Chiefs report: Butker’s 51-yard game-winner delivers Chiefs win vs. Bengals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last week, it was by Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe, which came down out of bounds, and this week it was by kicker Harrison Butker’s toe, which delivered the game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired.

The result both times was the same: the Kansas City Chiefs won.

There was an air of inevitability inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium when the Chiefs got the ball back with 2:35 remaining, trailing by two points against the rival Cincinnati Bengals.

Patrick Mahomes hadn’t had a great day. He only had 138 passing yards and two interceptions when the drive began.

But it was Mahomes, right? This is what he does — make magic.

In this case, it was erased and then aided by the officials, but that’s how it goes in the fierce Bengals-Chiefs rivalry.

It wasn’t vintage Mahomes Magic, but it was enough for Kansas City to escape with a 26-25 win despite losing the turnover battle 3-1, converting only 1 of 8 third downs and managing only 286 yards of total offense.

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“Obviously, we feel like we can get a lot better,” Mahomes said.

Despite that proclamation, the Chiefs survived a tough opening salvo from the NFL schedule-makers to go 2-0 with wins against Baltimore and Cincinnati — the teams they've faced in each of the last two AFC Championship Games en route to back-to-back Super Bowl wins.

Mahomes’ 21-yard completion to Rashee Rice on fourth-and-6 was erased by a penalty against backup left tackle Wanya Morris, but his lob to Rice on fourth-and-16 drew a defensive pass interference that put Kansas City in field-goal range.

“I knew it was going to be contested, but you’ve got to put the ball up and Rashee did a great job of trying to get the ball,” Mahomes said of the pass that drew the flag. “I haven’t seen the replay or anything, but it seemed like the dude was there early and we got the flag.”

Butker did the rest, calmly blasting through his second field goal of the game and the fourth game-winner on the final play of regulation or in overtime during his career.

TARGETING TAYLOR-BRITT: Cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt was among the Bengals players who took shots at the Chiefs through the media during the week.

When asked what rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who scored twice in his NFL debut against Baltimore, brought to Kansas City’s offense, Taylor-Britt offered a fairly unflattering assessment.

“Speed, that’s about it,” Taylor-Britt said. “He can run straight — run jet sweeps and just run straight. He can’t do too much else.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and play-caller Andy Reid apparently took notice.

While it wasn’t a throw to Worthy, Mahomes roasted Taylor-Britt for a 44-yard touchdown to Rashee Rice early in the second quarter.

He dropped a perfectly weighted throw deep down the sideline, tying the game at 10-10, at the time, and fulfilling ESPN analyst Bart Scott’s prophecy.

Scott questioned the wisdom of “poking the bear,” suggesting that Mahomes and Reid would take note of Taylor-Britt’s disrespectful comments and “make him famous.”

Mahomes, who finished 18 of 25 for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, said the backside safety pinched inside to take away the deep post to Travis Kelce.

“That’s what got my eyes to Rashee, and then he won against a great corner,” Mahomes said.

The TD pass was Mahomes’ first of 40-plus yards since he connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 46-yard score early in a win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 7 last season.

It’s also the longest touchdown catch of Rice’s career.

Taylor-Britt got a measure of revenge on the final play of the third quarter with a ridiculous one-handed interception as Mahomes tried to force a pass down the sideline on another go route.

Mahomes threw at least four touchdowns of 40-plus yards in each of his first five seasons as a starter, but he only had one during the 2023 season, including the playoffs.

Including postseason play, he had seven TD passes of 40-plus yards in 2018, 10 in 2019, six in 2020, four in 2021 and six in 2022.

SHORT-YARDAGE STEELE: Twice on the Chiefs’ opening drive, the offense had one yard to go and Reid opted to hand off to rookie fullback Carson Steele.

Both times, he converted en route to a game-tying field goal.

Steele wasn’t used the next two drives and fumbled on Kansas City’s penultimate drive of the first half, but Reid went back to the undrafted training camp star from UCLA in the third quarter.

After Isiah Pacheco got stuffed on third-and-1, the Chiefs showed a wishbone look with Steele at tailback. He plowed off left guard for 5 yards to keep the drive going.

Reed Hoffmann/AP

Steele converted another second-and-2 as Kansas City approached the end zone, but Reid went with some trickery on second-and-goal from the Cincinnati 1-yard line.

The Chiefs motioned back into a wishbone formation, but Mahomes faked the handoff and instead lobbed a touchdown pass to Wanya Morris, a tackle-eligible tight end who leaked out the backside and easily evaded safety Vonn Bell.

“Coach Reid dialed it up at the right time,” Mahomes said.

Morris said it was first first touchdown since high school — and admitted that he was nervous when he heard the play call in the huddle.

“I was just telling myself, ‘OK, don't be nervous,'" Morris said. "If the cameras are on me, I tried to make it look mad discreet, just try not to give it away.”

MORRIS MAKES SWEET MUSIC: Morris, who is famously named for the Boyz II Men crooner of the same name, broke into a dance worthy of a 90s-era R&B boy band after the touchdown.

“[Wide receivers] Xavier (Worthy) and Rashee (Rice), man — they've been doing that dance all week, so I just took it from them, took some advice from them," Morris said.

Rice gave Morris' dance a "10 of 10."

Charlie Riedel/AP

“He did great,” Rice said. “I’m not going to lie. That's my boy. I'm proud of him. That's actually our handshake, so I'm happy he got to do our little dance in front of everybody.”

Mahomes has now thrown touchdowns to three offensive linemen in his career.

He tossed a 2-yard TD to former left tackle Eric Fisher on a September 2020 game at Baltimore and a 1-yard touchdown to former guard Nick Allegretti during an AFC Wild Card win against Pittsburgh during the 2021 NFL playoffs.

DEFENSE GIVES UP EARLY POINTS AGAIN: Last season, Kansas City’s defense only gave up points on the opening drive once at home — a field goal during a Week 17 win against Cincinnati at home.

But the Chiefs have coughed up points on the first drive in both home games to kick off the 2024 season.

Baltimore got a touchdown in Week 1 on its first possession and Cincinnati netted a field goal on its first drive Sunday.

Kansas City only allowed points on an opponent’s opening drive five times in 21 games, including the playoffs, last season.

It’s already happened twice in 2024.

INJURY REPORT: Running back Isiah Pacheco (ankle) was having X-rays and tests performed on his ankle after limping off the field on the Chiefs’ final drive.

“I don’t have anything for you, exactly what it is,” Reid said.

Pacheco finished the game with 19 carries for 90 and also caught five passes for another 21 yards in the win.

He left the stadium Sunday with a walking boot on his right foot and using crutches.

That was the only injury Reid noted after the game.

WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?: Duh, of course, she was — and she’s become something of a good-luck charm.

Kansas City’s off to a 2-0 start and she’s been at both games.

Ed Zurga/AP

The Chiefs went 10-3, including the playoffs, in games Swift attended last season and only went 5-3 when she wasn’t around.

Kansas City’s now 12-3 when Swift attends in person, which she’s done regularly since she started dating Travis Kelce last year.

With her Eras Tour in the middle of a two-month break, Swift probably will attend a few more games before she hits the road again in mid-October.

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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.