Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs made it clear Thursday that they are immune to the title hangover and perhaps more dangerous than ever before. The quest for the first three-peat in the Super Bowl era is on.
The evidence is in the 27 points and 353 yards against a Ravens team that boasted the best defense in terms of points allowed last season. The formula was the same: a powerful aerial attack led by Mahomes and an arsenal at his disposal.
Star tight end Travis Kelce appears to have faded from the spotlight, but that doesn’t mean Kansas City’s offense is any less dangerous. The young receiver duo of Rashee Rice and explosive rookie Xavier Worthy have proven to be reliable targets for Mahomes. The ground attack, led by Isiah Pacheco, offers a nice balance.
It’s the Chiefs’ ground offense that’s the focal point for the Bengals (0-1), who were upset by a Patriots team that racked up 170 yards on the ground en route to dominating time of possession for nearly 10 minutes longer than Cincinnati.
With the ball in their hands, quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals didn’t get much out of it either. They gave up two fumbles — matching last season’s total — and the passing offense was burdened by the absence of star Ja’Marr Chase from training camp due to a contract dispute and fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins due to an injury.
Despite all the offensive struggles they endured in their first outing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Bengals. They face a defense that gave up 450 yards, including 185 on the ground. But head coach Zac Taylor will have to make adjustments if he wants to exploit Kansas City’s weakness after handing the ball to his running backs just 12 times in Week 1.
Week 2 of the NFL season begins Thursday with the Bills (1-0) visiting Miami (1-0). Buffalo has won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series. The Dolphins enter the game as the league’s best passing offense.
Action continues Sunday with the following matchups: Raiders (0-1) at Baltimore (0-1); Chargers (1-0) at Carolina (0-1); Saints (1-0) at Dallas (1-0); Buccaneers (1-0) at Detroit (1-0); Browns (0-1) at Jacksonville (0-1); 49ers (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0); Seahawks (1-0) at New England (1-0); Jets (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1); Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1); Rams (0-1) at Arizona (0-1); Steelers (1-0) at Denver (0-1), and Bears (1-0) at Houston (1-0).
The week concludes Monday with the Falcons (0-1) at Philadelphia (1-0). Eagles running back Saquon Barkley found the end zone three times in Week 1, becoming just the second player in franchise history with three touchdowns in his debut with Philadelphia. The Falcons, meanwhile, were one of two teams to not allow a touchdown on Opening Day.
