There are certain games you circle on the NFL schedule. And sure, a lot of them are division rivals. But perhaps even stronger are rivals that spring from competition, like the old Colts-Patriots matchups with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. In this decade, Patrick Mahomes vs. Joe Burrow has become that. And it gives us a tall order making a Bengals vs. Chiefs Week 2 prediction. But it’s a fun order.

The Kansas Chiefs are the back-to-back champs. They’re coming off a hard-fought win in Week One vs. the Baltimore Ravens. The Cincinnati Bengals? They just dropped a game to what many expected to be the worst team in the league, the New England Patriots. But it’s “any given Sunday” in the NFL so our picks and predictions for this Bengals vs. Chiefs game can’t be swayed too heavily by what happened last week. 

Even if you just want to see the Bengals vs. Chiefs odds and have Bengals vs. Chiefs picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus! We suggest you do a trial on our “best bets” as we went 4 for 4 on ours last week!
 

 

 

Bengals vs. Chiefs Predictions For NFL Week 2, Sunday 9/15

There was a period there where Joe Burrow was getting the best of the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, some were calling Arrowhead Stadium “Burrowhead”. And that’s not without merit - the Bengals won three straight games against Kansas City in 2022 alone. But last year the Chiefs got the best of the Bengals, beating them by 3 in the regular season then against in the playoffs 25-17.

This year, the atmosphere feels a bit different. Perhaps it was the outcomes from last week with David toppling Goliath as the Patriots were the biggest underdogs on the slate against the Bengals yet pulled it out. A true rivalry should not feel as one-sided as this one does going in. But is it truly insurmountable? 

 

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals: Are Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Ready To Play?

Some wide receivers have earned the “diva” label. But we’re not ready to slap it on Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins just yet. These guys just want to get paid what they deserve. The Colts Michael Pittman was in a similar franchise tag situation to Higgins, and he got a bag. So did split end Nico Collins. And Ja'Marr Chase simply wants a similar contract to fellow superstars CeeDee Lamb and college teammate Justin Jefferson. That’s not unreasonable given how good he is.

All that turmoil led both players, for one reason or another, to not be ready for Week One. And the team was clearly out of sync which is why they dropped that game. Tee Higgins is dealing with a legitimate hamstring injury while Ja'Marr Chase was not only rusty but also sick. Not an ideal situation for either guy.

On defense the Bengals did add a couple nice additions in spots of weakness. They added Sheldon Rankins who can create pressure up the middle (which should help star Trey Hendrickson on the outside). And Geno Stone comes in to solidify a safety group that was reeling after losing Jessie Bates last offseason. The Bengals defense isn’t anything to write home about but it’s not a stretch to say they are in the top half of the league. 

 

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs: Good Times Rolling

Have the Chiefs found the cure for the “Super Bowl Hangover”? No team has ever gone back-to-back-to-back but the Chiefs seemingly picked up right where they left off, defeating a tough Baltimore Ravens team in Week One. Granted, it was literally by a toe. But a win’s a win.

The Chiefs offense was already scary - they just won the Super Bowl. But this year they’ve added a new element on top of Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice in the intermediate range. Speed. And Xavier Worthy brings plenty of it considering he ran the fastest 40 time in NFL history. Bengals corner Cam Taylor-Britt is not impressed however, saying “he can run straight, can’t do much else”. The league better hope that’s the case.

On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs defense did lose star corner L'Jarius Sneed to free agency. Trent McDuffie is looking like a stud, but the rest of that secondary looked a little shaky last week. Upfront they have the horses in Chris Jones and George Karlaftis to create pressure so Joe Burrow should have his hands full this week.

 

 

 

Bengals vs. Chiefs Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Rams vs. Cardinals odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

 

 

Bengals vs. Chiefs: Chiefs -6 (-105 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

I’m concerned. I’m concerned that the Bengals won’t likely have Tee Higgins. The Chiefs have one top corner in Trent McDuffie, and he can now focus on Ja'Marr Chase. But even more than that I’m concerned with Joe Burrow. When Joe Burrow is himself, he is awesome. But he might not be himself just yet. 

This offseason he had surgery to repair his scapholunate ligament (SL) in his throwing wrist. Like the ACL in your knee, this is one of the most important ligaments in your wrist. Throwing a football is a fine motor-movement that needs to be honed with thousands of reps and, at the very least Joe Burrow did not get that this offseason. As Stephania Bell points out, we do not have a huge sample size of QBs with this injury.

I think Joe Burrow will be Joe Burrow again. Heck, he might already be, and we are overeating. And the Bengals will be the Bengals again - especially when Tee Higgins gets back. But I’m going to need to see it first before I start betting on the Bengals. Especially against the best team in the league. I’ll confidently ride with Kansas City -6 (-105 at BetMGM) in my Bengals vs. Chiefs predictions.

 

 

 

Bengals vs. Chiefs Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:

CIN Bengals:

KC Chiefs:

 

 

 

How To Bet On Bengals vs. Chiefs At BetMGM Sportsbook & Claim Your $1,500 Bonus With Promo Code ALARM

Now that you’re armed with our Bengals vs. Chiefs predictions, let’s take you through the aforementioned $1,500 BetMGM sign up bonus. You’ll just need the BetMGM promo code ALARM when creating a new account, but our links and banners should have it filled in for you.

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