Your Kansas City Chiefs finally got back in the win column after beating the New York Jets 35-12 at Arrowhead on Sunday. The start was as ugly as it could be, and there were some ball security issues and short yardage challenges. But the home team eventually remembered how to put on a complete game. They ran the ball, played great defense, limited penalties and Mahomes got the ball into the playmakers’ hands to pile up the YAC. This is the formula for each of the team’s six victories.
Here are a few that stood out on Sunday, for better or worse.
Running back Kenneth Walker III: Ken passed for three touchdowns and 143 yards from scrimmage; the Chiefs scored 35 points. It’s as simple as that: start Walker, win football games.
Running back Emmett Johnson: Number 10 continues his streak, breaking tackles on every play and scoring his second career touchdown. The Chiefs appear to have a complementary back who can help carry the load without sacrificing explosiveness.
Left guard Kingsley Suamataia: Correlation may not be causation, but the fact is that Kingsley was back as a starter on the same day both running backs were on the winning roster. He caught some highlights against the Jets in the running game and on screens, including Kenneth Walker’s touchdown. Maybe having the starting left guard in the game is a good idea.
Defensive end George Karlaftis: George remained furious on Sunday – he was everywhere, with two sacks, six tackles and a pass defensed. Three of those tackles resulted in a loss, forcing the Jets offense to (literally) take a step back in the third quarter. Honorable mention to Ashton Gillotte, who also had a solid game and a quarterback sack.
Defensive lineman Chris Jones: The CEO is back in the office – it wasn’t just the two sackings, but there was a different level of pocket crushing and blowing up this week than we’ve seen. Chris Jones got to the quarterback from the inside and outside, made a tackle for loss and a batted pass. This defense works much better when he uses offensive guards for sleds.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: It was a solid day for Mahomes – 23 of 31 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. But it’s the toughness that people will remember from this match. Somehow, after getting his throwing arm mangled on a stripper bag, he didn’t miss a single play. He then led several touchdowns and took several big hits without worrying about his body.
Tight end Travis Kelce: With question marks all over the receivers room and a disastrous start to the game, Mahomes reverted to the old reliable self. Kelce had four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, including a 38-yard catch-and-run.
The stealthy QB: One attempt, one fumble, no first down, a sarcastic head coach post-game: that’s a 90% or better conversion chance for most teams. Why is it so difficult for the Chiefs?
Quarterback Justin Fields, Center Creed Humphrey, Kick returner Cyrus Allen: Each of these guys was responsible for a fumble this week. With Mahomes’ two strip sacks, that’s five times the Chiefs have put the ball on the ground. Luckily, they got four back – but the sloppy play started from the opening kickoff and could have cost them the game.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: Another injury on an otherwise decent day. Worthy finished with six catches for 48 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. It wasn’t a good sign that the Chiefs were in desperate need of a wide receiver before — they might want to add more than one now.
Kicker Harrison Butker: The Chiefs didn’t need field goals to win this one, but Butker missed his only attempt – twice. As expected, it was wide from 56, then from 51 after a Jets penalty. The team would actually lose some available cap space if they had to cut their highly paid kicker, but the investment might be worth it.
Note: The application of “loser” labels is not a judgment on the talent or character of any of these individuals. It’s just a simple way to rate their job performance in one game. No disrespect is intended.
Gn sports
