Your Kansas City Chiefs finally got back into the win column after taking care of the New York Jets 35-12 at Arrowhead on Sunday. The start was just as ugly, and there were some ball security issues and short yardage challenges. But eventually the home team remembered how to put together a complete game. They ran the ball, played great defense, limited penalties, and Mahomes got the ball in the playmakers’ hands to rack up the YAC. That’s been the formula for each of the team’s six wins.
Here are some of Sunday’s standouts, for better or worse.
Running back Kenneth Walker III: Ken had three touchdowns and 143 yards from scrimmage; the Chiefs scored 35 points. It’s that simple: pursue Walker, win football games.
Running back Emmett Johnson: Number 10 continues his hot 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 Suamatia: Correlation may not be causation, but the fact is Kingsley returned as a starter on the same day both running backs made the list of winners. He put up some highlights on film against the Jets in the run game and on screens—especially the Kenneth Walker touchdown. Maybe having a starting left guard in the game is a good idea.
Defensive end George Karlaftis: George stayed with the Furious on Sunday— he was all over the place, with two sacks, six tackles and a pass defensed. Three of those tackles were for a loss, forcing the Jets’ offense to (literally) retreat 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— not just the two sacks, but with a different level of pocket crushing and explosion than we’ve seen this week. Chris Jones got to the quarterback from inside and outside, had a tackle for loss, and a batted pass. This defense works best 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 game. Somehow, after breaking his throwing arm on a strip sack, he never missed a play. He went on to lead many touchdown drives and take many big hits without worrying about his body.
Tight end Travis Kelce: With question marks all over the wide receiver room and a disastrous start to this game, Mahomes is back to being reliable. Kelce hauled in four catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, including a 38-yard catch-and-run.
The QB’s sneak: One attempt, one fumble, zero first downs, a snarky Head Coach in the postgame—it’s a 90% or better chance to convert for most teams. Why is it so difficult for the Chiefs?
Quarterback Justin Fields, Center Creed Humphrey, Kick returner Cyrus Allen: Each of these people is responsible for a nervousness this week. Mahomes’ two strip sacks included, making it five times the Chiefs put the ball on the ground. Luckily, they recovered by four — but sloppy play started on the opening kickoff and could have cost them the game.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: Another blight on a decent day. Worthy finished with six catches for 48 yards before leaving with a hamstring injury. It’s not a good sign that the Chiefs were reportedly desperate for a wide receiver before- they may want to add more than one now.
Kicker Harrison Butker: The Chiefs didn’t need a field goal to win this one, but Butker missed his only attempt — twice. He was predictably wide from 56, then from 51 after a Jets penalty. The team will definitely lose some available cap space if they cut their highly paid kicker, but it might be worth the investment.
Note: Applying the label “losers” is not meant 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 intended.