Chiefs did what they should in grounding Jets. And we learned some things along the way
The Chiefs scored touchdowns, while the New York Jets settled for field goals.
Advantage Chiefs in a game they were supposed to win.
The Chiefs totaled three touchdowns on four first-half possessions before cruising to a 35-9 win over the Jets, the fifth time this season the Chiefs scored at least 30 points in a game. The victory moved the Chiefs to a 7-1 record and the Jets remained winless at 0-8.
“A good all-around win,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I thought every phase did a nice job and played well. There was good focus among the team.”
Sunday’s win gave Reid his 229th career win, regular season and postseason, to tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Curly Lambeau for the fifth-most career wins by a head coach in NFL history.
Here’s what stood out Sunday:
PASSING GAME RE-EMERGES
After two games where the Chiefs didn’t need quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ MVP-caliber arm, Mahomes reminded the rest of the league why he is elite.
The superstar quarterback also ensured the Chiefs would steer clear of a trap-game scenario against an inferior team. He did this with a fast start to the game.
Mahomes completed 9 of 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter to record a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He finished the game completing 31 of 42 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns for a 144.4 passer rating before giving way to Chad Henne in the fourth quarter.
“It was a nice job by Patrick,” Reid said. “He had complete command of everything going on.”
The Chiefs’ signal-caller was exceptional on a variety of scoring passes. His second of the game was a gorgeous strike down the middle of the field to wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Mahomes also completed an underhand throw to tight end Travis Kelce for a touchdown in a play reminiscent of Mahomes’ scoring pass to fullback Anthony Sherman in Week 3.
Mahomes, who recorded his 18th career three-touchdown game, later dazzled in the third quarter with a side arm throw while scrambling to wide receiver Mecole Hardman for a 14-yard gain. He connected for scoring passes with Hill twice, Hardman, Kelce and Demarcus Robinson.
Sunday marked the 10th career game that Mahomes finished with four or more touchdown passes. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino as the only players in league history to record at least 10 such games in their first four seasons.
The Chiefs unleashed Mahomes following a two-game span where the running game totaled 346 yards. On Sunday, the Chiefs rushed for 50 yards on 25 carries.
“We’ve kind of been saying it all year long is we have a lot of ways that we can beat teams,” Mahomes said. “And today, they (Jets defense) were doing a good job of stuffing up the run and we took it to the air, threw the ball and made plays happen that way.
“Now, you kind of see it - we can throw the ball on teams, run the ball on teams. It’s about taking what’s there and finding the best way to win a football game.”
DEFENSE CONTINUES TO SURGE
For a third straight week, the Chiefs defense put on a show.
The Jets, already one of the NFL’s worst offensive units, were held to 9 points, marking the seventh time in eight games the Chiefs held an opponent to 20 points or less.
The Chiefs bewildered the Jets, who gained a paltry 221 yards on the game. New York also struggled in other areas, notably going 2 of 12 on third-down attempts against a stingy Kansas City defense and averaging 3.9 yards per play.
“I thought our defense really did a great job on third downs, in particular in the red zone and held them to field goals, which ended up being big for us,” Reid said. “Then, they really turned up the gas in the second half.”
The Jets were simply overmatched.
BELL’S REVENGE?
There was a lot of pregame attention on Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell squaring off against his former team, but the hoopla didn’t match the action.
The Chiefs looked like they wanted to get Bell going early, even going so far as to introduce him as a starter during pregame ceremonies for his first game in a Chiefs uniform at Arrowhead Stadium. On the team’s opening drive, he contributed 20 total yards (18 receiving) as the Chiefs took a 7-0 lead on Mahomes’ first touchdown pass of the game to wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
Bell, however, didn’t find much running room the rest of the game and finished with 7 yards rushing on six carries and three catches for 31l yards.
THOSE TRICKY CHIEFS
Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Jets’ 49-yard line in the first quarter, the Chiefs sent out the punt unit, the likely play.
But at the snap, punter Tommy Townsend didn’t kick the ball. Instead, he pulled up and threw a bullet to wide receiver Byron Pringle, who was lined up wide left as the gunner. The pass was slightly high, but Pringle made the adjustment and jumped to secure a 13-yard gain to give the Chiefs a new set of first downs.
“That one did get a little high,” said Reid, who explained the Chiefs special teams unit had practiced the fake-punt play in recent weeks. “It’s different when it’s in a game and he’s as good a thrower as there is. He’s a real good athlete and was able to show a little bit of that today.”
Reid then hinted Sunday might not be the last time Townsend will get the call to make another throw in a punting situation.
“The next time he does it, it will be better,” Reid said. “It won’t be quite as high, but we’ll take it.”
Kansas City made the Jets pay on the very next play, as Mahomes found Hill streaking open down the middle of the field for a 36-yard touchdown pass. Hill finished the game with four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Hardman, who watched the play develop, said the fake-punt play helped energize the Chiefs.
“That definitely gives you a good momentum boost, especially the offense coming off and they think it’s a punt,” Hardman said. “Then, you fake it and you get it, that ‘s a huge momentum booster. I’m glad we did that and we just feed off that.”
Townsend’s completed pass wasn’t the only special teams play to stand out.
Safety Armani Watts came up big to close the first half with a blocked field goal attempt to rob the Jets an opportunity to add points to the board.
KELCE ADDS ANOTHER FEAT
Kelce entered the game with 6,966 career yards receiving and finished with eight catches 109 yards, moving him past 7,000 career yards receiving, and a touchdown. Kelce, who has caught at least one pass in 103 consecutive games, is the third tight end in NFL history to record at least 7,000 yards in his first eight seasons.
Kelce is also the fourth player in Chiefs history to record 7,000 yards receiving, joining Tony Gonzalez (10,940), Otis Taylor (7,306) and Dwayne Bowe (7,155).
The Chiefs’ star tight end is already regarded as one of the league’s best at his position and the numbers continue to cement his status.
INJURIES
For a second straight game, the Chiefs didn’t appear to suffer any significant injuries.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs host the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 at Arrowhead Stadium before heading into a Week 10 bye.
This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 3:22 PM.
