Chiefs News 10/28: Travis Kelce ties Priest Holmes for Chiefs TD record

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Stout defensive effort leads Chiefs to win over Commanders | Yardbarker

Quote of the game: ‘This defense carried them to the Super Bowl… People talk about them now in the same way they talk about the offense.’

As “Monday Night Football” commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman shared their thoughts on the game in the waning moments, Aikman took time to praise the Chiefs defense, placing it on the same level as their offense.

“They’ve given up 24 points the past three games. Pretty impressive,” he said.

Kansas City limited Washington to 260 total yards, including just 60 yards on the ground on 20 carries (three yards per attempt). The Chiefs (5-3) have kept five of their first eight opponents under 300 yards and are allowing 277.8 yards per game. After holding the Commanders to seven points, they have the league’s No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 16.4 points per game.

Patrick Mahomes overcomes unprecedented start to lead Chiefs win: ‘We can battle through adversity’ | NFL.com

Mahomes, for the first time in his storied career, had been intercepted on each of his first two drives. One was off his receiver’s hands, but it made no matter, the Kansas City Chiefs were sputtering against a Washington Commanders team without star quarterback Jayden Daniels and locked in a tie game.

Then came the second half, when Mahomes and Co. began to dominate, rolling up and down the field for three straight touchdown drives en route to the Chiefs’ 28-7 win over the Commanders.

“It shows the growth that we’ve had as a team,” said Mahomes, who piloted the Chiefs to their fifth win by double digits this season, already one more than last season’s total. “Offense, defense and special teams, I think we’re getting better and better each and every week. Even though we didn’t start the way we wanted to today offensively, it showed that we can battle through adversity and still continue to play the brand of football that we want to play. We’ll have to continue to get better and better.”

Chiefs were 15-2 and made the Super Bowl last year. But are they having more fun now? | The Athletic

Is it possible that the Chiefs are having more fun this season — through a 5-3 start — than they did even a year ago when they grinded their way to a 15-2 regular-season mark on their way to a Super Bowl appearance?

There’s certainly a case to be made.

For one, the offense last season never rolled like this. Mahomes, in particular, was at his best in the chaos on Monday, thriving in scramble-mode situations while consistently finding open teammates who were more than willing to freelance with him.

NFL’s Next Gen Stats accurately told that story. When he had more than four seconds to throw against the Commanders, Mahomes was 8-for-9 for 149 yards, with all three of his touchdown passes coming in that situation.

In addition, Mahomes scrambled on a season-high 28 percent of his dropbacks, with those plays producing 31 rushing yards and 4-of-6 passing for 52 yards.

“We have a good feel,” Mahomes said, “of finding those open places.”

Chiefs cruise past Commanders: Score, takeaways as Mahomes comes alive in second half | CBS Sports

The Chiefs are flying high once more

We stated a few weeks ago, after Kansas City put an underrated beating on the vaunted Detroit Lions, that the Chiefs might be back in playoff form. Now we can say it almost definitively. Let’s be clear: The offense still isn’t perfect, mostly due to a scattershot ground game headlined by a newly bruised Isiah Pacheco. But Patrick Mahomes is doing all his usual MVP-caliber maneuvering. Two early picks, including a fluke off the hands of Kelce? No matter. No. 15 was locked in for the second half of Monday’s clash, and everyone in the Chiefs’ lineup benefited from it, with five different players securing at least two passes. Now that Rashee Rice is back at full speed, we should probably be talking more about the depth and interchangeability of their toys.

Travis Kelce Makes History With Milestone TD Catch vs. Commanders | SI

In addition to that, the touchdown was Kelce’s 83rd during the regular season in his career, tying him with Priest Holmes as the Chiefs’ all-time leader. He needs one more to take sole possession of first place.

Travis Kelce’s career statistics

The 36-year-old Kelce is a future Hall of Famer who has been a four-time first-team All-Pro, a three-time second-teamer, and has been named to 10 Pro Bowls.

He already holds the NFL’s record for postseason receptions with 172, postseason 100-yard games (nine), and Super Bowl receptions (35). Entering Monday night, he also holds Chiefs career records in receptions (1,035), receiving yards (12,526), and receiving touchdowns (79).

Around the NFL

Ravens’ Lamar Jackson (hamstring) expected to return at Miami | ESPN

“I feel very confident about it,” Harbaugh said.

Jackson has been sidelined the past three games, including Sunday’s 30-16 win over the Chicago Bears. Before the injury, the two-time MVP led the NFL with a 130.5 passer rating, throwing 10 touchdowns and one interception.

On Monday, Jackson was estimated as a full participant in the team’s walkthrough.

“It was a great walkthrough for him,” Harbaugh said. “He looked great.”

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Chiefs-Commanders Week 8 Rapid Reaction: 3 takeaways from 28-7 victory

The Chiefs’ defense survived a thousand paper cuts

Washington’s offense opened by chipping away at Kansas City’s defense with successful runs and quick passes through most of the first half. Quarterback Marcus Mariota made several plays with his legs — whether by scrambling or completing passes on the move. The Chiefs allowed seven conversions on 12 third downs and stayed on the field for eight or more plays on three of Washington’s four first-half possessions.

The most notable damage came against Kansas City’s linebackers in coverage. It has never been a strength of the group — and in the early going, both Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill looked lost in zone assignments. Three of Washington’s biggest gains came on short passes that turned into much longer plays.

Against the run, however, it was a different story. Washington finished with 60 rushing yards on 20 attempts, as Mariota and his backs failed to gain more than eight yards on any carry.

The Chiefs’ pass rush was a step late much of the night, but defensive end George Karlaftis still stood out. He was a major factor in stopping the run, collected a sack and deflected a pass when rushing the quarterback.