On Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs ran some plays with four tight ends. It was voluntary.
The Chiefs are going to have to mix, match and get creative to generate offense due to multiple injuries, but unlike most other teams, they’re likely to figure out a way.
The Chiefs are without running back Isiah Pacheco and receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown, but it really didn’t matter against the New Orleans Saints. The Chiefs moved the ball just fine, piling up more than 400 yards, and stayed undefeated with a 26-13 win over the Saints.
The Chiefs are thin. On Monday night, they were asking for contributions from recycled players like Kareem Hunt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and even tight end Jody Fortson, all on their second tours with the team after not getting much attention anywhere else. Hunt and Smith-Schuster in particular had monster games on Monday night. The Chiefs’ offense didn’t look short-handed.
Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes can always make it work.
Saints make some mistakes early
To win at Arrowhead Stadium you have to play very well, and the Saints did not do that in the first half.
The night started with Derek Carr throwing a wild interception under pressure. It was a bad lobbed-up pass, and safety Bryan Cook made a nice diving catch for the pick. The Saints also gave up a first down after having the Chiefs pinned back on a second-and-34. They had a two-minute drill that took just 34 seconds before a punt and allowed the Chiefs to get a field goal before halftime.
Kansas City led 16-7 at halftime and while it could have been worse for New Orleans — the Saints held the Chiefs to a field goal within the red zone on three possessions — it’s very tough to come back on the Chiefs.
The Saints stuck around though. A Saints interception in the end zone by 324-pound defensive Khalen Saunders and his 37-yard return gave New Orleans a jolt. The Saints went on a touchdown drive after that, and even though the extra point was no good they trailed 16-13 with more than 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs had been pretty good between the 20s, but their red zone failures were keeping New Orleans in the game.
Chiefs maintain 4th quarter lead
As usual, the Chiefs got creative around the goal line and it paid off with a big fourth-quarter touchdown. Travis Kelce took the shotgun snap from center, handed it to Xavier Worthy and the rookie receiver got a 3-yard touchdown. That restored the Chiefs’ lead to 10 points.
The Chiefs have been relying on defense since the start of last season and it came through again on Monday night. After the Worthy touchdown, the Chiefs got a stop that essentially ended the Saints’ chances. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sent a blitz on fourth-and-8, which forced Carr to rush his throw downfield and it fell incomplete. The game wasn’t officially over at that point but it was going to take some huge breaks to overcome a 10-point deficit. The Saints’ chances got even worse when Carr went back to the locker room with an oblique injury suffered on that fourth-down hit.
Mahomes had more than 300 yards throwing to an eclectic cast of receivers. Kelce had his second straight productive game with nine catches for 70 yards as he snaps out of an early-season slump. Smith-Schuster, cut by the Patriots in August and picked up by the Chiefs, was a big surprise with 130 yards. Hunt, who was unsigned all offseason, continues to take over the RB1 job in Pacheco’s absence. He rushed for 102 yards.
It’s not the offensive lineup the Chiefs planned on going into the season. They figured that some additions would prevent a repeat of last season, when the offense was often frustrated with an inconsistent group of receivers. But Kansas City is making it work again. Their group of retreads made it seem like old timers’ day at Arrowhead Stadium. The results were familiar too.