The Chiefs are getting the Bengals at the perfect time

Since drafting quarterback Joe Burrow No. 1 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bengals are 1-7 during the first two weeks of the regular season, their only win coming in Week 1 of the 2021 season in a 27-24 victory over the Vikings.

Burrow will need to be sharper against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs than he's been early in the season throughout his career. In those eight games from Weeks 1-2, Burrow is 197-of-315 (62.5 percent) for 1,818 yards (227.3 yards per game), 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Chiefs have experienced no such misfortune. Since Mahomes became Kansas City's starting quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs are 10-2 in Weeks 1-2, with their only Week 2 loss coming in 2021 in Baltimore by a point, 36-35.

The three-time Super Bowl MVP has been excellent out of the gate. Mahomes is 299-of-432 (69.2 percent) for 3,722 yards (310.2 yards per game), 39 touchdowns and three interceptions in his 12 Week 1 and 2 starts.

Of course, if any team has proven it can weather a slow start in recent years, it's the Bengals. In 2022, they finished the season 8-0 after a 4-4 start. Last year, they won four consecutive after going 1-3 through their first four games and experienced a late-season surge with backup Jake Browning after Burrow's season-ending injury.

But after missing out on the postseason in 2023, Cincinnati should feel more urgency to begin 2024 on the right foot.

Thanks to the NFL schedule, that just became significantly more challenging.