The Cincinnati Bengals looked like an entirely different team in Kansas City, taking the Chiefs down to the wire in a 26-25 loss.
It was a far cry from the season-opening flop, to say the least, with Joe Burrow’s offense suddenly alive and the defense not only cleaning up the tackling issues but forcing turnovers.
Here are some notable notes and numbers from the game.
Quick Thoughts
- Bengals looked like a totally different team offensively early, mixing up formations and looks and even getting aggressive, converting a fourth down. Things stalled at about the six-yard line, but the lesson was clear — the first week of normal practice after a summer of issues helped get things right.
- Akeem Davis-Gaither picked off Patrick Mahomes on a nice disguise, which is really what it’s about against the Chiefs — scratching and clawing for that one turnover that keeps him off the field.
- Andrei Iosivas didn’t just catch a touchdown from Burrow after the ADG interception — he ran a route in a situation that would normally go to Tee Higgins and excelled, which might say a lot about the future.
- Forcing two turnovers against the Chiefs in the first half enabled the Bengals to go into halftime at 16-10. Touchdowns would have been nice, but it’s no easy feat to swing the balance against the Chiefs regardless.
- Tight ends were a huge theme of the game. That includes rookie Erick All, who fell in the draft due to injury and was a big part of the offense getting going in the first half.
- Rookie Jermaine Burton beat a defender down the field for a 47-yard gain in the third quarter. When he’s making plays like that, he’s going to be impossible to keep off the field.
- Iosivas might just be a star in the making. The first touchdown was nice. The second touchdown was lethal. He ran a route that left a defender grabbing air and was wide open on a fourth-down score — kudos goes to Zac Taylor for being so aggressive too.
- Cam Taylor-Britt made the interception of the year.
- Burrow’s fumble came on a desperation play on a third down after a disaster of a series highlighted by Gesicki dropping an easy completion. There’s a conversation to be had about whether the rookie All should see more snaps already.
- Ja’Marr Chase will take some heat for his foolish penalty for going after an official in the fourth quarter at a critical moment and rightfully so. Joe Burrow had to hold him back and he still got flagged.
Key Stat
8-of-79: Penalties and yardage by the Bengals. There’s a slim margin of effort against the Chiefs and Cincinnati merely had too many mistakes at critical moments.
Game Balls
Trey Hendrickson: The man just took over the game in a two-minute drill and later in the fourth quarter. No chip or double team was working and he wreaked havoc.
LB Germaine Pratt: The veteran linebacker had 13 tackles — near the half. He was keeping everything in front of him and super active on the day.
Andrei Iosvias: Two touchdowns, both of them stunners in the creating-separation department.
Top Takeaway
Preseason is over: Joking aside, the season opener looked like a preseason game for the Bengals on both sides of the ball. This was entirely different, with the offense in sync and defenders making tackles. The turnovers were a nice bonus. No matter how this game ended, it’s a fantastic sign for the rest of the year that the Bengals suddenly look to be in a proper gear against one of the NFL’s best.
