The first half of Monday night’s game felt a lot like Week 5’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. On offense, the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t seem to get out of their own way. They were making silly mistakes that gave a lesser team confidence that it could hang with the reigning AFC champions.
Luckily, the Chiefs went into halftime, snorted some smelling salts, and woke up. They came out of halftime as a completely different team that rolled to a comfortable 28-7 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Here are five things we learned.
1. The Chiefs like to make it hard on themselves
Kansas City is a passing team. Full stop.
It is also one of the few NFL teams with enough offensive firepower to choose to be one-dimensional — and still be successful. Despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing two interceptions in the first half, Kansas City was still moving the ball relatively well against a very aggressive Washington defense.
Heading into halftime, head coach Andy Reid told reporters that Kansas City needed to run the ball a little bit more — and in the second half, that’s exactly what the Chiefs did. While they were still running a pass-first offense, running the football took some of the juice out of the Commanders’ pass rushers; they couldn’t just pin their ears back and tee off.
This fully unlocked the passing game — and the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points.
2. The Chiefs’ offensive line needs to get healthy
Fans got a glimpse of what this offensive line might have looked like if Kansas City had decided not to pay guard Trey Smith this offseason — and after see what that looked like, it’s an alternate universe in which I do not want to live. God bless Mike Caliendo for his effort while filling in for Smith at right guard — but it was a Halloween nightmare. I’m okay with skipping it in the future.
We also caught our first glimpses of backup left tackle Jaylon Moore struggling — especially against the bull rushes of Washington’s edge players. To their credit, both players cleaned things up in the second half. But the sooner the Chiefs get Smith — and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons — back on the field, the better.
3. The Chiefs have an elite secondary
Aside from the Commanders’ wide receiver Terry McLaurin making two amazing catches against Kansas City, the Chiefs’ secondary played lights out.
Bryan Cook has emerged as the team’s best safety; his play this season has been a welcome surprise. Cornerback Jaylen Watson has always been a good player — but in 2025, he’s stepped up his game. He’s playing at a Pro Bowl level, where you feel good about matching him up with pretty much any of the league’s receivers. Cornerback Trent McDuffie is still one of the game’s best young stars — and rookie corner Nohl Williams has been a revelation on the perimeter, allowing safety Chamarri Conner to move back to a role that better fits his skillset.
But the unit’s biggest strength is its cohesiveness. In the Kansas City secondary, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.
4. The Chiefs need more speed and depth along the defensive line
Part of this comes from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s approach. He has traditionally favored larger, more powerful defensive ends over smaller and quicker finesse rushers. But on Monday night — for the second time this season — Kansas City struggled to contain a mobile quarterback. It was mostly because the defensive linemen are not overly quick or athletic. When they are pursuing a quarterback, it’s harder to finish the play.
The loss of rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott only exacerbates the problem. While Norman-Lott was not the line’s fastest (or most talented) player, his presence allowed players like defensive tackle Chris Jones to take a breather once in a while. Without him, linemen are playing more snaps — and getting less rest.
If I were general manager Brett Veach, getting help for the defensive line would be my top priority at the trade deadline.
5. Travis Kelce is benefiting from #EGE
Everybody’s gotta eat. But since wide receiver Rashee Rice returned from suspension, it’s been a buffet for the superstar tight end.
Kelce was already benefiting from the speed and field-stretching ability that receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton brought to the table. But after Rice’s return — especially in the red zone, where it appears the Chiefs have an entire package of plays built around him — Kelce has been feasting. For the first time in a decade, he’s an afterthought who is often overlooked by defenders — until it’s too late.
The more explosive this offense becomes, the more opportunities Kelce will have underneath, where he can rack up yards after the catch. If you thought Kelce’s 1,000-yard seasons were a thing of the past, you may need to reevaluate your expectations. He’s currently on pace for 800 yards in 2025 — and a couple more 99-yard games would make that projection look a lot more realistic.
Bonus: I don’t trust robot measurements
Yeah… I’m an old man. I don’t care if it’s more accurate. It’s just another straw for conspiracy theorists to grasp as they cope with losing to the Chiefs.
Any day of the week, I’d prefer a tubby, gray-haired man with a chain over a TV graphic — and Skynet plotting our destruction.
