On Sunday is the Kansas City Chiefs face the Cincinnati BengalsWe warmly welcome you Anthony Cosenza by Cincy Jungle — our sister site SBNation covering the Bengals — for Five questions to the enemy.

1) The Bengals’ loss at New England was the most surprising result of Week 1. How much panic is there among fans? Will it be seen as a typical slow start from Cincinnati or a sign of big trouble to come?

A little bit of both. This is an unfortunate trend for the Bengals and Zac Taylor. Their head coach is 1-10 through the first two weeks of the season in his career, with Joe Burrow holding a 1-8 record.

In the previous 10 games, excuses have ranged from a strange COVID offseason, to Burrow coming back from a knee injury, to No. 9 undergoing a summer appendectomy and injuring his calf last year. Burrow also came back from the wrist injury this year, but he’s still had some semblance of a full offseason.

It’s in that last aspect, the contract drama with their two wide receivers and the fact that the Patriots game was very winnable, that this is a little more concerning than previous outings. They seem to be hitting their stride in the middle and later parts of the season, which is what you want, but the slow starts have really hurt them. They better get their act together quickly with this incredibly tough game on Sunday.

2) Despite winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs, tackle Orlando Brown Jr.’s play over a two-year period has remained polarizing in Kansas City. How is he being viewed by Bengals fans and media thus far?

He’s fine. There were some bumps last year, but he also had a groin injury midway through the season that gave him some problems.

I wouldn’t say he’s at the Pro Bowl level that we saw with the Ravens and Chiefs, but he’s stabilized a position that was desperately needed and is loved and respected in the locker room. As for his performance in Week 1 against the Patriots, the consensus is that he played the best lineman and it was shaping up to be one of his best games as a Bengal during his time in Cincinnati.

3) The Bengals have been in the news more this offseason for contract disputes with wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase than for any splashy additions. How much of a distraction have financial matters been? Is there disappointment that neither has agreed to new contracts?

It’s hard to say how distracting it is. Taylor prides himself on the way he’s put this squad together, not just for the talent, but for the character and maturity. I think the players have done their best publicly, but they’ve also been asked about their respective situations repeatedly. I’m sure that gets old.

Ja’Marr Chase seems more businesslike and his trademark smile has been seen a lot less lately (especially after last week’s loss), and Tee Higgins didn’t play last week and appears questionable/doubtful this Sunday as well. So I’d say it’s hitting those two specifically (Higgins obviously can’t help the fact that he’s dealing with a hamstring issue) more than the team as a whole.

Yes, it’s disappointing that nothing was done for either of them, but it’s also kind of to be expected, in some ways. There was some speculation that Higgins getting the franchise tag and not the long-term deal was an unfortunate byproduct of the Burrow extension and one for Chase. Most assumed the Bengals would actually create something for Chase next summer, as they often do with a core player with a year left on a deal, but with so many of his contemporaries getting mega-deals, it’s taking center stage.

The good news is that there are reports that the Bengals and Chase have recently reached a deal, hopefully they can get it done.

4) Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo has been one of the best strategic minds in slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense. What can he do to continue the success with the Bengals’ current defensive staff?

Anarumo has had success, yes, but some of those players who played key roles are gone. Larry Ogunjobi (who missed the 2021 AFC Championship Game), Jessie Bates, Chidobe Awuzie and Eli Apple are no longer roaming the defense.

Still, they have plenty of other mainstays, and newer guys like corner Cam Taylor-Britt have taken a nice step forward. Either way, it’ll come down to whether the Bengals can generate pressure from someone other than Trey Hendrickson and whether the secondary can keep up with the overall speed of Kansas City’s skill positions (particularly the wideouts).

5) Do you have a prediction about how this will end?

If this was a late season game I would be inclined to root for the Bengals. But the slow starts they have had in the first few weeks combined with a huge opponent playing on their home field that just got a mini-bye. I just don’t see a Bengals win here, but I do see a hard fought, close game.