Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes gained over 300 yards in the win against the Saints. (Photo by David Urit/Getty Images)
On Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs made several plays with four tight ends. It was voluntary.
With multiple injuries, the Chiefs will have to mix and match and get creative to generate offense, but unlike most other teams, they’re likely to find a way.
The Chiefs will be without running back Isaiah Pacheco and receivers Lachie Rice and Marquise Brown, but that didn’t matter against the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs moved the ball well, racking up over 400 yards and remaining undefeated with a 26-13 win over the Saints.
The Chiefs are thin. On Monday night, they asked recycled players like Kareem Hunt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and even tight end Jody Fortson to donate. They are all on their second tour with the team, although they have not received much attention elsewhere. Hunt and Smith-Schuster in particular had monster games Monday night. The Chiefs’ offense wasn’t short-handed.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes always get along.
Saints make some mistakes early on
You have to play very well to win at Arrowhead Stadium, and the Saints just couldn’t do that in the first half.
The night started with Derek Carr throwing a wild interception under pressure. It was a terrible lob-up pass, but safety Brian Cook made a nice diving catch for the pick. The Saints also allowed a first down after forcing the Chiefs to second-and-34. They had a two-minute practice, but with just 34 seconds before the punt, the Chiefs were able to get a field goal before halftime.
Kansas City led 16-7 at halftime, and while it could have been worse for New Orleans (the Saints held the Chiefs to a field goal in the red zone on three possessions), It’s very difficult to reverse.
But the Saints stayed there. The Saints shocked New Orleans with an interception in the end zone by 324-pound defensive end Karlen Sanders and a 37-yard return. The Saints then went on a touchdown drive, and although the extra point failed, they were up 16-13 with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs were pretty good during the ’20s, but failures in the red zone kept New Orleans in the game.
Chiefs maintain lead in 4th quarter
As usual, the Chiefs got creative around the goal line, which paid off with a big touchdown in the fourth quarter. Travis Kelce took a shotgun snap from center and passed it to Xavier Worthy, and the rookie receiver scored a 3-yard touchdown. The Chiefs’ lead was now back to 10 points.
The Chiefs have relied on their defense since the beginning of last season, and it paid off again on Monday night. After a valuable touchdown, the Chiefs got a stop and the Saints’ chances were effectively over. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent a blitz at fourth-and-eight, but Carr rushed the throw downfield and it fell incomplete. The game wasn’t officially over at that point, but they needed a big break to overcome a 10-point deficit. The Saints’ chances worsened when Carr returned to the locker room with an oblique injury on a fourth-down hit.
Mahomes threw for over 300 yards against a variety of receivers. Kelce broke out of an early-season slump and had a productive game for the second consecutive game with nine catches for 70 yards. Smith-Schuster, who was cut by the Patriots and picked up by the Chiefs in August, was a big surprise with 130 yards. Hunt, who was unsigned all offseason, will continue to take over the RB1 job in Pacheco’s absence. He rushed for 102 yards.
This is not the offensive line the Chiefs had planned for the season. They thought some reinforcements could prevent a repeat of last season, when the offense was often frustrated by an inconsistent group of receivers. But Kansas City is trying to make it work again. Their retread group made it feel like a classic day at Arrowhead Stadium. The results were also familiar.