Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs NFL Week 2: Promos, Odds, Picks & Best Bets

The good news for Cincinnati is Burrow has never lost to Mahomes in the regular season in his NFL career. He’s 3-1 in his career against Mahomes, with his only loss coming by a field goal in the AFC Championship Game two years ago.

The Bengals may be without Higgins again this week, however, and they also seem to be missing star running back Joe Mixon, who signed with the Houston Texans in free agency. Cincinnati’s new backfield of Zack Moss and Chase Brown didn’t have much success on the ground last week, managing just 70 rushing yards (third-fewest in NFL) on 16 carries.

Accordingly, the Bengals may have trouble exploiting a Chiefs run defense that was gashed for 185 rushing yards last week – second-most in the NFL.

We may see a much-improved effort from Cincinnati (more on that below), but we can’t justify backing the Bengals to win at Arrowhead after losing at home to one of the worst rosters in the NFL last week. Take Kansas City on the moneyline.

These games tend to be close, as all four Burrow-Mahomes matchups have been decided by a field goal.

Furthermore, Cincinnati’s last four Week 2 losses have all been by five points or fewer, with three coming by exactly three points.

Thus, we’re backing the Bengals to keep the game close and play better this week after coming out flat last week. They’re not afraid of the Chiefs and will be motivated to put their Week 1 loss behind them.

We will especially advocate taking Cincinnati to cover if the spread moves to +6 or higher throughout the week.

It’s hard to imagine the Bengals’ offense being as bad again as it was last week. Dynamic receiver Ja’Marr Chase should make more of an impact after his relatively quiet Week 1 performance (six catches for 62 yards and no touchdowns).

Kansas City’s offense should also continue to mesh with its new complement of receivers like Xavier Worthy, who had a pair of scores last week. The Chiefs put up 27 points against a tough defense even with quiet performances from tight end Travis Kelce (three catches, 34 yards) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (no catches).

It’s hard to imagine two of the best quarterbacks of their generation finishing with fewer than 50 total points, so we’re taking the Over.

Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+125)

The star tight end had a quiet night in Week 1, but he has three career touchdowns in seven games against Cincinnati. He seems due for a touchdown after also being held out of the end zone in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Bengals also appear vulnerable against tight ends after letting Austin Hooper lead the Patriots in receiving yards last week.

All that should lead to a breakout game for Kelce, especially if girlfriend Taylor Swift decides to attend the game.

Ja’Marr Chase Over 71.5 Receiving Yards (-114)

Cincinnati’s franchise receiver had a disappointing first game after holding out for a new contract during training camp, which he has still yet to receive.

With a full week of practice to get his bearings and the Bengals potentially facing a pass-heavy game script, Chase is poised for a bigger performance against Kansas City, which allowed 267 passing yards last week (fifth-most in NFL).

Chase has averaged 106.6 receiving yards in five career games against the Chiefs, including 134.7 receiving yards per game in their regular-season matchups. Look for him to have another huge game and hit the Over on this prop bet, especially if Higgins remains sidelined.

• Moneyline: Chiefs (-250). The Chiefs have won two straight in this series after Mahomes dropped his first three matchups against Burrow. Burrow has never lost to Kansas City in the regular season, but that streak should come to an end.
• Spread: Bengals +5.5 (-110). This becomes an even more appealing pick if the spread balloons to +6 or especially +6.5. These two teams have historically played close games, and this one should be no different.
• Total: Over 47.5 (-115). This game is loaded with dynamic offensive talent on both sides, including two of the best QBs in the sport. They tend to play high-scoring games, too, so expect another one this week.
• Prop 1: Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown (+125). The Bengals had trouble containing New England’s tight ends in Week 1 and now face a much tougher opponent in Kelce. He should find the end zone on Sunday, especially if this game is high-scoring.
• Prop 2: Ja’Marr Chase Over 71.5 receiving yards (-114). Cincinnati has a very limited running game and will likely need to throw the ball to keep up with Mahomes. That should translate to big numbers for Chase, especially if Higgins sits.