Sep 16 – KANSAS CITY – Harrison Butker hit a 51-yard field goal as time expired, helping the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26–25 on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes completed 18 of 25 passes for only 151 yards. He threw two touchdowns, including a 44-yard pass to Rashee Rice, but was also intercepted twice.
With his team trailing by two goals, Mahomes had one last chance when the Chiefs were called for pass interference on fourth-and-16 from the Chiefs’ 35 with 38 seconds remaining.
Joe Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards and two touchdown passes to Andrei Iosivas.
This game was one of the most exciting rivalries in the NFL over the past four years. Burrow has a lifetime record of 3-2 against Mahomes.
Evan McPherson’s 33-yard field goal gave the Bengals a 13–10 lead in the second quarter, and after Cincinnati’s Sheldon Rankins hit Carson Stea from behind from midfield, Carson Stea stole the ball and Jermaine Pratt recovered it. The Bengals scored on McPherson’s third 48-yard field goal of the day.
Trae Hendrickson beat rookie left tackle Kingsley Sumata twice, and he sacked Mahomes on the final drive before halftime to provide a crucial spark for the defense.
The Chiefs drove 70 yards on the opening drive of the second half and took their first lead of the game, 17–16, with a 1-yard tackle-eligible pass to Wanya Morris.
Burrow responded with a long pass to Yosivas and a 3-yard fourth-down touchdown pass. The extra point failed and the Tigers went ahead 22–17.
Cam Taylor-Britt got burned on a 44-yard touchdown pass to Rice, but he came back with a spectacular one-handed catch from Mahomes on a pass from Xavier Worthy.
On the Bengals’ next possession, Burrow was dropped in a scramble and cornerback Chamari Conner recovered the fumble and ran 38 yards to put the Chiefs ahead 23–22.
Jamar Chase nearly made the Bengals pay on the ensuing drive as he was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanship penalty by corner Trent McDuffie after being knocked to the ground.
Burrow tried to calm him down, but he couldn’t do it before the flag came out. Nonetheless, McPherson made his fourth field goal of the day from 53 yards with 9:28 left in the fourth quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill was sidelined with a left hamstring injury.
——Mike Petraglia, Field Level Media
