The Kansas City Chiefs improve to 5-0 after beating winless division rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, 22-6. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes gets his 100th career win, tying Tom Brady for the fewest number of starts to reach the milestone (131). There’s usually not much to complain about in a double-digit win, but Mahomes’ 100th win wasn’t all pretty for the Chiefs.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Kenneth Walker III is the best free agent addition of the offseason. Walker recorded 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns off of 19 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. It’s gotten to the point where it’s a surprise to not see him get more than five yards in a single run.
With the injuries at wide receiver, Walker’s presence is keeping the offense together. He was the only player in the entire game to score a touchdown, and when the passing attack struggled in the second half, he was able to move the ball. The only bad thing is that the Chiefs need to start thinking about how many carries he is getting. Later in the season, he might get worn down or injured if he keeps up at his current pace.
The Chiefs’ defense has struggled ever since Week Two, but was the driving force of this game from the beginning. LA only mustered up six points despite recovering multiple turnovers. Kansas City recorded four sacks after not recording any sacks since Week One. They also picked off QB Justin Herbert and held him to only 204 passing yards.
The Chiefs completely shut down the Chargers’ rushing attack, holding their running backs to only 43 yards off of 16 combined carries from Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Keaton Mitchell. Los Angeles simply could not move the ball, and when they did, Kansas City’s defense found a way to stop them from getting into the end zone. A performance like this makes it a lot easier to trust this defense down the line, especially after multiple weeks of disappointing performances.
Xavier Worthy had an impressive first half, catching 5/5 targets for 70 yards. Unfortunately, he stalled in the second half and ended with only 73 yards. Still, Worthy looked good when the ball was thrown his way. A game like this was much needed for the team to gain confidence in him going forward.
As for every other wide receiver on the team, it wasn’t much of a game. WRs Justin Watson and Andrew Armstrong were both elevated to the active roster before Sunday’s game, but only Armstrong saw significant time. Rookie Cyrus Allen caught two passes for 27 yards, and second-year WR Jalen Royals recorded two catches for 24 yards. These two receivers are young, but they should have been targeted more to see how involved they can be down the line. Can the Chiefs make do with how well Kenneth Walker is playing? Absolutely. But the current group of receivers is leaving a lot to be desired, with or without Rashee Rice.
Legendary coach Andy Reid is not free of criticism either, as he made some questionable decisions in the second half. Throwing the ball on 3rd-and-1 at the Chargers’ 31-yard line just to try for a field goal on fourth down was strange, especially when the Chiefs have the leading rusher in the league. Passing the ball signals that they would have been okay with going for it on 4th-and-1, but instead they trotted Butker onto the field just to miss the field goal, leaving points off the board. Add the failed 4th-and-1 at the goal line late in the third quarter, and there were too many missed opportunities to run away with the game that Kansas City never capitalized on.
It feels like the team isn’t used to the fact that their running game is their best weapon. I understand wanting to get the passing game open to get the young receivers more experience, but in game-deciding situations it doesn’t seem like the best idea. If LA were a competent team, Kansas City would have lost this game.
It was a rough day for kicker Harrison Butker, who missed an extra point and a 52-yard field goal. Butker has missed three field goals in five games, all of which were from 50+ yards. On top of that, kick returner Nikko Remigio fumbled the ball on a kick return in the Chargers’ side of the field, killing Kansas City’s momentum after a strong three-and-out. If the Chiefs’ defense wasn’t shutting down Justin Herbert’s offense, the special teams could have single-handedly lost the game.
Is it time to move on from Butker? No. Kickers have bad games all the time. However, it has not been a great season for him. Whether it’s a missed field goal, a penalty, or a fumble, it feels like the special teams will inevitably cost the team a win at some point, which could lose them the valuable #1 seed.
As for Nikko Remigio, there is no reason for him to stay on the roster. His only purpose is to be the kick returner, and he is not really that good at it. Most of his returns are either dumb ideas or just a couple of yards. Now that he has turned the ball over, his entire career is a question mark. Perhaps someone more explosive would be better suited to be the kick returner going forward? Benching him after one bad performance is unlikely, but wasting a roster spot on a mediocre kick returner is already a questionable philosophy.
For a 16-point win, the Chiefs looked about as messy as you could imagine. Luckily, the Chargers are so bad that Madison Beer could play receiver and there wouldn’t be much of a difference. Kansas City now looks towards Week Seven, as they take on the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Los Angeles moves on to the bye week, as they take a break from this disastrous season of theirs.
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