It didn’t take long for the Kansas City Chiefs to establish their game plan against the number six defense in the NFL. They baited the New Orleans Saints to focus on the run before Patrick Mahomes went to work. It was his best game of the year, resulting in a 26-13 victory.
I know the score didn’t show it, but this was a complete domination over the number six defense in football. The two stars of the game were JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had 130 yards in the air on seven catches and a spectacular 50-yard strike that put the Chiefs in scoring position, and Kareem Hunt, who pounded the rock for 102 yards and a touchdown while adding 15 yards in the air. The unlikely Batman and Robin combo made the most of their opportunities Monday Night.
While Patrick Mahomes had another turnover and no passing touchdowns, he did account for 331 yards in the air and another 22 yards on the ground. This puts him at six touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. His interception wasn’t his fault. He was pushing a quick slant to Smith-Schuster in the end zone, and it bounced out of his hands into former Chief Khalen Saunders’s hands, who rumbled for a 37-yard return.
The Kansas City defense held the former number-one offense and Derek Carr to 220 yards and 13 points. Alvin Kamara never got anything going in the running game, with the Chiefs holding him to 26 yards rushing, and the rest of the team only had another 20 yards rushing. Carr got two touchdowns through the air, going 18-28 for 165 yards and one pick. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is quietly beginning to look like a top 5 unit.
Nick Bolton was a beast with 11 combined tackles for the third consecutive game. The rest of the unit executed Spags defense to a tee as they fired off timely blitzes. The constant pressure they put on Carr and the Saint’s offensive line continually hurried the Saint’s efforts to find consistency. Carr was hit nine times, sacked once, and had four passes defended. Spags group is elevating their play more and more every week. After the bye week, they should return healthier and refreshed for the rest of the season.
The continuing issue is the red zone performance of this offense. They went 2 for seven on trips within the 20-yard line. If they connected on any of their tries, the score would have been a ridiculous rout. But, alas, that wasn’t the case. Once again, the reliance on the right foot of Harrison Butker, going 4 of 5 for 12 points, was almost too much. He missed a 51-yarder that bounced off the right side upright in the third quarter. Andy Reid and Matt Nagy need to get this thing sorted out.
The offensive line is shaky on the ends. Jawaan Taylor remains a penalty magnet, pushing the offense into unnecessary positions they must dig out of. Wanya Morris is a temp at left tackle. He gave up the sack again and got shaken up a little. Kingsley Suamataia subbed in for the series, but he was leaky. Watching Mahomes running for his life should not be a regular occurrence. Brett Veach needs help from some veteran. Donovan Smith and David Bakhtiari are still available. This unit is still in the league’s top half, sitting at number 14.
While staying undefeated is no easy task in the NFL, this does feel tenuous. Something doesn’t feel right about the offense. I know the broad receiver issue would be the direct culprit, but the team that thoroughly dominated nearly every statistical category would have scored 50 or more points. I’m not sure if Mahomes is not trusting himself or not trusting his weapons or something completely different. I do know that maybe the Kansas City Chiefs need to take a beat and re-evaluate their approach.
It may just be as simple as trusting the offensive line to do its job. Getting forced out of the box gives Mahomes happy feet. Sometimes, it works, and other times, it doesn’t. It just can’t be on nearly every snap. Andy Heck may need to redefine his method to get to his tackle group.
Even though this version of the Chiefs has flaws, it will be easy to get right. Andy Reid is a master at turning dirt into gold. He is continually assessing his teaching approach. He will find another way to get the message across and, with determination, ensure it is correctly received and executed.
In the meantime, the Kansas City Chiefs, with a “whole-team” system, continue to win. It’s not necessarily flashy or pretty, but they keep doing it. The mantra “Whatever It Takes” is the operative here, and the Chiefs are doing it every week.
