Two weeks into the 2024-25 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have brought both of their games down to the wire. Despite their opponents’ efforts, the back-to-back Super Bowl champs have managed to take down the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals to start the year.

Sunday’s victory over Cincinnati, another home matchup, was a thriller. Neither side of the ball put together an elite performance, but Kansas City mustered enough production to get some late stops on defense and get in field goal range on offense. Thanks to Harrison Butker’s long-range kick as time expired, the Chiefs rose to 2-0 and enter Week 3 with plenty of momentum on their side.

With that in mind, let’s point out some of the Chiefs’ biggest winners and losers from the second week of the regular season.

For the second week in a row, wideout Rashee Rice was far and away the Chiefs’ most impressive pass catcher on offense. This time around, the sophomore receiver posted five receptions on six targets for 75 yards. He also scored his first touchdown of the season after beating Cam Taylor-Britt down the field, showcasing a new wrinkle to his game. If Rice can threaten vertically with any sort of regularity, it completely changes his already promising outlook as a player. Week 2 was a nice flash from Rice.

Seeing Patrick Mahomes’s name in this section is about as rare as a solar eclipse. The NFL’s best quarterback played like anything but that against Cincinnati, which seems to be a common theme. It’s hard to tell exactly what knocks Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid off their game when the Bengals take the field, but it’s a trend now. Mahomes threw for just 151 yards, which was his lowest full-game total ever, and posted an ugly -0.19 EPA/play on Sunday fueled by a pair of turnovers. He’ll surely bounce back. He’ll need to after such an uncharacteristic performance.

A game-winning field goal has to be about as pressure-packed of a moment as there is in professional sports. Somehow, Harrison Butker makes those plays look routine. It’s uncommon for just about everyone in the stadium or watching from home to chalk up a 51-yarder as a make, yet that seemed to be the case when the veteran placekicker stepped up on Sunday afternoon. Kicking woes plague teams on several occasions throughout the league every season, although Kansas City doesn’t really have to experience that. When Butker is healthy and available, there may not be anyone better in the sport.

Rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia drew the short straw when he got matched up with Trey Hendrickson this weekend. Folks knew he’d be in for a long day, but seeing him struggle so mightily was still a bit of a shock. The second-round pick surrendered multiple pressures and sacks, also committing costly holding penalties in Week 2. After benching Suamataia late in the fourth quarter, Reid isn’t committing to him as his sure-fire starter for this Sunday. This writer would still lean that he’s back in the lineup, but that being in question is never a good thing.

With each passing game, there becomes more and more of an argument for Trent McDuffie being a top-five cornerback in the NFL. The former first-round selection picked back up where he left off on Sunday, lining up across from Ja’Marr Chase on 17 routes and holding him to one reception for four yards. Joe Burrow didn’t challenge McDuffie much, and for good reason. Regardless of his assignment or alignment, the Washington product simply produces. The Chiefs miss L’Jarius Sneed, sure, but the presence of McDuffie helps mitigate that loss more than most other teams would benefit from.

Let’s preface this by saying it’s still early in the season and from a quality standpoint, Travis Kelce doesn’t look like a diminished player. He’s still capable of being effective and getting open. With that said, four catches for 39 yards in two games is a steep fall from what many have grown to expect from the future Hall of Fame man. On Sunday, he was targeted three times but brought in a lone pass for five yards. Kelce deserves the benefit of the doubt – and likely a few more weeks to get going – but as his 35th birthday approaches, the concern surrounding his lack of production will only grow louder. A big game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 could nip that in the bud.

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