Chiefs get back in win column against Patriots
Tyler Brown
While similar issues that have plagued the Chiefs occurred once again, the Kansas City Chiefs (9-5) strung together enough offense to thoroughly outplay and defeat the New England Patriots (3-11).
Sure, the Patriots came in as the only AFC team eliminated from playoff contention, but in terms of yards per game, they came into the matchup with a top-10 defense and the Chiefs were able to control the ball for most of the day. For the first time since week seven against the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to tallie more than 300 yards as Kanas City took care of New England, 27-17.
Coming into the matchup Kansas City had lost two games in a row, four of their last six and were slipping in the AFC standings. They currently sit at the third seed in the AFC after the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins won this week. Head coach Andy Reid praised nearly everyone involved for their focus this week, following several weeks of sloppy play. He credited Mahomes for keeping the tempo up in practice and holding his teammates accountable.
“When you’re as close as the AFC is right now, wins are hard to get and you better enjoy each one,” Reid said. “They’re very important, and so this one, no different than that because of the situation. I like the way some of the guys approached this thing and leaders stepped up and did a nice job, and I mentioned Spags [Steve Spagnuolo] and Nags [Matt Nagy] on the offensive side, Dave Toub, their leadership was important at this time, and they did a good job with it.”
With tight end Travis Kelce mustering just 26 yards, Mahomes needed a pass-catcher to step up this week and once again it was rookie receiver Rashee Rice. Rice caught all nine targets Mahomes attempted to him and ended the game with 91 yards. He also caught a touchdown, but that was on a play where Mahomes lined up at full back near the goal line and running back Jerick McKinnon shoveled it forward to Rice.
“You know, his game just keeps going up, man,” Kelce said. “I think it’s, for everybody, just keep being consistent in terms of when it’s their time to step up for the team. That includes myself, and I’m proud of the way he’s been able to handle the ups and downs of the season. Right now, he’s playing great ball.”
Pacheco underwent a minor shoulder surgery this week, which resulted in running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire earning his second consecutive start. Edwards-Helaire rewarded the Chiefs trust in him with a game where he racked up more than 100 yards from scrimmage.
Edwards-Helaire only ran for 2.8 yards per carry, rushing for 37 yards, but it was through the air that he left his mark. Early in the game, Mahomes found him in the flat and he took it 48 yards down the sideline. Following an interception by linebacker Willie Gay, Mahomes found the former first-round pick in the back of the end zone as he
Mossed
a New England defender going up and over him for a touchdown.
“I mean, when you get a lot of people piling on you and you’re not having the success you want, you could be down, but like I said, he has a smile on his face, he comes to work every single day and I think that’s special about him,” Mahomes said. “That’s why we want him to succeed as much as everybody else and himself. It’s because he has that workman, that ethic of just coming in and putting in whatever he can to help the team and today was a great day for him. Hopefully, we get Pop [Isiah Pacheco] back and we’re able to utilize everybody and go out there and be a better team for it.”
McKinnon did not just throw a touchdown today, he also was on the receiving end of Mahomes' first touchdown of the day. The McKinnon and Edwards Helaire touchdowns were Mahomes' only two on the day. After Rice and Edwards-Helaire’s 64 yards, tight end Noah Gray was the team's third-leading receiver with 37 yards.
The Chiefs only had two penalties accepted against them today, but drops and turnovers proved to still be an ongoing issue. The first turnover was an ill-advised throw where Mahomes threw a contested ball to tight end Blake Bell and rookie linebacker Marte Mapu wrestled it away from him.
The most memorable drop came from wide receiver Kadarius Toney, who continued to struggle with controllable issues. This one was a drop-interception combo where Mahomes threw it right to his chest on a simple hitch route. Toney lost focus and Jahlani Tavai snatched the bobbled ball. Two plays later, the Patriots scored and made it a 10-point ball game. Kansas City was looking at a 27-10 victory before that took place.
“I thought for the most part we did a great job,” Mahomes said. “They (wide receivers) made plays happen today. Obviously, you know they’re going to focus on Travis [Kelce] a lot, and they did, and so for other guys to make plays happen against a lot of good DBs, I was proud of that. I mean, we’ve just got to continue to make it a full game. I think that’s the biggest thing is we started and I thought we did good in the second half starting the game and then we kind of had some miscues here and there at the end, and that includes myself, so just try to continue to have a full game of excellent football is something that we’ll continue to strive for.”
The Chiefs' defense once again started slow, causing the team to fall behind 10-7 at one point. Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe shredded the Chiefs in the first half going 17-19 for 141 yards.
Much like last week though, the Chiefs defense put the clamps down in the second half. Zappe went 4-12 the rest of the way for just 39 yards. Kansas City applied a ton of pressure and ended the game with four sacks against Zappe. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, cornerback Jaylen Watson, defensive end Charles Omenihu and linebacker Drue Tranquill all finished with one sack.
“We were following the game plan, trying to collapse the pocket and it worked out well,” Omenihu said. “That was our thing. It worked out well and we were able to get pressure and contain him in the pocket.”
This was the first time since week seven that both linebacker Nick Bolton and Tranquill both suited up for the Chiefs and it showed. New England only finished with 53 yards rushing, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Aside from the Tranquill sack and the Gay interception, the Chiefs fourth linebacker, Leo Chenal also got in on the action with a batted pass and six tackles.
“The important thing is that we had everybody rolling today,” Gay said. “Linebackers, nobody was out. We got Drue [Tranquill] back. So, to have all the pieces and we put the win together, played good on defense, could have played even better. The energy was different like you said. We knew we had to get back on track. Two losses in a row, we aren’t used to that. But it’s part of the game. We live and we learn from it, and we try to roll into next week with the same momentum and keep it pushing.”
Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed led the team in three different categories, finishing with nine tackles, two tackles for loss and two passes defended. The Kansas City defense as a whole only allowed 206 yards. It was the eighth time this season they gave up 17 or fewer points, even though Kansas City is near the bottom of the league in turnover differential.
Kicker Harrison Butker converted two field goals and three extra points on the day, but his perfect season is no longer. Butker missed a chip shot from 39 yards out on the Chiefs first drive.
Second-year wideout Skyy Moore is the only injury Reid mentioned, stating he had some swelling in his left knee and had to leave the game. Next, the Chiefs will come back to their home confines at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to face off against the Las Vegas Raiders (6-8) on Christmas day at noon CDT.
