The Cincinnati Bengals are one of just a handful of NFL teams who still have the dreaded "winless" tag applied to them, as their 0-2 start featured a brutal home loss against a very bad New England Patriots team and a loss by the skin of their teeth against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Kansas City loss was very painful for Bengals fans to swallow. Just when it looked like they had the Chiefs dead to rights on fourth down, seventh-round rookie defensive back Daijahn Anthony committed a very tough pass interference infraction that helped the Chiefs get into position for a game-winning Harrison Butker dagger.
The Bengals can rationalize the idea of losing to Kansas City in that the Anthony play was a clear penalty. However, Cincinnati was handed a giant middle finger from the league when they saw the Atlanta Falcons end up on the wrong end of the Chiefs' pass interference luck.
A Kirk Cousins touchdown pass attempt intended for Kyle Pitts was broken up by safety Bryan Cook. However, anyone with an IQ roughly in the double digits could see that Cook had his back turned to Cousins when he tried to make a play on the ball. If the play was called correctly, this would have been a clear pass interference call against the Chiefs.
Bengals fans insulted by referees after blatant missed DPI in Chiefs game
Kansas City is starting to take on many of the characteristics of the Tom Brady Patriots, including winning close games against elite opponents and getting a few generous calls from the referees at inopportune times. Even on the road, the KC whistle is powerful.
Even with the Bengals starting off 0-2 and the Chiefs looking much less dominant than they have in past seasons, Cincinnati had proven themselves to be the team best equipped to give Kansas City hell. However, even Joe Burrow’s best game can’t beat officiating like that.
The Chiefs are good enough on their own. Patrick Mahomes remains the best of the best, the defense is exceptional, and the defense remains one of the best in the game. They don't need officiating giving them extra boosts like this, especially when calls are incredibly obvious.
For the next few days, Bengals and Falcons fans can be united in their hatred of referees that oversee Chiefs games. The Bengals will need to wait until the postseason to get another crack at them.