The Cincinnati Bengals head to Kansas City for a highly anticipated matchup with the reigning world champions at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

CBS picked this Week 2 matchup as its game of the week and secured the 4:25 p.m. window for a reason. The previous meetings between the Bengals and Chiefs have been highly entertaining games, mostly due to the quarterback play.

Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes is one of the better head-to-head quarterback matchups the NFL can offer.

Sunday’s contest marks the sixth time the Bengals have faced the Chiefs in four years. In the most recent meeting between the teams in 2023, Joe Burrow was sidelined with his wrist injury.

For Cincinnati to rebound from its 0-1 start, Burrow needs to play well to give his team a chance against a talented Chiefs team. Kansas City opened the season with a 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Here’s what the Bengals must do to beat the Chiefs:

Bengals must tackle better against Chiefs’ speedy offensive weapons

If there’s anyone who understands how complex and difficult Kansas City’s offense is to go up against, it’s defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. He also knows the recipe to beat the Chiefs.

Wide receiver Rashee Rice and running back Isaiah Pacheco combined for 257 yards of the Chiefs’ 373 yards of total offense in the Bengals’ Week 17 loss last season.

The Chiefs went out and added another weapon to pair with Rice and Paccheco in first-round pick Xaviery Worthy who ran a 4.21 40-yard dash at the combine last year. He gives the Chiefs’ offense an element of speed they haven’t had since Tyreek Hill left.

“Speed,” Anarumo said of what Worthy gives the Chiefs on offense. “They are kind of getting back to that where they all can go. That’s what they have been. That’s what they have always been. He just adds that element of speed.”

For the Bengals to keep Kansas City’s offense in check, they must tackle far better than they did against the Patriots. Anarumo said the Bengals had 14 missed tackles in the loss to New England and if that happens against the Chiefs, it will be a long day for Cincinnati’s defense.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow needs to let it fly

The Bengals will likely have to score 30 points to beat the Chiefs. Kansas City has one of, if not the best offenses in football. They’re going to score points. Cincinnati’s offense needs to show they can still be the explosive offense we’ve seen in year’s past to have a chance to hang with the Chiefs.

Burrow and the Bengals’ coaching staff have made it pretty clear their Week 1 performance on offense wasn’t acceptable. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will be a full-go this week but it’s unlikely Tee Higgins will play. Burrow now has one full game under his belt this season.

Cincinnati’s offense needs to put stress on the Chiefs defense and that starts with the Burrow-Chase connection. Chase is one of the most competitive players in the Bengals’ locker room and always gets up for important games like this.

It was bizarre to see Burrow look so hesitant in the pocket against the Patriots and not attempt a pass over 30 yards. To even have a chance of knocking off the Chiefs on their home turf, the Bengals must come alive on offense.

Don’t let Chiefs pass rusher Chris Jones wreck the game

This is a key to the game every time the Bengals play the Chiefs because Jones is capable of disrupting the offense. Jones recorded 53 hurries, 23 hits and 10.5 sacks last season for the Chiefs.

He’s one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL and in order for the Bengals to give Burrow a chance to create explosive plays, they must protect well against Jones.

Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said Jones is one of the “most challenging defenders” to prepare for in all of football. Jones played a significant role in Kansas City’s Week 1 win over Baltimore with five quarterback hurries and one sack.

Jones won’t make it easy, but the Bengals must not let him wreck the game.

“When you have an interior player that is that dynamic, sometimes that even poses you more challenges than an edge player that's that dynamic because of the tools that are available to you schematically to try to help there's ways to do it, and we'll figure out how,” Pitcher said of Jones. “But excellent player and he really makes their unit go."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What the Bengals must do to beat the Chiefs on Sunday