Four areas that stood out in Chiefs' win over the Commanders
Chiefs have now won five of their last six games
The Chiefs showed they could win weird games after Monday night’s 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The first quarter featured two Patrick Mahomes’ interceptions, and Washington had an interception and two turnovers on downs.
Weird, indeed.
But the better team emerged victoriously, as the Chiefs put it together in the second half after the game saw a 7-7 halftime score.
“I thought our guys played again, a great second half,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “First half, we lacked a little bit, but the second half, we came around and both sides of the ball, and special teams, and did a nice job there.”
Mahomes led the Chiefs to three straight scoring drives in the second half, and the defense stepped up to limit the Commanders to 260 total yards of offense.
Kansas City also held a 34:03-25:57 edge in time of possession, while totaling 26 first down to the Commanders’ 14.
There was some bad, though, as the Chiefs went 4-of-10 on third down and committed nine penalties (95 yards).
But the Commanders, playing without standout quarterback Jaden Daniels, were overmatched.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 5-3 after a 0-2 start to the season. The Chiefs have also won five of their last six games, giving the team momentum heading into next week’s showdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Here are four areas that stood out in the win:
MAHOMES MAGIC
Mahomes did something for the first time in his career by throwing an interception in the first and second possessions of a game.
But he quickly turned it around and finished the game completing 25-of-34 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns with the two picks to post a 104.9 passer rating. Mahomes added 30 yards rushing on seven carries.
The superstar quarterback shook off the bad start and once again showcased to a national audience why he is an elite player.
Mahomes connected with six different receivers in the win, completing five passes of 20 yards or more.
With Mahomes playing like an MVP, the Chiefs have outscored opponents 89-24 over the last three games.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
Speaking of the five explosive plays, which are defined by plays of 20 or more yards, here they are:
27-yard pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy, first quarter
31-yard pass to tight end Travis Kelce, second quarter
38-yard pass to Kelce, third quarter
24-yard pass to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, third quarter
25-yard pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice, fourth quarter
Connecting on deep routes means the quarterback has time in the pocket.
While the Commanders got to Mahomes three times in the game, he more than had his moments to find his receivers for the big plays.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Rice had himself a game, just a week after he scored two touchdowns in his return game from a six-game suspension.
The third-year pro followed up with a team-high nine receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, essentially meaning he was perfect.
Rice has now totaled 16 catches for 135 yards and three touchdowns over the past two games.
Meanwhile, Kelce turned back the clock and looked like a younger version of himself.
Kelce had his best game of the season, statistically, by hauling in six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on eight targets.
The veteran tight end now has 83 career touchdowns (80 catches, two rushing, one fumble recovery), moving him into a tie with running back Priest Holmes for first place in team history.
“That’s a compliment to him,” Reid said of Kelce tying the record. “There have been some great tight ends here over the years, so for him to be able to do what he’s done over this amount of time is great.
“And still, as you guys know, you come out to practice, you see that energy. He’s got energy every day, and he’s not the youngest guy, so he just goes and goes.”
Kelce missed the 100-yard receiving mark by a single yard, of course, but he was a weapon with catches of 38 and 31 yards, respectively.
By the way, the last time Kelce hit the 100-yard receiving mark came in Week 8 of the 2024 season when he logged 10 catches for 100 yards.
DANNA IMPACT
The Chiefs indicated last week that defensive end Mike Danna could see time inside in the wake of rookie Omarr Norman-Lott’s season-ending ACL injury.
And it came to fruition against the Commanders.
Danna flashed his versatility on a play by lining up inside as a 3-tech defensive tackle and got a sack on Marcus Mariota to end the third quarter.
Danna also recorded an interception in the game and finished with three tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and the pick.
“I thought he did a great job,” Reid said.
