No matter the records or site, the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals only play close games.
Including playoffs, the Bengals still lead the series 3-2 when Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are the starting quarterbacks (Kansas City won last season when Burrow was out injured).
But since losing the first three Burrow-Mahomes matchups, the Chiefs have bounced back to win the last two meetings.
Below are five stats that embody how epic the Bengals-Chiefs rivalry has become.
Average Margin of Victory: 2.6
All five Burrow-Mahomes matchups have been decided by three points or fewer. Sunday’s latest installment was a two-point game after a drive-extending pass interference on fourth-and-16 set up the game-winning field goal for Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
THANK YOU HARRISON BUTKER 🙌 pic.twitter.com/SFLjkrxgux
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 15, 2024
The cumulative score in these matchups is Bengals 133, Chiefs 128.
Games With Winning Score in Final 5 Seconds: 4
Every game has seen the game-winning score come in the fourth quarter. In addition, four of them have been decided by a game-winning field on either the final play or within the final five seconds:
- 2021 Week 17: CIN FG as time expired
- 2021 AFC Championship: CIN FG in OT
- 2022 Week 13: CIN TD with 9:00 in 4th qtr
- 2022 AFC Championship: KC FG with 0:03 left
- 2024 Week 2: KC FG as time expired
So not only have the games been close, virtually all of them have come down to either Burrow or Mahomes leading a game-winning drive to seize the win at the end.
Fourth Quarter Lead Changes: 6
Sunday’s game saw three fourth-quarter lead changes and five in the second half. But comebacks have been the norm in this series, with neither team enjoying a lead.
In fact, four of the five games have seen a second-half comeback, including the Bengals’ 21-3 comeback in the 2021 AFC Championship Game, which tied the largest ever in a Conference Championship Game.
On Sunday, the Chiefs trailed for 34:36, tied for the sixth-most in a win with Mahomes at quarterback, including the playoffs.
TD-Int Ratio: 3-1
Both quarterbacks have raised their games, combining for 21 pass TDs and seven interceptions in their head-to-head matchups. Burrow has actually slightly outperformed Mahomes, throwing 11 TDs to three interceptions, while Mahomes has 10 Pass TDs to four interceptions.
The two stars are also separated by a whisker in completion percentage in their matchups. Burrow is completing 69% of his passes in his games against Mahomes, while Mahomes is completing 68% of his passes.
Fourth Quarter TDs for Chiefs Offense: 0
Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense are typically inevitable at the end of games. And to be fair, Mahomes has led the game-winning drive in each of the last two matchups against Burrow.
However, the Chiefs’ offense has not scored a single fourth-quarter TD in any of the five Burrow-Mahomes games. In fact, their only fourth-quarter TD in those matchups came on Sunday, when DB Chamarri Conner had a 38-yard fumble return to give the Chiefs the lead.
WE'LL TAKE THAT… TO THE HOUSE 😤 pic.twitter.com/lhgxQTIlga
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 15, 2024
As a result, the Chiefs have scored 82 points in the first half of these games, compared to 46 in the second half and overtime.
Those late-game struggles haven’t made a difference in the last two wins, with Kansas City slipping by with better late-game execution and discipline. But Lou Anarumo continues to be one of the very few defensive play-callers capable of stymying Mahomes for any stretch of time in a game.