Chiefs rally to stun Bengals with late pass interference call, FG as time expires; Cincinnati falls to 0-2

The Cincinnati Bengals had the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes on Sunday.

But they gave Patrick Mahomes once last chance. And as he usually does, Mahomes rallied the Chiefs to a winning drive to secure a 26-25 thriller over the Bengals.

Mahomes overcame two interceptions and led the Chiefs to the winning field goal aided by a fourth-and-16 conversion. The Bengals were flagged for pass interference on a downfield throw with 38 seconds remaining to keep the Chiefs' drive alive and put Harrison Butker in range for a 51-yard field goal. Butker sent it through the uprights as time expired to secure the win.

The final lead change was the fifth of a thrilling second half.

Late pass interference sets Chiefs up to win

The Bengals had a chance to ice the game on offense after forcing a punt with 6:57 remaining. But the Chiefs came up with a third-down sack of Burrow with 2:46 left to force the Bengals to punt.

Cincinnati then forced Kansas City into fourth-and-6 on the ensuing Chiefs possession. Mahomes found Rashee Rice for a first down, but an illegal-hands-to-the face penalty negated the gain and put the Chiefs in fourth-and-16.

On Kansas City's last gasp, Mahomes scrambled and passed deep downfield targeting Rice again. Rice didn't catch the ball this time, but rookie safety Daijahn Anthony made early contact on defense and was flagged for pass interference.

The penalty gave the Chiefs 29 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Cincinnati 36-yard-line with 38 seconds remaining. Four plays and 4 yards later, Butker converted the field goal.

With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2-0 on their quest for a three-peat following a Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens. They've now vanquished two of their projected top challengers in the AFC.

Tough loss for 0-2 Bengals, who led most of the game

For the Bengals, it was a difficult loss that dropped them to 0-2 after they held a late fourth-quarter lead against the defending Super Bowl champions. They were much improved from last week's stunning loss at home to the New England Patriots. But they weren't good enough to hang on for a win.

Cincinnati scored first with a first-quarter field goal and didn't trail until the Chiefs scored a third-quarter touchdown to take a 17-16 lead. The Bengals countered with a 70-yard touchdown drive that ended with Burrow's second touchdown pass of the day to second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas.

Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt then came up with one of the best plays of the young NFL season with a spectacular one-handed interception of Mahomes to get the ball back for the Bengals with a 22-17 lead and 2:16 remaining in the third quarter.

The interception was the second of the day for Mahomes. But the Bengals couldn't capitalize.

Burrow's fumble shifts momentum

Three plays later, the Chiefs sacked Burrow as he scrambled on third-and-10. Burrow fumbled and cornerback Chamarri Conner scooped it up for a 38-yard touchdown return to put the Chiefs up, 23-22.

Kansas City's 2-point conversion failed, but the Chiefs were back in the lead thanks to the game-shifting play.

Chase's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty stalls Bengals drive

The Bengals responded with a 33-yard field-goal drive to retake the lead, 25-23 on a 53-yard Evan McPherson kick. The drive was stunted by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase for confronting an official to argue a call.

The penalty put Cincinnati in third-and-22 instead of third-and-7. The Bengals didn't get another first down and settled for the field goal.

It wasn't enough to hold on for the the win.

Burrow looks improved from Week 1

If there's a bright side for the Bengals, it's that Burrow looked better after his Week 1 outing raised concerns that he hasn't recovered from offseason wrist surgery. Burrow completed 23 of 36 passes for 258 yards (7.2 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

He had no problems on a 48-yard deep ball to Jermaine Burton in the second half.

The Bengals outgained the Chiefs, 320 yards to 286 as their offense looked considerably better than in last week's 10-point effort against New England.

But questions will continue to swirl around Chase, who was a limited participant in preseason practices after holding in through training camp for a contract extension that he didn't get. Chase's second-half unsportsmanlike penalty was potentially costly for Cincinnati. He finished the game with four catches and 35 yards.

The Bengals will look to get back on track with upcoming games against the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers, who are off to a combined 1-3 start. The Chiefs have a Week 3 road date with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.