Chiefs report card: Average to below average vs. Carolina, except in the passing game
In looking back, we’ll remember that the Chiefs trailed, led then survived, the Carolina Panthers 33-31 on Sunday.
But this one was in doubt until the end.
Here’s this week’s Chiefs report card, with more detail and some analysis.
KC STAR OF THE GAME
The fastest player to record 100 touchdown passes gets the gold star. Patrick Mahomes, in his 40th game, needed three TDs to become the fastest player to reach 100; he threw four, including two to Tyreek Hill.
Dan Marino held the previous standard with 100 in his first 44 games. Sunday’s output gives Mahomes 25 TDs this season with just one interception. He has nine touchdown passes in his last two games.
Reason to hope: The Chiefs took early shots and trailed at halftime. But they came back strong to improve to 8-1.
Reason to mope: The Chiefs got outcoached early. Not to say the Chiefs coached poorly, but Matt Rhule and his staff had the Panthers well prepared. Big early decisions went Carolina’s way: The fourth-and-3 touchdown reception by Christian McCaffrey and the fake-punt conversion that kept alive a touchdown drive were gusty calls that worked in Carolina’s favor. Finally, the Panthers’ didn’t come close on a 67-yard field goal attempt at the gun.
How did it come to that?
Next: The Chiefs get the week off, their scheduled open week. Their next game is Nov. 22 at the Las Vegas Raiders, who defeated the Chiefs 40-32 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
Mahomes’ 1-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson was fun. Mahomes went in motion, came back to take the snap from Austin Reiter, then wound up dropping back to the 14 before slinging it to the back of the end zone.
The Chiefs ran great motion on Mahomes’ 4-yard scoring pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, his first NFL receiving touchdown. Mahomes and Tyreek Hill had trouble connecting for three quarters, but they come up big on a touchdown drive that Hill capped with a 28-yard scoring reception.
Busted coverage left Hill wide open. But the receiving standout of the day was Travis Kelce, who finished with 159 yards, the third most of his career. Mahomes finished 30 of 45 for 372 yards.
Rushing offense: D
Oof. Nothing to see here. The Chiefs tried to establish something early with Edwards-Helaire and got little out of it. Le’Veon Bell started the second half and didn’t have much more success.
When the Chiefs got the ball back with 1:53 remaining with a two-point lead, they couldn’t get anything on first down. The lack of a rushing offense helps explain Carolina’s huge possession-time edge: 38:01 to 21:59. This wasn’t an Edwards-Helaire or Bell problem as much as it was an offensive line problem.
Passing defense: C
The Panthers have good wide receivers and they made excellent catches in the second half — and Christian McCaffrey is a beast out of the backfield.
The Chiefs should have gotten more pressure on Bridgewater earlier in the game. Then he nearly led Carolina on a game-winning field goal drive. Bridgewater finished with 310 passing yards as the Panthers matched their best scoring output of the season.
The Chiefs did a good job defending Bridgewater’s final pass attempt that would have gotten the Panthers closer on their last-chance field-goal attempt.
Rushing defense: C
McCaffrey hadn’t played in six games because of a high ankle sprain. But he was solid against the Chiefs, amassing 174 combined rushing and receiving yards. On the Panthers’ fourth-quarter drive, Chiefs defenders were literally bouncing off of him.
Special teams: C
The Panthers kept a touchdown drive alive with a fake punt. Harrison Butker nailed a 55-yard field goal, but he pulled a 47-yard attempt and double-doinked an extra point, his sixth miss of the year — and this one nearly got the Chiefs beat.
Dan Sorensen did a good job fielding the Panthers’ late onside kick. Tommy Townsend got his only punt to the 9, making it difficult for the Panthers to drive into field-goal position.
This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 3:54 PM.