Chiefs getting a passing grade against the Broncos, but it wasn’t always pretty
Key plays, stats and grades from the Chiefs’ 27-23 win against the Denver Broncos on on Monday Night Football at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
The recap
Player of the game: Kareem Hunt rushed for 121 yards and one touchdown, and he also had three catches for 54 yards.
Reason to hope: The Chiefs pulled off a road win on a big stage despite the offense sputtering for the majority of the first three quarters.
Reason to mope: The Broncos offense had looked like far less than a juggernaut coming into this game, but they had little trouble moving the ball consistently against the Chiefs’ defense.
Looking ahead: The Chiefs will now prepare for their second home game of the season as they’ll play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Report card
Rushing offense: B+. Kareem Hunt ran hard and gained tough yards for an offense that wasn’t nearly as explosive as it had been over the first three games of the season. He hadn’t rushed for more than 75 yards in a game this season, but he had 80 at halftime and carried a large chunk of the offensive load all night on his way to a 121-yard performance.
Passing offense: C+. Patrick Mahomes looked ordinary for much of the game, and the offense went from dangerous to paltry as a result. The Chiefs found themselves in long yardage situations regularly, and they did not have much success converting on 4-of-11 first downs in the first three quarters, but they made crucial plays in the fourth. The first semblance of a sustained rhythm in the passing game came in the fourth quarter. However, Mahomes used his legs and even his left-hand to make plays on the run in the fourth quarter. He finished with 304 yards passing.
Rushing defense: D. The two-headed rookie running back tandem of Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay had plenty of running room as the Broncos were knocking defenders off the ball at the point of attack. The Broncos’ offense averaged 8.2 yards per carry in the first half. They allowed 159 yards rushing in the game and 7.2 per carry.
Passing defense: C. Safety Eric Murray came through with a great play on the ball, ripping it away from a receiver for the defense’s second interception of the season. The Chiefs sacked the quarterback four times. The secondary gave up enough big plays to lose, but the Broncos weren’t playing pitch and catch all day.
Special teams: C. They didn’t have any real negative plays, but also weren’t able to come up with the big play to swing momentum. A pair of punts that looked like they could’ve been downed inside the 10-yard line ended up as touchbacks. They got a return of 37 yards from Tyreek Hill on the first punt of the game, but they also gave up kick return of 32 yards.
Coaching: D. The Chiefs offense didn’t seem to be able to make adjustments to get the passing attack going, and they didn’t rely on the running game enough before the Broncos built up a fourth-quarter cushion. Defensively, the issues stopping the run appeared to be as much about individual play and defenders failing to get off blocks as schematic problems. The false start and procedure penalties, typically a sign of undisciplined play, continue to be a concern. The Chiefs were called for 10 penalties for 93 yards.
Lynn Worthy
Lynn Worthy covers the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL for The Star.
This story was originally published October 1, 2018 at 10:48 PM.