After nearly losing 25-23, the Kansas City Chiefs managed to pull out a last-minute win in their Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, 26-25.

What happened?

The Chiefs survived another one day of turnover — and a questionable early decision. It was bad, but it wasn’t all bad.

Before Sunday’s game, Kansas City had a to win 19-16 record since 2018 when to lose the battle for revenue during the regular season — a impossible statistic that points to the greatness of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, as well as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

There’s a reason the statistic is so impressive. To put it into perspective, since 2013The Chiefs are 27-32 when they lose the turnover battle. The closest team is the Baltimore Ravens, who are 24-42 in the same span.

It just shouldn’t be this way. Turnovers should cost you the game more often than not — and on Sundays almost did.

Mahomes had two interceptions and fullback Carson Steele fumbled — and those turnovers led to 10 points for the Bengals. Ultimately, the Chiefs kept finding a way. They remain the cockroaches that never go away — and it’s easy to see how that frustrates other teams.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase took an unexplained unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, one that kept Kansas City in the game. Mahomes and kicker Harrison Butker found a way to take care of the rest.

I’m not one to disagree with one of the greatest head coaches of all time, but I’m not sure why Reid chose to kick a field goal from the 1-yard line early in the game. The field goal set a passive tone for the day, and the Chiefs were fortunate to overcome the lethargic, sloppy attempts that followed.

But there were highlights, too. This victory wouldn’t have been possible without the play of wide receiver Rashee Rice, running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive backs Trent McDuffie and Chamarri Conner — and the defense as a whole — to give the Chiefs the ball back for one last try.

It seems the opposition is focusing on the middle defence, and Kingsley Suamataia had a tough day.

An early theme of concern is developing. It involves the middle of Kansas City’s defense. Last week, the Chiefs gave up 125 yards to the Ravens’ tight ends, including 111 yards to Isaiah Likely.

That trend continued Sunday. The Chiefs gave up 151 yards to tight ends, demonstrating their inability to cover the intermediate middle with linebackers. Many will point to linebacker Nick Bolton as the scapegoat — and rightfully so — but the reality is there will be no cavalry.

Opponents will continue to challenge the Chiefs there until Spagnuolo finds a solution that allows the second tier to play better.

On the other side of the ball, it was a tough outing for rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia, who was replaced late in the game by Wanya Morris. Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is one of the best in the game, so those rookie growing pains can happen. One storyline to follow is how the Chiefs respond to that situation heading into next Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

A victory is a victory.

With Butker’s clutch 51-yard field goal to win the game with no time left on the clock, an expected week-long panic surrounding the Chiefs suddenly changed. Now they’re undeniable.

Both sentiments could – and should – be true.

Kansas City deserves credit for continuing to pull off these ugly wins. The best teams find a way. But it’s not nearly as likely to win three games if it plays sloppy football every week — and that’s a fact.

So now it’s back to basics, a basic that is much more digestible at 2-0 instead of 1-1.