The Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) just wrapped up their season opener at home against an AFC contender and hope to pick up another win in Week 2. On Sunday, the Chiefs host the Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. Arrowhead time.

Week 1 saw some exciting games between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens—and we’ll see even more of that against the Begals. This will be the sixth meeting between these franchises since 2021, including two postseason duels in the AFC Championship.

Cincinnati will also be looking to avoid an 0-2 start after an ugly 16-10 home loss to the New England Patriots. After 10 days off, the Chiefs will be ready to keep their intensity up — and aside from wide receiver Hollywood Brown, no one will be dealing with an injury.

Here are five things to look for in an important early-season battle:

1. Release the pass rush

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Early in Kansas City’s Week 1 win, several Chiefs appeared to be failing to block, with defensive tackles Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton challenging an inexperienced offensive line inside.

But as the game went on—and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson began to sweat—the pressure eased. The Chiefs finished the game with a 23.1% pressure rate, which ranked them 28th among NFL defenses in Week 1.

On Sunday, the strategy should be simpler: disrupt the offensive front and get over blocks quickly. In Week 1, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had the fifth-fastest throw time in the league; he wants to get the ball to his playmakers quickly. It will be up to Jones and Wharton to make it difficult to spot those options up the middle.

Defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will focus on narrowing the pocket from the side. Cincinnati offensive tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown are big players, but both can be vulnerable to quick attacks from the outside.

2. A more balanced attack

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Against the Ravens, the Chiefs were unable to find a good rhythm for their running game. And in their game against the Patriots, the Bengals’ defense allowed New England to control the clock with their running attack, which ran the ball 39 times for 170 yards and a touchdown. Running back Rhammondre Stevenson averaged 4.8 yards on 25 carries; none of those gained more than 17 yards. The Patriots had eight more minutes of possession.

While Kansas City shouldn’t rely as heavily on the running game, Cincinnati’s penetrable front could give Chiefs starting running back Isiah Pacheco more room to maneuver, which could help open up the passing attack even more than it did against Baltimore.

Last year, Pacheco rushed for 130 yards on 18 carries against the Bengals in Week 17. The Bengals’ front seven has barely changed since then.

3. Protect Patrick Mahomes

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In Week 1, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked twice and hit three more times on just 31 dropbacks, according to PFF. That’s his second-fewest number of dropbacks in a game in the last two years.

The Ravens had a talented front line – but they lacked the threat of defensive end Trey Hendrickson that defines Cincinnati. In Week 1, Hendrickson played 94% of his snaps on the left side of the offensive line. That sets him up for a one-on-one matchup with Chiefs rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia.

The Chiefs left Suamataia on an island at times against Baltimore. Some of those plays resulted in a hit on Mahomes. In last year’s matchup against the Bengals, Hendrickson beat then-rookie left tackle Wanya Morris on the perimeter and managed a strip sack that led to a turnover.

Kansas City will need a plan to help Suamataia against the three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. It might be necessary.

4. Coverage strategy

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The biggest threat to Cincinnati’s offense is in the air – if Burrow can get the ball to a top-heavy pass-catching group led by wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. That could be hampered by Higgins’ hamstring injury; he was considered doubtful after missing this week’s training sessions.

In previous seasons, former Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed played a role in limiting their performance. Without him, cornerback Trent McDuffie is expected to face Chase. In Week 1, McDuffie was the primary defender to offset the Ravens’ best receiver, Zay Flowers.

However, Chase is a physically stronger (and more talented) receiver, so defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo could use a more team-oriented approach to contain him — such as cheating a safety to help one of the other cornerbacks cover him.

With that strategy, McDuffie would be on an island against one of the Bengals’ backup receivers: second-year wide receiver Andrei Iosivas or veteran slot receiver Trenton Irwin. He would be expected to shut them down as throwing options on his own.

5. Complete drives

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Kansas City’s offense made the Week 1 win much closer than it needed to be. Two first-half possessions put them in the red zone, but neither resulted in a touchdown. The team punted from Baltimore territory in the third quarter — and then failed to put the game away on its final possession.

Part of that can be attributed to three dropped passes by Mahomes, according to PFF. (Personally, I think it might be four.) But that wasn’t the only problem. The lack of pass protection ruined a few third-down attempts — which only happened because the running game wasn’t much help on first downs.

Last year, Kansas City finished the season ranked 17th in red zone touchdowns. This is a facet of the game where the Chiefs have sometimes been elite—the team ranked second in 2022—so it will be important to watch their progress in this area.