2 winners and 2 losers from Bengals Week 2 loss to Chiefs

Another year, another 0-2 start to the season for Cincinnati. The Bengals were almsot able to pull off an upset over the rival Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, but ultimately they fell a little short.

A tough pass interference penalty followed by a last-second field goal from Harrison Butker gave the Chiefs a 26-25 win, and left Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow feeling very frustrated. This is now the third consecutive year that the Bengals have dropped their first two games of the season.

Despite the outcome, some guys played well for Cincinnati. Some others struggled. Here's a look at a pair of winners and a pair of losers from the loss to Kansas City.

2 winners from Bengals Week 2 loss to Chiefs

Andrei Iosivas, Wide receiver

There was a lot of hype about second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas coming into the season, but he was largely a non-factor in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. That changed against the Chiefs, as Iosivas proved to be a major factor in the game.

Iosivas only had two catches in the contest, but they were both touchdown grabs. It was the second multi-touchdown game of his career. He also had two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns last season. Had the Bengals ultimately been able to pull out the win over the Chiefs, Iosivas' point production would have been a big part of the reason why. While guys like Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Gesicki and ultimately Tee Higgins will draw most of the attention from defenses in the Red Zone, Iosivas showed that he can be a reliable target for Joe Burrow in that area.

Mike Gesicki, Tight end

Mike Gesicki was one of Cincinnati's top offseason additions. The Bengals brought him in to be a top target for Burrow, and that's exactly what he was against Kansas City. He led Cincinnati with nine targets, seven receptions and 91 yards. Overall, it was a much more productive performance than he had in Week 1 when he had just three grabs for 18 yards.

Cincinnati clearly wanted to establish him early on against Kansas City, and it worked well, as he consistently helped the team move the ball down the field. Gesicki will continue to be a big factor for Cincinnati's offense moving forward, and when Tee Higgins returns it will be very difficult for opposing defenses to guard the trio of Higgins, Chase and Gesicki.

2 losers for Cincinnati

Ja'Marr Chase, Wide receiver

After an underwhelming Week 1 performance against the Patriots, Chase had an even more underwhelming showing against the Chiefs that consisted of just four catches for 35 yards. You know it's a rough day when Chase's most memorable moment from the game was being flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Through two games, the three-time Pro Bowler has a total of just 11 targets. Moving forward, the Bengals simply have to do a better job of getting Chase involved in the offense. There's no reason that a player that talented should only have 10 receptions for 97 yards and no touchdowns after a pair of contests. Maybe that means Chase being more assertive out on the field, or maybe it means a tweak to the game plan.

Daijahn Anthony, Safety

Rookie safety Daijahn Anthony had a rough outing against Kansas City. First, he was called for illegal contact on Travis Kelce -- a penalty that nullified an interception on the play. Then, with the game basically hanging in the balance in the closing minutes, Anthony was called for pass interference on Raheem Rice on a fourth-and-16 with the Chiefs trailing by two.

If the Bengals had gotten a successful stop on the play, they would have won the game. Instead, Anthony's error gave the Chiefs a fresh set of downs which they used to convert a game-winning field goal.

Anthony will receive a lot of blame for the loss, and understandably so, but the coaching staff also deserves some blame for having an inexperienced rookie on the field in that situation. Anthony is listed as a third-string safety on Cincinnati's official depth chart, and the team wasn't dealing with any major injury issues at the position, so having him in there was a questionable call that unfortunately backfired.