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Winners and losers from Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 win over Cincinnati Bengals
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Winners and losers from Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 2 win over Cincinnati Bengals

Two weeks into the 2024-25 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have kept both games close until the very end. Despite the best efforts of their opponents, the back-to-back Super Bowl champions have managed to defeat the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals to start the year.

Sunday’s win over Cincinnati, another home game, was a thriller. Neither side had an elite performance, but Kansas City put together enough production to make some late stops on defense and get into field goal range on offense. Thanks to Harrison Butker’s long-range kick as time expired, the Chiefs moved to 2-0 and head into Week 3 with plenty of momentum on their side.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the Chiefs’ biggest winners and losers in the second week of the regular season.

For the second straight week, wideout Rashee Rice was by far the Chiefs’ most impressive pass catcher on offense. This time around, the sophomore receiver posted five receptions on six targets for 75 yards. He also scored his first touchdown of the season after beating Cam Taylor-Britt to the field, showing a new twist in his game. If Rice can threaten vertically with any consistency, it could completely change his already promising prospects as a player. Week 2 was a nice flash from Rice.

Seeing Patrick Mahomes’ name in this section is about as rare as a solar eclipse. The NFL’s best quarterback performed in a manner that is anything but normal against Cincinnati, which seems to be a common theme. It’s hard to say what exactly gets Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid out of their game when the Bengals take the field, but it’s a trend right now. Mahomes threw for just 151 yards, his lowest total in a full game. everand posted a nasty -0.19 EPA/play on Sunday, fueled by a couple of turnovers. He’ll bounce back. He’ll need to after such an uncharacteristic performance.

A game-winning field goal should be a moment filled with tension no less than any in professional sports. Somehow, Harrison Butker makes those plays look routine. It’s unusual for almost everyone in the stadium or watching at home to consider a 51-yarder a piece of cake, but that seemed to be the case when the veteran placekicker stepped up to the plate Sunday afternoon. Kicking issues plague teams at various times in the league each season, though Kansas City doesn’t have to experience that. If Butker is healthy and available, there may be no one better in the game.

Rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia got the short end of the stick when he was paired with Trey Hendrickson this weekend. People knew he was in for a long day, but it was still a shock to see him struggle so much. The second-round pick gave up multiple pressures and sacks, and also committed costly holding penalties in Week 2. After benching Suamataia late in the fourth quarter, Reid has declined to sign him as his guaranteed starter this Sunday. This writer would still argue that he’ll be back in the lineup, but doubt is never good.

With each passing game, the case for Trent McDuffie as one of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL is growing. The former first-round pick picked up where he left off Sunday, facing Ja’Marr Chase on 17 routes and limiting him to one reception for four yards. Joe Burrow didn’t challenge McDuffie much, and for good reason. Regardless of his assignment or alignment, the Washington product simply produces. The Chiefs miss L’Jarius Sneed, sure, but McDuffie’s presence helps mitigate that loss more than most other teams would benefit from.

Let’s preface this by saying that it’s still early in the season and Travis Kelce doesn’t look like a player in the doldrums quality-wise. He’s still capable of being effective and getting open. That said, four catches for 39 yards in two games is a significant drop from what many have come to expect from the future Hall of Famer. On Sunday, he was targeted three times but hauled in a single pass for five yards. Kelce deserves the benefit of the doubt — and likely a few more weeks to get going — but as his 35th birthday approaches, concerns about his lack of production will only grow louder. A big game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 could nip that in the bud.

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