You may hear a lot of doom and gloom this week about how the Kansas City Chiefs defense struggled to get off the field (they did), or how the team had too many costly penalties (they did). You’ll hear talk about receivers, offensive linemen, linebackers, and pass rushers (see below).
But, at the end of the day, your Chiefs did what they had to do– fly home from a road game against the Miami Dolphins with a 3-0 record. The better team should prevail, even if they make mistakes. Six weeks from now, what will we remember: the ugliness or the win?
But alas, these are winners/losers, so let’s dig a little deeper and highlight some standouts this week.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Wins may or may not be a “QB status,” but it’s no coincidence that Mahomes just passed Tom Brady on the wins-in-first-decade charts. Mahomes was deadly efficient in this game, with the only blip being a fluke interception from the hands of Rashee Rice.
Tight end Travis Kelce: Seriously, what is Taylor’s Personal Chef feeding this year? The Dolphins forgot to cover the nearly 37-year-old, and 48 yards later, Kelce helped set up the offense for the opening-drive touchdown. We thought Kelce’s role would change this season, but who could have predicted it would turn out to be the NFL’s best big-play receiver?
Defensive end George Karlaftis: Relentless effort pays off in the end. A tipped pass, a QB hit, a tackle-for-loss, and some pressure weren’t enough for Furious George. No, he had to take it upon himself to end the game with his first career interception– a deflection from Chris Jones.
Running back Kenneth Walker III: For the first time in his Chiefs career, he didn’t surpass 100 yards from scrimmage. He had to fight for every yard and was stopped on some critical short-yardage plays. But Walker also scored two touchdowns– one running almost untouched, the other on a shovel pass. Those two touchdowns were the only things that came easy for the Chiefs’ featured back, but they were the difference makers.
Noah Gray’s tight ends: It was Kelce’s day, but Noah Gray also delivered for Patrick Mahomes when called upon. Three big catches, including a tough back shoulder play while blanketed downfield. Hopefully, he can build on this performance.
Cornerback Mansoor Delane: The rookie returned on Sunday and made his presence felt. The shoulder didn’t seem to be on his mind, as Delane was as aggressive as ever. In the second quarter alone, Mansoor Delane finished two drives with a 4th-down pass breakup and a 3rd-down tackle-for-loss.
Note: Applying the “loser” label is not intended to be a judgment on the talent or character of any of these individuals. This is just a simple way to mark their work performance in a game. No disrespect is meant.
Defensive back L’Jarius Snead: He made what should have been one of the biggest plays of the game, forcing and recovering a Malik Willis fumble– and it’s not his fault the offense got the ball right back. But, like the aforementioned linebackers, Snead is a popular target when in coverage. He’s a Spagnuolo favorite, an effective blitzer, and one of the league’s worst corners in pass coverage. This is a slot puzzle.
Linebackers Jack Cochrane and Nick Bolton: The Dolphins found something they could exploit, and it was two man coverage. Bolton made eleven tackles, but most will remember that he was juked in the backfield on a drive-extending run. The linebacker film room will not be happy this week.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: The good news is that Worthy made one play– a 17-yard catch. The bad news is that Worthy only made one meaningful play all afternoon. The Chiefs need more than number one.