard to see those options over the middle.

Defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will focus on tightening the pocket from the edge. While Cincinnati offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown are big players, each can be susceptible to speed rushes around the outside.

2. A more balanced offensive attack

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Against the Ravens, the Chiefs failed to find a good rhythm for their running game. And in their game against the Patriots, the Bengals’ defense allowed New England to control the clock with its rushing attack, which ran the ball 39 total times, gaining 170 yards and a touchdown over those plays. Running back Rhammondre Stevenson averaged 4.8 yards over 25 carries; none of them gained more than 17 yards. The Patriots had eight more minutes in possession.

While Kansas City shouldn’t commit as hard to the running game, the penetrable Cincinnati front may give the Chiefs’ starting running back Isiah Pacheco more room to work. That can help open up the passing attack even more than it was against Baltimore.

In last year’s Week 17 matchup against the Bengals, Pacheco totaled 130 yards on the ground over 18 rushes. The Bengals’ front seven has changed little since then.

3. Protecting Patrick Mahomes

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In Week 1, the Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked twice and hit three other times, according to PFF. That came on only 31 dropbacks. That tied for his second-fewest dropbacks in one game over the last two years.

The Ravens had a talented front — but they lacked the edge threat that defensive end Trey Hendrickson provides Cincinnati. In Week 1, Hendrickson lined up on the left side of the offensive line on 94% of his snaps. That sets him up for a one-on-one battle with Chiefs’ rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

The Chiefs sometimes left Suamataia on an island against Baltimore. Some of those plays ended with a hit on Mahomes. In last year’s matchup with the Bengals, Hendrickson beat then-rookie left tackle Wanya Morris around the edge and created a strip-sack that resulted in a turnover.

Kansas City will need a plan to help Suamataia against the three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. It may become necessary.

4. Coverage strategy

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The Cincinnati offense’s biggest threat is through the air — when Burrow can get the ball to a top-heavy pass-catching group led by wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That could be stunted by Higgins’ hamstring injury; he has been listed as doubtful after missing this week’s practices.

In previous seasons, former Chiefs’ cornerback L’Jarius Sneed played a role in limiting their production. Without him, cornerback Trent McDuffie is slated to take on Chase; in Week 1, McDuffie was the primary defender to account for the Ravens’ top receiver: Zay Flowers.

Chase, however, is a more physical (and more talented) receiver. So defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo may rely on a more team-oriented approach to containing him — like a safety cheating to help one of the other cornerbacks cover him.

That strategy would set up McDuffie on an island against one of the Bengals’ auxiliary receivers: second-year wideout Andrei Iosivas or veteran slot receiver Trenton Irwin. He would be expected to shut them down as throwing options by himself.

5. Finishing drives

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The Kansas City offense made the Week 1 win way closer than necessary. Two first-half possessions advanced into the red zone, but neither one ended with a touchdown. The team punted from Baltimore territory in the third quarter — and then couldn’t close the game out on their final possession.

Some of that can be blamed on three Mahomes passes that were dropped, according to PFF. (Personally, I believe the count could be four). But that wasn’t the only problem. The lack of pass protection ruined some third-down attempts — which only happened because the running game wasn’t much help on early downs.

Last year, Kansas City ended the season ranked 17th in red-zone touchdowns. It’s a facet of the game where the Chiefs have sometimes been elite — the team ranked second in 2022 — so their progress in this area will be important to monitor.