Courtesy of Chiefs.com’s Matt McMullen
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Detroit Lions, 30-17, in a clash between two of the league’s top teams on Sunday night.
Trailing by four points with less than a minute remaining in the first half, quarterback Patrick Mahomes kept the ball for a 1-yard touchdown run that put Kansas City in front heading into the break. The score provided the Chiefs with a lead that they would never relinquish over the remainder of the game, and while Detroit rallied to pull within a field goal early in the fourth quarter, Kansas City answered every Lions’ score with points of its own.
“[On both sides of the ball], I thought the coordinators had great game plans,” said Head Coach Andy Reid. “It was one of those good nights.”
Mahomes completed 22-of-30 passes for 257 yards and four total touchdowns on Sunday night, leading Kansas City to scoring drives on five of its seven true possessions. Mahomes’ first touchdown throw – a 6-yard strike to wide receiver Xavier Worthy – took place on fourth down and answered a Lions’ opening series that amassed 15 plays and chewed up over nine minutes of clock to begin the game, but ended in only a field goal.
The Chiefs’ defense didn’t break despite that taxing opening series, and following Mahomes’ efforts, Kansas City had the lead early in the second quarter. Detroit quickly responded with a go-ahead touchdown, however, when Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff found wide receiver Jameson Williams for a 22-yard strike on Detroit’s ensuing possession.
The two teams then traded possessions that ended in failed fourth down attempts before Mahomes engineered an eight-play, 55-yard series that culminated in the aforementioned 1-yard touchdown run that he kept himself. The score meant that Kansas City carried a thin lead into halftime, but a week after the Chiefs allowed Jacksonville to hang around by not scoring to begin the third quarter, Kansas City didn’t make the same mistake on Sunday night.
Instead, Mahomes led an eight-play, 81-yard scoring series that ended with a quick “pop pass” to wide receiver Hollywood Brown, who proceeded to weave through traffic for a 9-yard touchdown. The score put Kansas City in front by two possessions, constructing a lead that Detroit never managed to fully overcome.
“That was huge,” Mahomes said. “I think we learned from last week, and we emphasized in the locker room that we needed to go back out there and score. We were able to do that.”
Detroit didn’t go away though, as Goff led a touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter that pulled the Lions within three points, but Mahomes made sure to respond right away. The Chiefs’ veteran quarterback led a nine-play, 69-yard series immediately following Detroit’s touchdown drive, finding Brown on third down for the duo’s second scoring connection on the night.
It’s also worth pointing out that Kansas City continually moved the football all night long despite playing without starting left tackle Josh Simmons, who was ruled out mere hours before kickoff due to personal reasons. Veteran Jaylon Moore stepped up in Simmons’ place, holding the Lions’ high-powered pass-rush in check.
“I thought Jaylon did a nice job,” Reid said. “For him to step in was [big], and I thought he did a nice job. It’s a tribute to [Offensive Line Coach] Andy [Heck] for rolling that group during the week and [having him ready].”
The Chiefs’ defense, meanwhile, held Detroit – which entered the game as the league’s top scoring offense at 34.8 points-per-game – to just 17 points on Sunday. In fact, following the Lions’ touchdown series on their second possession, Kansas City held Detroit without points on five of its final six drives.
“I thought they really bowed up in the second half,” Reid said.
That performance included a sack by defensive lineman Charles Omenihu on third down midway through the fourth quarter, ultimately leading to a final, game-sealing Chiefs’ series that ate up significant clock and ended in a field goal.
It was an all-around outstanding effort in all three phases by Kansas City, which became the first team since 1972 with zero turnovers, zero accepted penalties against them and only one punt in a game (according to NBC Sports).
In some additional good news, Reid had no injuries to report following the game.
Now at 3-3, the Chiefs will have an opportunity to get above .500 next weekend with a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on deck.
