KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Butker walked alone to the center line after each quarter Sunday to check the direction of the wind that often swirls at Arrowhead Stadium. He did so one last time during the 2-minute warning, when his Chiefs trailed the Bengals by two points and were about to set him up for a game-winning field goal attempt.

When Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense did just that, aided by a pass interference call against Cincinnati safety Daijah Anthony on fourth down in the final minute, Butker re-entered the field as Chiefs fans began to cheer.

He rarely misses his target. And this time they hadn’t expected it.

With supernatural calm, Butker converted the 45-meter throw as time expired and gave Kansas City the 26-25 victory.

“I try to block it out,” Butker said of the crowd noise. “It’s hard not to get caught up in it, but I try to block it out. What I don’t like is when you trot out onto the field and everyone’s clapping and I think, ‘The game’s not over. I still have to make that kick.'”

Patrick Mahomes threw for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but it was his incomplete pass intended for Rashee Rice on fourth-and-16 from the Kansas City 35-yard line that proved decisive. Anthony arrived a split second too early and body-hiked Rice from behind, and with 38 seconds left, the flags flew to keep the Chiefs in the game.

The penalty came shortly after Kansas City wiped out a big lead on the fourth attempt with a penalty of its own.

The pass interference forced the Chiefs to return to Cincinnati’s 36-yard line and ran a few more plays to run down the clock for the big-legged Butker. Butker turned around and left the field before his kick went through the goal posts.

“You know, that’s one of the plays that we could benefit from at some point this season. I told the guys that,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of the pass interference call. “You say what you see. I thought they called a very fair play, and they saw that as a penalty. So they called a penalty.”

Joe Burrow threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, both to Andrei Iosivas, as the Bengals (0-2) fell to one of their biggest nemesis for the third straight season, including a loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.

Chamarri Conner returned a fumble for a 37-yard touchdown for the Chiefs, and big offensive tackle Wanya Morris – who took the final-minute penalty that nearly cost them the win – caught a touchdown on a day full of bizarre plays.

It was Kansas City’s second win, which was decided in the last game after the 27-20 victory over Baltimore on opening night.

“We’ve played two great football games in the last two weeks against teams we played in the AFC championship game,” Mahomes said. “We’re going to iron out the mistakes, especially on offense. That starts with me. And we’re going to be a better team because of it.”

The Chiefs struggled in their first game with Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, who had nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. And with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins out with a hamstring injury, Burrow relied heavily on his own tight ends – Drew Sample, Mike Gesicki and rookie Erick All Jr. – to power an offense that never got going last weekend against New England.

Sample and Gesicki accounted for most of the yards on an opening drive that resulted in a field goal. A few minutes later, after Mahomes was intercepted by Akeem Davis-Gaither, Alls caught to help set up Iosivas’ touchdown reception.

Mahomes eventually made up for the interception by finding Rice over the outstretched fingers of Cam Taylor-Britt and completing a 44-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, but otherwise Andy Reid’s potent offense was stuck in neutral, trailing 16-10 at halftime.

All this and all the mischief was just beginning.

The Chiefs took the lead early in the second half when Mahomes threw a pass to fellow 310-pound tackle-ready Morris for a touchdown. The Bengals answered on fourth-and-goal when Burrow connected with Iosivas for a second time, only to see Burrow get the ball stripped a few minutes later and Conner returned the fumble 37 yards for another touchdown.

Evan McPherson’s fourth field goal gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead with 5:12 left and their defense got the ball back. But the Chiefs forced a punt with 2:59 left and gave Mahomes and Co. the chance to decide the game.

Unsportsmanlike conduct

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter. Chase was stopped short of the first down marker on second-and-11 and appeared upset that no flag was thrown on a hip-drop tackle. He ran right into the face of referee Alex Kemp, who threw the flag. This forced a third-and-22 attempt at the Chiefs’ 45-yard line, and after a pass to Gesicki that traveled 10 yards, McPherson kicked the field goal that gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead.

“It’s pretty clear. It’s just insulting a referee,” Kemp said. “I’m not going to repeat what he said, but there was no interpretation of the language he used. Just insulting.”

In the locker room after the game, Chase refused to talk about the penalty and said only: “It’s not a nice feeling to lose.”

“It’s OK to be emotional,” Taylor said. “I can’t see everything that’s being said or done, so it’s better if I don’t comment on it.”

Injuries

Bengals: DT BJ Hill (hamstring) left the field in the second quarter. DT Sheldon Rankins (hamstring) left the field in the fourth.

Chiefs: RB Isiah Pacheco left the stadium at the last minute and was seen using walkers and crutches as he left the stadium. Reid did not provide any further details other than to say he would undergo tests on Monday.

Next

Cincinnati returns home on September 23 to play against Washington.

Kansas City travels to Atlanta on Sunday night.

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