The Chiefs pulled out a tough overtime win, defeating the Titans 20-17 on SNF.
The Chiefs defense kept the door open for the Chiefs to get out of its funk, holding the Titans to 1-11 on third downs. Head coach Andy Reid credited the team for staying together and not letting the frustration get to them.
“It was a struggle,” Reid said. “We were up and down and the guys hung together.”
Reid worded it perfectly. Despite a rocky performance, Kansas City allowed an accumulation of just seven yards during the second half and overtime.
Khalen Saunders stepped up and not only led the team in tackles but also had a key sack late in the game to help seal the win.
Both Willie Gay and Nick Bolton took the challenge of stopping the freight train, that is Derrick Henry. In the end, they proved successful. Throughout the game they met Henry near or on the line of scrimmage a majority of the time.
While Henry did end the game with 115 yards, most of that came out of his 56 and 25 yard runs. Other than that the Chiefs kept Henry from constantly breaking into the second level of the defense and giving the Titans third and shorts. With a young quarterback making the start for the Titans, third and longs were exactly what the Chiefs wanted.
“You have to be able to win games like that,” Reid said. “Where everything isn’t just perfect and your emotions are up and down and you have to fight through. We were so close on so many plays”
Despite the offensive struggles, when the Chiefs needed it most, Patrick Mahomes put the team on his back and pulled his team to the victory.
“When you get to those end of game situations you have to try to go out there and make it happen, Mahomes said.”
That is exactly what Mahomes did. On the final touchdown, the Chiefs were down eight needing both a touchdown and a two point conversion to tie. Mahomes had three scrambles that converted win or lose plays.
After the game Reid said the team came out with no significant injuries. Deon Bush tweaked his left knee. Jaylen Watson, who was seen on the ground for a significant time, just had turf into his eyes.
Overall, the Kansas City defense may be highly under-appreciated. They seemed to put their team on their back and fought hard for the win. With a Mahomes led offense, a strong defense is the last thing other teams want to see. Next week the Chiefs will host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
