Let's look at some of the early season numbers for both teams and their shared history.
Sunday afternoon will mark another chapter in the budding rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kansas City sits at 1-0 with an early victory over an AFC North opponent. Now with another AFC North foe coming to town, the Chiefs are looking to get two early tiebreakers in their favor within the AFC. Meanwhile, the Bengals are 0-1, suffering arguably the greatest upset loss of the Week 1 slate against the New England Patriots.
It is still early in the season, so the numbers are going to vary more throughout the season. Nonetheless, what are some key numbers to keep in mind entering Chiefs vs. Bengals? Let's preview the contest through a statistical lens.
Comparing the Bengals-Chiefs Offenses
Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow are each playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder entering 2024. Mahomes, despite another Super Bowl win, is looking to rebound after a bit of a down season last year according to his unbelievably high standards. Obviously, Burrow is looking to get the Bengals back to the playoffs after missing significant time last season with an injury.
Following Week 1, Kansas City has scored 27 points and gained 353 total yards. Those marks each rank 11th in the NFL after the first week. The Chiefs' ranks in passing offense (3rd) and rushing offense (28th) sit on the opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of overall rankings in the NFL. Mahomes had an interception against the Ravens in Week 1, the only Kansas City giveaway at this point.
After their season opener, the Bengals left a lot to be desired offensively. It did not help that Tee Higgins was absent via a hamstring injury and Ja'Marr Chase was in and out of practice because of a contract situation. Cincinnati's 10 points (28th) and 224 total yards (30th) each rank in the bottom five of those respective categories after one game. With Burrow failing to reach 200 passing yards against New England, Cincinnati ranks 21st in passing offense. Their rushing offense sits at 30th in the NFL, to boot. The Bengals also had two giveaways last week, including one notable fumble near the goal line.
A Bengals-Chiefs Defensive Comparison
The Chiefs did not necessarily have a perfect night defensively in Week 1. However, Kansas City once again stood tall in the red zone, forcing the Ravens to leave some extra points on the board. Kansas City allowed 20 points last week, making them 12th in scoring defense currently. Their 452 total yards allowed was the most allowed by any defense in Week 1. The Chiefs sit in the bottom five in both passing defense (28th) and rushing defense (31st). Kansas City had a fumble recovery as their only takeaway.
The Bengals are led by a veteran group on defense. Even though it was a discouraging start, Cincinnati's defensive unit still showed encouraging signs against New England. Cincinnati allowed 16 points in Week 1, making them 6th in scoring defense currently. Their 290 total yards allowed was middle of the pack in the NFL last week, as they now sit 14th in that area. Their passing defense was solid, ranking 3rd there. Yet, Rhamondre Stevenson led a big day of rushing for the Patriots' offense. The Bengals rank 27th in rushing defense after one week. They did not get a takeaway against New England.
Differing Septembers
To say that the Chiefs and the Bengals have experienced different feelings in September, it has been an understatement recently. According to Statmuse, Kansas City is 16-4 in September games since Patrick Mahomes became the starting QB. On the flip side, Joe Burrow is essentially waking up when September ends. Statmuse shows that the Bengals quarterback is 6-8-1 in September for his young career. But if you boil that down to just Weeks 1 and 2 in his career, Burrow is a combined 1-8 via the NFL on CBS.
Andy Reid's teams have had no issues starting a season on the right foot. Due to his well-documented training camps, Kansas City is one of the most prepared teams come September. Meanwhile, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is now 1-10 in his career in the first two weeks of the season. Starting slow and having to dig themselves out of a hole has been an unfortunate early-season staple for Cincinnati. And now, they have to avoid an 0-2 start by traveling to one of the most hostile environments in the NFL against the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Recent Head-to-Head History
The Chiefs and the Bengals have met six times head-to-head since Mahomes became the starter. Four of those six have involved Mahomes and Burrow meeting head-to-head. Last year, it was Jake Browning that faced the Chiefs in Kansas City, due to the aforementioned Burrow injury. Cincinnati is 3-1 against KC when Burrow and Mahomes have squared off. Two of those four meetings were AFC Championship Games, in which each team won once.
