The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals added another instant classic to their ongoing rivalry, as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker drilled a 51-yard field goal as time expired to give Kansas City a 26-25 victory.
It was a back-and-forth contest that featured five lead changes in the second half. The Chiefs benefitted from a defensive pass interference penalty on fourth and 16 with 48 seconds left in the fourth quarter that moved the ball into field-goal range.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t have his best day, throwing for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 18-of-25 passing. However, his poise in the pocket to escape the rush put Kansas City in a position to steal the victory, and Butker delivered when called upon.
The pass interference call was the talk of social media among fans who watched the Chiefs show their resiliency in Sunday’s thrilling victory against the Bengals:
Bengals fans seeing another late flag vs. Chiefs pic.twitter.com/vUz8jyfz6Z
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 15, 2024
“The Chiefs turn it over on….”
The refs: pic.twitter.com/DYAGIiYSvm
— Shooter McGavin (@ShooterMcGavin_) September 15, 2024
Cincinnati is hoping to challenge Kansas City for supremacy in the AFC and entered Week 2 with confidence. Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase declared earlier this week that Cincinnati is “the team to beat in the AFC.”
However, the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions proved that they can withstand a tough battle and still emerge victorious. Mahomes isn’t likely to struggle often, so winning even when he has an off day says a lot about the Chiefs.
Kansas City will look to keep the momentum going and improve to 3-0 when it visits the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football in Week 3.
