September 14, 2024

By Fred Liggett
sports.lstribune08@gmail.com

The Kansas City Chiefs came out in week one and got the result they wanted in a narrow 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Cincinnati Bengals also started the season at home but failed to get the result they were seeking losing to the New England Patriots 16- 10. Now it’s on to week two where the Chiefs host the Bengals in a game seen by 80% of the country thanks to CBS.

The Chiefs and Bengals have played some very entertaining games in the 2020s and that includes an AFC Championship game that went into overtime. No surprise then that CBS is showcasing this matchup with their number one crew of Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson. The two teams met in a 2023 regular season game with the Chiefs winning by a 25-17 count.

The Chiefs enter this big AFC game pretty healthy with only WR Hollywood Brown missing practice on Wednesday. Brown is still questionable to see his first action as a Chief this week. The Bengals have injury concerns to a pair of key offensive players. Franchise QB Joe Burrow has been on the injury list every week so far this season due to a wrist issue. Burrow is a full go for this week but WR Tee Higgins is not. Higgins missed practice on Wednesday but the Bengals do have Ja ‘Marr Chase at WR ready to go.

The Chiefs defense in week one had the job of stopping QB Lamar Jackson and now will have to contend with a less than 100% Burrow. Last week the Bengals chose not to throw down field much so the Chiefs secondary may not be tested as much as originally thought. The Chiefs hit the road for two straight weeks after this one so a 2-0 start at home is a big goal for the defending champions. For the Bengals who aspire to be in the AFC Championship game beginning a season at 0-2 is a major concern.

Both the Chiefs and Bengals know each other well thanks to playing each other so often over the past five seasons. Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Bengals coach Zac Taylor both know what they need to do for a successful outcome. Thanks to the Chiefs being healthy, playing at home and starting the season performing well one can count on another Chiefs victory in this entertaining rivalry. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.