Surviving the Storm: Chiefs’ Unlikely Victory Amid Mahomes’ Struggles and the Lions’ Resilance in the NFC North | 4 Downs
Surviving the Storm: Chiefs’ Unlikely Victory Amid Mahomes’ Struggles and the Lions’ Resilance in the NFC North | 4 Downs
Amari Cooper and Davante Adams have wildly different debuts, the Chiefs overcome adversity and the Lions roar all the way back in Wild Week 7
If I showed you this quarterback stat line; 154 passing yards, two interceptions, and a 44.4 passer rating, you’d probably make some assumptions.
Maybe this was Andy Dalton, whose Panthers were boat-raced, 40-7, by the NFC East leading Washington Commanders, despite being forced to play three quarters without Jayden Daniels after the wunderkind quarterback injured his ribs.
Perhaps, those putrid numbers belonged to Daniel Jones, who was benched [more on that development below] in arguably the most humiliating loss of the former No. 6 overall pick’s career.
There’s also a chance that our mystery quarterback is Tim Boyle, pressed into action when Tyler Huntley was knocked out of the Miami Dolphins’ 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
No, no, no, if you guessed any of those mediocre [or worse] passers was our mystery quarterback, you’d be mistaken.
Those numbers belong to Patrick Lavon Mahomes, who had the kind of performance that embodies the Kansas City Chiefs’ season.
Kansas City just continues to find new ways to win, as they did Sunday in Santa Clara 28-18 over the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, to improve to 6-0, despite one of the few abjectly terrible passing performances of Mahomes’ career.
Granted, while Mahomes struggled mightily to get on the same page with his receivers, particularly rookie Xavier Worthy, the three-time Super Bowl MVP magician pulled his latest Houdini act by streaking 33 yards down the sideline, stopping multiple times to split defenders en route to Kansas City’s longest run of the game, illustrating one of the myriad ways he can beat you.
This was a statement victory for a Chiefs team without Rashee Rice, without Isaiah Pacheco, without Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, and without the typical explosiveness from Mahomes in the vertical passing game.
It’s hard to consider any other team in the AFC, not the Baltimore Ravens, nor the Buffalo Bills, nor the Houston Texans as legitimately viable threats to Kansas City after the Chiefs throttled a roster as talented as the 49ers’ with Mahomes playing arguably the worst game of his career. Then, of course, there’s the Chiefs’ pedigree.
But more importantly, this team has won every time they’ve stepped on the field this season by holding on to survive by an average of 7.1 points, whether through creative play designs and concepts on offense, or its defense slamming the door late, or even some of Mahomes’ trademarked heroics in the passing game along the way, this team simply overcomes adversity.
“Kansas City’s defense is elite,” a veteran NFL scout tells me. “Which allows their offense to be mid. They’re finding different ways to win every single week, because they are relying on their defense.”
To the scout’s point, Sunday, it was the Chiefs’ defense that was the driving force, holding Jordan Mason and the 49ers to just 4.2 rushing yards per attempt, as a team, while allowing only two touchdowns in just four trips into the red zone.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit also forced three turnovers, which Kansas City converted into 14 points.
This season has been a unique dichotomy for the Chiefs; Mahomes has never before started a season 6-0 and yet he’s tied for the most interceptions thrown, with eight.
Even on Mahomes’ worst day, the Chiefs find a way to make it their best, proving once again that Kansas City’s formula for success has no limits.
Inside The Column
Around the NFL, on National Tight Ends Day, it was running backs who stole the show.
Jahmyr Gibbs was the driving force behind a thrilling Detroit Lions victory that showcased the Lions’ championship character, Saquon Barkley had a performance for the ages amid a chorus of boos from Giants fans in his MetLife Stadium return, and Tank Bigsby came up big for the Jaguars in a victory over the Patriots in London.
Inside this column, one NFC offensive coach tells me exactly why he saw Barkley’s breakout coming, Amari Cooper’s instant impact in Buffalo, and much more.
Here are the biggest takeaways, and awards from a telling Sunday across the NFL.
First Down: Vikings Start Fast, But Jahmyr Gibbs Leads Lions' Epic Rally to Top of NFC North
Aaron Jones knows a thing or two about dominating the NFC North and delivered an emphatic first punch in his first game against the Detroit Lions, as a Viking on Sunday.
After Minesota's defense made a statement with Andrew Van Ginkel's sack of Jared Goff, forcing a 3rd-and-long, Dan Campbell dialed up an ill-advised fake punt on 4th-and-7 from the Lions' 33-yard line.
Campbell’s aggressiveness backfired and Jones made them pay, bursting off the edge for a 34-yard touchdown, a US Bank Stadium Leap, and a 7-0 Vikings lead.
It was the longest run allowed by the Lions’ defense all season and set the tone for the Vikings to flex their complementary football muscles.
The Vikings ran out to a 10-0 lead, looking like they might run the Lions out of the building and create further distance as the upstart NFC North leaders.
One of the final litmus tests for Minnesota as a potential Super Bowl contender was how they’d fare against a fellow NFC Super Bowl contender. On Sunday, Kevin O’Connell’s team did not pass.
As impressive as Jones’ opening salvo was, it quickly became a footnote in one of the season’s most thrilling barnburners. Jones came out on the losing side of things, despite logging 116 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown because it was another running back—Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs—who stole the show and took control of the game.