Kansas City Chiefs roll past New Orleans Saints and move to perfect 5-0 record
Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards, Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Chiefs overcame more red zone woes Monday to beat the New Orleans Saints 26-13 on a big night for Kansas City’s professional sports teams.
Just as the Chiefs moved to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals defeated the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of βLet’s go Royals!β throughout the game, and when the Royals pulled off a 4-2 victory to send the series back to Kansas City at a tie apiece, a roar rang through Arrowhead Stadium.
There was also a lot of roar for the Chiefs. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scored a touchdown, and their defense picked off Derek Carr as they handed the Saints (2-3) their third straight loss.
Carr threw for 185 yards with two touchdowns and a pick before leaving with an oblique injury. The injury occurred in the final quarter, when Carr was hit on an incomplete fourth down as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.
The Saints’ Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to battle the Chiefs. They held the Ravens’ Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, the Bengals’ Zack Moss to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and JK Dobbins to 32 in last week’s win over the Chargers.
The first half on Monday night featured a lot of things: Hunt’s first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was derailed by an off-field incident; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and another lateral from Travis Kelce, who came on the most bizarre of drives.
The Chiefs led 10-7 when a fumble and a holding penalty left them at second and 34. They got some back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, after which Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce turned laterally to Samaje Perine, who came within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted on fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.
However, it was field goals that kept New Orleans in the game. The Chiefs have struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone all season, and they had to let Harrison Butker hit a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at halftime.
Their red zone troubles continued in the third quarter. On second and goal, Smith-Schuster caught a pass that bounced off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception. He showed impressive speed for a man who weighs 324 pounds as he thundered 37 yards up the field.
The Saints promptly marched 65 yards on Foster Moreau’s TD catch, bringing them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.
But unlike every other game this season for the Chiefs, which was decided in the final minutes β if not the last play β they returned the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Worthy took a handoff on first and goal at the three for a touchdown that extended their cushion. After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they scored another field goal with 3:03 remaining.