Photo courtesy of the Bengals on X: https://x.com/Bengals/status/1835835608301728233/photo/1

by Chris Ball

Loveland, Ohio – Though the Bengals fell 26-25 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday it was a heartbreaking loss. As seems to happen so often against Kansas City, that loss came after yet another questionable call that benefited Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. This time it was a pass interference penalty on the Bengals’ rookie defensive back Daijahn Anthony that gave Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker an opportunity to nail a 51-yard game winner as the clock expired. But as heartbreaking a defeat as the game represented, there were at least three positive takeaways to come out of it.

One – Joe Burrow Is Back to Form

After the loss to the New England Patriots there were rumblings from others, mostly outside of Bengals fandom, that Joe Burrow might not be as effective after his wrist injury last year. The Bengals’ quarterback put those questions to bed this past week. He went 23-36 for 258 yards with two touchdowns, outplaying Mahomes in the process. He looked more confident in the pocket and was able to push the ball downfield, something he did not attempt to do much against the Patriots.

With Burrow not playing snice November of last year, it was reasonable to expect some rust in his return to game action in 2024. While that rust showed itself week one, it’s equally apparent that Burrow is getting into the flow of the game and is ready to carry this team in the most difficult of situations, just as he did at Arrowhead on Sunday.

Two – The Bengals Pass Defense Answered the Call

The Bengals’ secondary, led by Cam-Taylor Britt and Dax Hill limited Patrick Mahomes to just 151 yards on Sunday. It was the fewest yards the Chiefs’ quarterback has thrown for since October of 2019 where he threw for just 76 yards before being injured just before halftime. They intercepted Mahomes twice, including one of the prettiest interceptions you might ever see from Taylor-Britt:

Cincinnati clamped down on the Chiefs’ passing game despite the fact that they got almost no pressure on Mahomes outside of Trey Hendrickson. Cincinnati’s defensive end continues to be a terror on opposing quarterbacks and he was the highest-graded Bengal in week one:

Unfortunately, the others on the Bengals’ defensive line have not played up to anything close to Hendricks’ level this year. The hope is that when the team gets former top pick Myles Murphy back from injury and that he can continue the progress that he showed towards the end of last year.

Mike Gesicki Has Revitalized The Bengals’ Tight End Situation

Gesicki’s touchdown against the Patriots should have counted. But the Bengals’ tight end didn’t dwell on the past when he took the field against Kansas City. He hauled in seven catches for 91 yards. Although he didn’t score, his 37-yard reception early on really opened things up for Burrow and the offense. His 91 yards was the fourth-best performance in his career. The Bengals struggled to get much of anything out of the tight end position last year, but the progression of Gesicki and rookie Erick All (who had four receptions of his own on Sunday) bring a lot of promise to the position this season.

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Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

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