Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking an in-depth look at the Bengals' 2026 opponents. The Bengals host the Kansas City Chiefs in their annual Stripe The Jungle game at Paycor Stadium in Week 14.

2025

Kansas City finished third in the AFC West in 2025 with a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

The Chiefs ranked 21st in points per game (21.3) and 20th in yards per game (320.6) on offense. Two-time MVP QB Patrick Mahomes played and started in 14 games, throwing 22 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL during Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City averaged 214.4 passing yards per game last season, ranking 16th in the league. Veteran TE Travis Kelce led the team with 851 yards receiving.

Kansas City struggled to run the football effectively, averaging 106.6 yards per game, the eighth fewest in the league, and 4.2 yards per carry, the 11th fewest. Kareem Hunt led the team with 611 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, while Mahomes paced the team with 6.6 yards per rush and five rushing touchdowns.

The defense allowed the sixth-fewest points per game in the NFL (19.3) and 10th-fewest yards per game (301.5). LB Nick Bolton ranked seventh in the NFL with 154 combined tackles, while DT Chris Jones led the Chiefs with seven sacks.

Offseason Changes

The Chiefs signed one of the biggest names in free agency in RB Kenneth Walker III. Walker won Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks after carrying the ball 27 times for 135 yards in the 29-13 win over the Patriots. Kansas City gave Walker a three-year deal to improve the run game.

Kansas City also made one of the biggest trades of the offseason, sending CB Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the 29th overall pick and fifth and sixth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2027 draft. It also lost two other members of its secondary via free agency, as CB Jaylen Watson signed with the Rams while S Bryan Cook signed with the Bengals.

The Chiefs spent their first three picks in the draft on the defensive side of the ball, taking LSU CB Mansoor Delane with the ninth overall pick and Clemson DT Peter Woods with the Rams' 29th selection. They also added Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas in the second round.

Coaching Staff

Head coach Andy Reid enters his 14th season as head coach of the Chiefs. A three-time Super Bowl Champion with Kansas City, Reid is the first head coach to become the winningest coach with two different franchises: He has won 149 regular season games with the Chiefs and won 130 regular season games as the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent 14 years.

Kansas City made a change at offensive coordinator as Matt Nagy took the offensive coordinator job with the New York Giants. The Chiefs brought back former coordinator Eric Bieniemy after a three-year hiatus where Bieniemy worked with the Washington Commanders, UCLA and the Chicago Bears. Bieniemy was with the Chiefs from 2013-2022, serving as the offensive coordinator from 2017-2022 and the running backs coach from 2013-2017.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo enters his eighth year overseeing the Kansas City defense. Spagnuolo is the only coordinator in NFL history to win four Super Bowls as a coordinator, winning three with Kansas City and one with the Giants.

Series History

The Bengals and Chiefs have played 35 times in the teams' histories, including twice in the postseason. Cincinnati holds an 18-17 overall advantage, while the two teams have split their postseason matchups, each winning one. The Bengals defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City 27-24 in the 2022 AFC Championship Game to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

What To Watch For

The Chiefs new-look secondary, featuring the rookie Delane, will go up against a Bengals passing attack that ranked sixth in passing yards per game (235.6) last season despite QB Joe Burrow playing in only eight games. Delane will likely draw his LSU counterpart Ja'Marr Chase in coverage, who is coming off a 1,412-yard, eight-touchdown campaign in 2025.