The KC Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals meet again Sunday. Here’s what to watch for

On the day the Chiefs would defeat the Baltimore Ravens in their season opener, word spread of a contract extension for tight end Noah Gray.

That evening, Gray had one of the most productive games of his three-plus seasons as a pro, with three receptions for 37 yards.

Coincidence? Not according to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who marvels as Gray’s versatility as a receiver and blocker.

“To be able to do both of them really well, I think stands him apart from other guys in this league,” Nagy said. “On top of that, you hear me talk about the trust factor of guys being in the right spot at the right time: I’m not sure if there another player on this team that really is at the right spot at the right within this offense (more) than Noah.”

Gray also gets more than half the snaps on special teams.

Oh, and he plays behind Travis Kelce.

The three-year, $18 million contract to which Gray agreed last week includes a $6 million signing bonus. The fifth-round pick from Duke joins center Creed Humphrey as Chiefs from the 2021 draft class who have recently signed extensions.

“I’m just grateful to be sticking around and having fun with the boys,” Gray said. “Grateful to be in the situation, be in Kansas City. We love the organization, love the people here, the fans ... From top to bottom it’s world class.”

Gray enters Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals with 66 career receptions. And more than half of those (34) have gone for a first down. He also has four touchdown receptions and a 75% catch rate.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said before the season that he expects Gray’s usage to grow.

“He’s a guy that I think we want to feature a little bit more,” Veach said.

Gray’s off to a good start.

Here’s who and what else to watch when the Chiefs and Bengals clash on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead with a 3:25 p.m. kickoff (CBS):

Chiefs player to watch: wide receiver Xavier Worthy

What will he do for an encore? Worthy flashed his star power in the Week 1 victory over the Ravens when two of his three touches went for touchdowns.

And now that Marquise “Hollywood” Brown expects to be out for a longer period than originally anticipated, Worthy figures to become a lasting piece of the offense. Not that Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is all that impressed.

“Speed, that’s about it,” Taylor-Britt told reporters in assessing Worthy’s skill-set. “He can run straight — run jet-sweeps and just run straight. He can’t do too much else, so that’s about it.”

Bengals player to watch: Defensive end Trey Hendrickson

The Bengals’ top defender is coming off a 17 1/2-sack season, including one against the Chiefs in last season’s game in Kansas City.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was sacked twice by the Ravens, with one of those allowed by left tackle Kingsley Suamataia. The rookie from BYU will face some of the NFL’s top edge rushers this season, and that’s the case on Sunday.

But the Bengals also have to better against the run than they were in their opening-game loss to the Patriots. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and helped New England control the game.

Special teams: Chiefs’ kickoff coverage

Last week, the Chiefs elected to put all of their kickoffs into the end zone. But the plan wasn’t necessarily to induce a Ravens touchback, said special teams coordinator Dave Toub.

“We were just trying to put it in the end zone,” Toub said. “They have the decision either to come out with it or take a touchback, so we put the decision on them.”

The Ravens didn’t bring out any of Harrison Butker’s six kickoffs and started each possession at the 30. Toub said KC’s kickoff-rule strategy will change by game.

“Every game, every week will be different depending on who we’re playing and how much we respect the return team,” Toub said. “I mean how much we see scheme-wise, where they’re lining up, how we can attack them. So it’s going to be different every week. That’s what makes it so exciting for me.”