In their sixth meeting over the last three seasons, the (1-0) Kansas City Chiefs evened their record against the (0-1) Cincinnati Bengals at 3-3 with a 26-25 Harrison Butker field goal as time expired, giving the Chiefs a 2-0 record against two AFC contenders to open their 2024 season.

The Chiefs won the toss, electing to defer. Harrison Butker’s opening kickoff landed in the end zone, starting the Bengals at their own 30-yard line. Joe Burrow quickly moved near 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 to the six-yard line for a 37-yard gain. Kansas City’s defense stepped up following the miscue, however. Cornerback Trent McDuffie turned in a spectacular 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 got off an incomplete pass. Kicker Evan McPherson came on for a 22-yard field goal to open the scoring at Bengals 3, Chiefs 0.

Mecole Hardman took McPherson’s kickoff in the end zone to begin the drive at the 30. Running back Isiah Pacheco only managed one yard on his first carry before moving the chains a 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 took a pass for nine yards and a first down on the next play. The drive moved to a 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 could not convert the crucial yards. Harrison Butker came on for the shortest possible field goal to tie the score at 3-3.

A seemingly-rarely seen phenomena occurred on the kickoff as running back Trayveon Willians took the ball at the four-yard line and returned it for 20 yards. The Bengals soon went into 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 scrambling Burrow on third down. Mecole Hardman took a punt from Chiefs’ offseason participant Ryan Rehkow at the Kansas City 27-yard line, advancing two yards to start the team’s second drive from their own 29.

The Chiefs’ second drive would prove 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 came to an end after a nine-yard Burrow pass to rookie tight end Erick All, setting up a second-and-1 from the Chiefs’ 22-yard line following the break.

A Burrow quarterback sneak moved the chains as the quarter started. 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 were the beneficiary of a player narrowing coming down out of bounds. Kansas City found themselves on the other side of the equation as second-year 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 11 more yards on the ground and a new set of downs. The drive appeared set to stall near midfield after two short gains brought up a third-and-5. Mahomes scrambled to narrowly reach the line to gain. A play later — on first-and-10 from the Bengals 44-yard line — Mahomes found Rashee Rice deep on the sideline for a spectacular touchdown throw. Butker’s extra point tied the score at 10-10.

Starting again at their own 30-yard line, Burrow continued his trend of focusing on tight ends with an eight-yard throw to Sample. A Zack Moss carry set up a new set of downs. The Bengals took a time out before Burrow moved 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 near the end zone. Burrow could not find his targets in the end zone on first and second downs. Chris Jones and George Karlaftis came together to drop 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 remaining in the first half, the Chiefs again began their next drive at their own 30. Pacheco quickly gained 12 yards on two carries. Kansas City would suffer grave misfortune on the next two plays. Mahomes was incomplete to Rice, who shockingly did not draw an expected pass interference flag with cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt smothering him. On the next play, Steele lost a fumble after a three-yard carry, giving the Bengals the ball back at the Kansas City 46-yard line.

Bolton blew up a screen pass to All on first down for a one-yard loss. 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-yar

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 regained nine of the ten 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 at their 30-yard line with 1:33 remaining until halftime. Kansas City quickly got the ball 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 took a 10-yard sack from Trey Hendrickson on the next play. After Mahomes scrambled back to midfield, Butker appeared set to attempt an NFL record 68-yard field goal. Punter Matt Araiza eventually came on, with cornerback Joshua Williams aiding him in the ball being downed at the one-yard line. Burrow ran a sneak to run out the clock on the first half, with Cincinnati still leading 16-10.

Starting the second half again at their own 30, Pacheco gained 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 faced a fourth-and-inches at the Bengals’ 37-yard line. Steele redeemed himself for 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 reported eligible as a sixth offensive lineman. Butker’s extra point gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game at 17-16.

After another start from the 30-yard line, Burrow found rookie Jermaine Burton for a 48-yard gain to the Chiefs’ 23-yard line. After Burrow had to fall on a fumbled snap on the next 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 sandwiching a two-yard loss by Moss. On fourth down from the three-yard line, Burrow was complete to Iosivas for the wideout’s second touchdown of the day. McPherson missed the extra point, making the Bengals lead 22-17.

Another start from the 30, another handoff to Pacheco for four yards. The Chiefs quickly faced third down after Rice could only gain 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 negated by penalty. After a spectacular defensive catch by Taylor-Britt, the Bengals would start the fourth quarter at their own 36-yard line.

The Bengals returned the favor with a key miscue. After two incomplete passes, Mike Danna and Tershawn Wharton split a sack of Burrow on third down. The ball came out as he was being tackled, and cornerback Chamarri Conner returned the fumble for a defensive score. The Chiefs were unable to extend the lead to three with a two-point conversion, giving them a 23-22 lead.

The Bengals returned a kickoff for the second time, starting their drive at their own 32-yard line. Brown started the drive with a six yard carry before Moss got away from linebacker Drue Tranquill to take a pass 13-yards into Chiefs territory. 13 more yards through the air went to Chase to the 33-yard line. On the next play, however, former Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown drew a holding call. A nine-yard throw to Gesicki followed by four yards to Chase appeared to set up a manageable third down. Chase, however, angrily responded to a tackle by McDuffie, drawing a personal foul. Facing third-and-22 from the Chiefs’ 45-yard line, Burrow got the Bengals back into field goal range. McPherson was good from 53 yards, and the Bengals regained a 25-23 lead.

Predictably, a drive starting at the 30-yard line began with a four-yard Pacheco carry. The Chiefs then showed the effects of starting a true rookie at the crucial left tackle position. Suamataia gave up a four-yard sack to Trey Hendrickson to negate the gain. On third-and-ten, he was then called for holding to wipe out a 41-yard play to Kelce. Morris replaced the rookie for the ensuing third-and-20 from the Kansas City 30-yard line. Rice could only gain 10 yards on the reception. The Bengals would start this next drive on their own 16-yard line after a seven-yard return on a 63-yard Araiza punt.

The Bengals appeared set for a methodical drive, gaining 26 yards on two plays. A pass bounded off of the fingers of Iosivas, and a blitzing Conner dropped Burrow for a nine-yard sack on third down. Hardman took Rehkow’s punt at the 14-yard line, returning it 11 yards for Kansas City to start at their own 25.

Before the two-minute warning, the Chiefs moved the chains to the Chiefs’ 41 on a carry by Pacheco and a pass to Rice. They would face a first down when the game’s final two minutes began.

After two short gains, Morris appeared to be just as disastrous as Suamataia as he was called for a crucial fourth down penalty to set up fourth-and-16 from the Chiefs’ 35-yard line. Mahomes appeared incomplete, set to return the ball to Cincinnati to run out the clock of an upset victory. However, rookie safety Daijuan Anthony was called for pass interference on Rice, giving the Chiefs at new set of downs at the Cincinnati 35-yard line. With Pacheco having left the game earlier in the drive, Steele turned in a pair of two-yard carries to set up a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal. Butker’s kick was never in doubt, sealing a 26-25 victory as Kansas City prevailed in a second nail-biter in as many weeks.