Up next for Chiefs: Three reasons for the Cincinnati Bengals’ season-opening loss

Does this sound familiar?

An AFC North team whose season was ended by the Chiefs is coming to Kansas City. That was the case in the NFL Kickoff Game with the Baltimore Ravens, and it’s also true for this Sunday’s game.

Cincinnati will be at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the place where the Bengals were officially eliminated from the playoff race last December. They opened the season Sunday by losing 16-10 to the New England Patriots in Cincinnati.

Here are three things to know about that loss ahead of the Chiefs-Bengals game, which is at 3:25 p.m. Sunday on KCTV (Ch. 5).

1. Run over

New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 120 yards in 25 carries on Sunday, an average of 4.8 yards per tote. The Bengals gave up two rushing first downs on the Patriots’ final possession, allowing them to run out the clock.

The Bengals had trouble tackling Stevenson as you can see here when the Patriots were in run-only mode.

2. Turning over

The Bengals lost just two fumbles during the 2023 season. On Sunday, they fumbled three times and lost two of them.

Cincinnati’s worst turnover came on a fumble at the goal line by tight end Tanner Hudson. It appeared he was going to score a touchdown, instead New England got the ball.

“We lost the turnover battle essentially 3-0,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters after the game, as he included a dropped interception by his team. “ And we missed a lot of tackles that led to 170 yards rushing. No recipe in that style of game to be able to win. It’s very clear.”

3. Receiver issues

Wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring) missed Sunday’s game, and Ja’Marr Chase had just 62 yards receiving on six catches after missing much of training camp as he seeks a new contract.

Chase told reporters he was dealing with the effects of food poisoning and blamed the loss on the turnover deficit.

“We’re pros,” Chase said. “We’ve got to forget about it and move on to the next week.”

CBS Sports’ J.J. Watt, the former Texans star, said a player holding out can affect a team.

“We can talk all the time, players in the locker room: Are you distracted by this contract talk?” Watt said Sunday on the postgame show, per the Enquirer. “Are you distracted by that? Everybody can stand up in front of you and say no, no, no. The truth is, you hear it. It doesn’t matter if you can say all the right things. You do hear it. And it does affect you.

“And you haven’t been on the practice field together doing all those things. There’s no doubt that affects you. Now is that something you can clear up in the next two to three weeks and be fine for the rest of the season? Sure. But this is the NFL. There’s only 17 games.”

Higgins is hopeful to return for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.