In their sixth meeting in the last three seasons, the (1-0) Kansas City Chiefs host the (0-1) Cincinnati Bengals for a Week 2 matchup at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown, who was expected to play in this game after suffering a preseason injury, was placed on the team’s reserve/injured list on Friday. Cincinnati wideout Tee Higgnis, listed as doubtful in the latest injury report from Friday — will also not be in action for the match.

A win for Kansas City would not only even the recent series at 3-3, but also ensure that the victory would be a significant step in their quest to reach the league’s first-ever Super Bowl. three-peat.

First quarter

The Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to defer. Harrison Butker’s opening kickoff went into the end zone, sending the Bengals to their own 30-yard line. Joe Burrow quickly moved toward midfield with quick passes to tight end Drew Sample. The Chiefs held the Bengals to a fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs’ 43-yard line. Burrow found tight end Mike Gesicki for a deep completion to the six-yard line for a 37-yard gain. However, the Kansas City defense stepped up after the miscue. Cornerback Trent McDuffie delivered a dramatic pass breakup on wideout Ja’Marr Chase in the end zone, and defensive end George Karlaftis nearly brought Burrow down on third down before the quarterback delivered an incomplete pass. Kicker Evan McPherson stepped up for a 22-yard field goal to open the scoring at the Bengals 3, Chiefs 0.

Mecole Hardman took McPherson’s kickoff in the end zone to start the drive at the 30. Running back Isiah Pacheco managed just one yard on his first carry before moving the chains one play later with a 12-yard rush. The third-year pro caught a pass on first down for five yards, and wide receiver Rashee Rice caught a pass for nine yards and a first down on the next play. The drive moved into the red zone with a nine-yard carry by rookie Carson Steele followed by a six-yard rush by Pacheco. The Chiefs would eventually see a first-and-goal from the two-yard line, but they couldn’t capitalize on the crucial yards. Harrison Butker stepped up for the shortest possible field goal to tie the score at 3-3.

A seemingly rare phenomenon occurred on the kickoff when running back Trayveon Willians grabbed the ball at the four-yard line and returned it for 20 yards. The Bengals soon went to first-and-15 after a false start by right tackle Trent Brown. The Bengals would go three-and-out, with Mike Danna bringing down a struggling Burrow on third down. Mecole Hardman took a punt from Chiefs offseason commit Ryan Rehkow at the Kansas City 27-yard line, and ran it two yards to start the team’s second drive from their own 29.

The Chiefs’ second drive would prove to be even shorter than Cincinnati’s, as Mahomes threw an interception to linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither at the 31-yard line to put the Bengals’ offense back on the field. The first quarter ended on a nine-yard Burrow pass to rookie tight end Erick All, setting up a second-and-1 from the Chiefs’ 22-yard line after the break.

Second quarter

A Burrow quarterback sneak moved the chains as the quarter began. The Bengals quickly moved the ball to the four-yard line on a pair of rushes and a short pass. In Week 1, the Chiefs benefited from a player who shrank in size as he got out of bounds. Kansas City was on the other side of the equation when sophomore wideout Andrei Iosivas’ feet narrowly found the paint of the end zone on third down for a touchdown. McPherson’s extra point gave the Bengals a 10-3 lead.

Skyy Moore took the kickoff in the end zone for another touchback. Rookie speedster Xavier Worthy caught a pass on first down for six yards. Pacheco followed with another 11 yards on the ground and another set of downs. The drive appeared to stall near midfield after two short gains set up a third-and-5. Mahomes scrambled to barely reach the line to gain the win. One play later — on first-and-10 from the Bengals’ 44-yard line — Mahomes found Rashee Rice deep on the sideline for a dramatic touchdown throw. Butker’s extra point tied the score at 10-10.

Burrow started again at their own 30-yard line and continued his trend of focusing on tight ends with an eight-yard throw to Sample. A carry from Zack Moss set up another set of downs. The Bengals called a timeout before Burrow brought the Bengals into Chiefs territory with a 19-yard throw to All. Burrow then found Chase for 12 yards to the Kansas City 27-yard line. Two plays later, McDuffie was called for pass interference on Chase to give Cincinnati first-and-10 from the 12-yard line. For the second time, the Chiefs defense stepped up to the end zone. Burrow couldn’t find his targets in the end zone on first and second downs. Chris Jones and George Karlaftis combined to bring down the quarterback for a three-yard sack on third down. McPherson’s 33-yard field goal gave the Bengals a 13-10 lead.

With 4:19 left in the first half, the Chiefs began their next drive at their own 30 again. Pacheco quickly gained 12 yards on two carries. Kansas City would suffer serious misfortune on the next two plays. Mahomes was incomplete for Rice, who surprisingly did not draw an expected pass interference flag with cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt smothering him. On the next play, Steele fumbled after a three-yard carry, giving the Bengals the ball back at the Kansas City 46-yard line.

Bolton blew a screen pass to All on first down for a loss of one yard. The first half reached the two-minute warning with Burrow again finding a tight end, this time a 12-yard throw to Gesicki. The Bengals would have a first-and-ten from the Kansas City 35-yard line on the other side of the break.

Chase Brown gained six yards on first down. Burrow was incomplete on the next two plays, with a third-down miss drawing an offensive pass interference call. A throw to Gesicki recovered nine of the 10 penalty yards, and McPherson’s third field goal of the game gave the Bengals a 16-10 lead.

Another touchback gave the Chiefs a start on their 30-yard line with 1:33 left until halftime. Kansas City got the ball quickly near midfield as passes to Travis Kelce and Justin Watson combined for 24 yards. The drive would stall, however, after a pass to Pacheco was ruled in bounds on review, resulting in a 10-second run off. Mahomes was given a 10-yard sack by Trey Hendrickson on the next play. After Mahomes scrambled back to midfield, Butker appeared poised to attempt an NFL-record 68-yard field goal. Punter Matt Araiza eventually stepped up, with cornerback Joshua Williams assisting him with the ball that was downed at the 1-yard line. Burrow ran a sneak to run out the clock on the first half, with Cincinnati still leading 16-10.

Third quarter

The second half began again at their own 30, with Pacheco gaining two yards on first down before Worthy moved the chains with a 12-yard catch. Pacheco gained nine yards on first down, but the Chiefs soon found themselves facing a fourth-and-inches at the Bengals’ 37-yard line. Steele redeemed himself from the earlier fumble with a five-yard rush. After a Mahomes scramble, Pacheco continued his hot drive with a 13-yard reception and an eight-yard rush. After Steele gained two more yards to the Bengals’ two-yard line, Kelce narrowly missed scoring on first-and-goal. On second down, Mahomes threw a touchdown to…swing tackle Wanya Morris, who had stepped up as the sixth offensive lineman. Butker’s extra point gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game at 17-16.

After a fresh start from the 30-yard line, Burrow found rookie Jermaine Burton for a 48-yard gain to the Chiefs’ 23-yard line. After Burrow was dropped on a fumbled snap on the ensuing play, the Bengals moved the ball inside the Chiefs’ two-yard line, where they converted a third-and-inches on a quarterback sneak. The Chiefs came close to keeping points off the board, with two incomplete Burrow throws sandwiched by a two-yard loss by Moss. On fourth down from the three-yard line, Burrow completed to Iosivas for the wideout’s second touchdown of the day. McPherson missed the extra point, giving the Bengals a 22-17 lead.

Another start from the 30, another handoff to Pacheco for four yards. The Chiefs quickly found themselves on third down after Rice could gain just two yards on the next play. Mahomes appeared to have thrown another interception, but Kelce — far from the play — drew a flag for illegal contact. With a new set of downs, however, rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia drew a flag of his own for offensive holding. After a six-yard pass to rookie tight end Jared Wiley for his first career interception, Mahomes closed the third quarter by throwing an interception that was not neutralized by a penalty. After a spectacular defensive catch by Taylor-Britt, the Bengals would begin the fourth quarter at their own 36-yard line.

Fourth quarter

The Bengals returned the favor with a key play. After two incomplete passes, Mike Danna and Tershawn Wharton split a sack by Burrow on third down. The ball came out as he was tackled, and cornerback Chamarri Conner returned the fumble for a defensive score. The Chiefs couldn’t extend the lead to three with a two-point conversion, giving them a 23-22 lead.

Injuries

Safety Justin Reid was forced off the field in the first quarter and again in the third quarter due to a hand injury.

Special teams

Just before halftime, punter Matt Araiza pushed the Bengals inside the one-yard line to end the first half.