The Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated with a home win against the Cincinnati Bengals 26-25 on Sunday Sep. 15.

In another chapter of one of the most intense NFL rivalries of modern day, the Chiefs played a part in yet another kickoff ratings record being broken. Nearly 28 million viewers tuned in on CBS, making this game the most viewed September game since 1998. Here are three takeaways from the Chiefs’ second game of the season.

Turnovers

Turnovers played a huge role in this game, contributing to numerous swings in momentum for both teams. The Chiefs committed the first three turnovers in the game, two of which came in the first half. These turned into 10 points for Cincinnati. The points off of turnovers helped give the Bengals a 16-10 lead at half.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw his second interception of the game near the end of the third quarter on a one-handed grab by cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt. However, the tide turned once Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow fumbled on the next drive. The fumble was scooped up by safety Chamarri Conner and returned for a touchdown, giving Kansas City a 1-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Thrilling Finish

This game came down right to the wire — a common theme with AFC contenders. Facing a 4th and 16 from their own 35-yard line, Mahomes unloaded to wide receiver Rashee Rice 29 yards down the field. While Rice failed to make the catch, safety Daijahn Anthony was called for defensive pass interference.The Chiefs gained a few more yards before kicker Harrison Butker drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired, securing a one-point Chiefs victory.

Keys to the Game

The Bengals got most of their yards through the air with 109 more passing yards than the Chiefs. Kansas City responded with a powerful run game, finishing with 75 more rushing yards than the Bengals.

The two quarterbacks balanced one another, as Burrow finished with more yards and less interceptions while Mahomes finished with a higher completion percentage.

Thankfully for the Chiefs, Burrow’s big day through the air was balanced out by running back Isiah Pacheco, who rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries. Pacheco later left the game in the fourth quarter with a fractured fibula.

Burrow found most of his yards from his tight ends, connecting with four different tight ends throughout the ball game for 198 passing yards. This was spearheaded by the efforts of Mike Gesicki, who caught 7 balls for 91 yards. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had pretty low numbers, seeing drops in both his catches (4) and receiving yards (35) from week one. Despite the high production from the tight end room, both passing touchdowns came from second-year wide receiver Andrei Iosivas.

The Chiefs yet again had the opposite approach, as wide receivers accounted for 135 of Mahomes’ total 151 passing yards. Rice led the receivers with 7 catches for 75 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter to tie the game. One wrinkle Kansas City added was a pass to offensive lineman Wanya Morris for a 1-yard touchdown.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com