The Kansas City Chiefs entered Week 15’s game against the New England Patriots in desperate need of a win to help them right the ship. After another up-and-down first half, Andy Reid’s team did just that by getting back on track and securing a double-digit victory in the end. With the 27-17 win, Kansas City rises to 9-5 on the season. The Chiefs took care of their first of four consecutive games against backup quarterbacks, containing Bailey Zappe and company in Foxborough to start. Up next is an AFC West matchup versus the feisty Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas day.
Here are four takeaways from Sunday’s game.
THE “SAME OLD CHIEFS OFFENSE” SHOWED UP EARLY IN THE GAME
One of the themes of the Chiefs’ 2023 season has been the team failing to get out of its own way. Self-inflicted errors like penalties, turnovers, receiver mistakes, offensive line struggles and slow starts are all culprits this year. While some elements remain consistent, others have faded away only to creep back up at inopportune times. The first quarter-and-change of Sunday’s game featured more of the same blend folks are growing to expect from this version of Kansas City.
On the first offensive drive of the game, an odd offensive pass interference penalty wiped out a Kadarius Toney 16-yard gain. Later in the drive, Harrison Butker missed his first field goal of the season. On drive No. 3, Patrick Mahomes was sacked after right guard Trey Smith got beat. On the very next possession, Smith got beat again and Mahomes was picked off which put the defense in a precarious position. A pair of touchdown drives helped avoid disaster, yet the Chiefs once again made things hard on themselves to kick things off.
BOTH KANSAS CITY RUNNING BACKS SHOWED UP WITHOUT ISIAH PACHECO
The Chiefs’ running back stable has pretty consistently been led by Isiah Pacheco ever since he earned the starting role part of the way through last season. With the sophomore on the shelf due to a shoulder injury, though, Kansas City was forced to lean on Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon. Week 15 marked the second game in a row that was the case, and this writer expanded on that unique opportunity for the fourth-year man on Sunday morning. Not only did he make an impact, but so did his running mate. Both of the Chiefs’ primary halfbacks scored against New England, and both touchdowns came in the passing game.
The Kansas City ground attack wasn’t tremendously effective outside of a 20-yard scamper from Edwards-Helaire, so the ball was put in Mahomes’s hands often. As he has many times this year, the reigning NFL MVP distributed the ball to many players and helped facilitate a mostly effective offense. McKinnon’s solid play in the first half and Edwards-Helaire’s highlight-reel touchdown in the second half fueled the Chiefs’ offense. The team hopes that Pacheco will be back soon, but his backups did their part in his absence on Sunday.
STEVE SPAGNUOLO’S DEFENSE HAD A MIXED BAG OF AN AFTERNOON BUT WAS MOSTLY GOOD
One of the contributing factors in the Chiefs’ last month of play has been the offense stalling out early, but the defense also getting off to slow starts. Double-digit deficits aren’t as easy for this year’s team to overcome, and they were present in recent games. While that wasn’t the context of Sunday’s outing, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit seemed to be walking in place in the first half. The Mahomes interception didn’t help matters for field position and a 5.1 yard-per-play allowance isn’t terrible but considering the opponent, it wasn’t dominant. The defense stiffened up in the second two frames, holding New England to no third-down conversions and just 2.5 yards per play until its final one-play drive.
Zappe was sacked twice and turned the ball over once while completing just half of his passes in the process. That Spagnuolo crew, even with a dropped interception by L’Jarius Sneed and an 18-yard rushing score from Kevin Harris, fell more in line with the Chiefs defense that’s taken the field for most of 2023. THE SMALL LOSING STREAK IS OVER Entering Week 15, the Chiefs were two games back of the Baltimore Ravens and a game back of the Miami Dolphins for the one-seed in the conference. Despite that, every team’s remaining schedule gave
Kansas City a respectable chance of getting there with all things considered. Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa’s clubs still have to play each other later this season, so the Chiefs are tasked with taking care of business and letting everything else unfold elsewhere. With the Sunday win, the first step of that process is underway. After losing back-to-back contests to the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs are back in the winner’s circle. That helps their AFC hopes, and it also assists in their quest for another AFC West title. With the Denver Broncos’ Saturday night defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions, Reid’s team now has a two-game lead in the division with three weeks to go. That crown no longer appears to be in jeopardy, which is a bonus on top of everything else.
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