The Kansas City Chiefs secured their first win of the season against the New York Giants, showing signs of overcoming an early slump.
Patrick Mahomes received more support from the offense, with multiple players contributing to the run and pass game.
Wide receiver Tyquan Thornton had a career night, helping to fill the void left by injured and suspended players.
Now that’s more like it.
Patrick Mahomes didn’t have to throw it and run it like crazy as the Kansas City Chiefs won their first game of the season on Sunday night.
Go ahead, Chiefs Kingdom. Exhale.
Mahomes had a notable supply of HELP! from a large cast of characters as the Chiefs took down the New York Giants, 22-9, at MetLife Stadium. No, the Chiefs offense hasn’t hit a playoff level. At least not yet. But there was progress. There’s a bit more hope as the Chiefs showed signs of snapping out of a distinct funk.
Shoot, the sight of a fiery Travis Kelce yapping at his venerable coach, Andy Reid, on the sideline might have been another indication that things might ultimately get back to normal for the team that has stumbled with an apparent Super Bowl hangover after the bid for an historic three-peat was denied in February.
And hey, Mahomes, who completed 22 of 37 passes for 224 yards, with a touchdown and zero picks on Sunday, rushed for all of 2 yards! The first two games, he led all NFL quarterbacks in rushing for 57 and 66 yards, which wasn’t the ideal stat for one of the game’s most electric passers.
Considering the misfiring during the first two games – and the load that Mahomes endured as the team’s leading rusher in both losses – the formula now seemingly has taken a turn toward the direction that you’d imagine has been Reid’s plan all along.
Look at all the contributors. Tyquan Thornton – who? – had a career night with five catches for 71 yards and demonstrated his ability to supply some of the big-play punch missing without Xavier Worthy (dislocated shoulder) and Rashee Rice (suspension). Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined to rush for 79 yards, which was more significant when considering each tallied 47 yards on the ground during the 0-2 start, when Mahomes ran for 123 yards. And JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Kelce and Noah Gray divided up 15 catches. There was balance and purpose.
“We just want to play better,” Mahomes said during a postgame interview on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” broadcast. “We haven’t played up to our standard.”
We know. For the first half on Sunday night, it was ragged, too. They settled for three Harrison Butker field goals and a fourth attempt that the kicker missed. The turnaround came after halftime. Maybe it will prove to be a pivotal moment if the Chiefs are able to play themselves back in the mix to perhaps win a 10th straight AFC West crown.
Why’s that? The Chiefs took the second half kickoff and produced a crisp, 11-play, 74-yard drive capped by Mahomes’ 5-yard TD toss to Thornton. In the fourth quarter, they went 77 yards on 9 plays, capped by Hunt’s 1-yard score. Two long TD drives can do wonders for the confidence of the unit.
Said Mahomes, “We had to clean it up.”
The work is far from complete for a unit trying to survive the absence of their big-play receivers. The Chiefs (1-2) will need to be even sharper next weekend, when the Baltimore Ravens visit with Lamar Jackson and an explosive offense that will challenge Mahomes & Co. to keep pace.
That’s a measuring stick that will likely say much more about whether the Chiefs are back in the mix as a top contender.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell, on Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social.