Kansas City extends their win streak to four in a row with their win in Minnesota.
The Chiefs game had many good and bad to come away from their win. The Chief’s defense stopped a high-octane offense from throwing the ball all over the field. The Chief’s offense still does not look like the machine many fans feel it can be however, there were more flashes against the Vikings.
The biggest problem out of the game was the sloppy amount of penalties committed by the team. The Chiefs committed nine penalties for almost 100 yards. Multiple of those penalties came against defensive backs trying to play physically against the Viking’s top-level wideouts. those need to be cleaned up if the Chiefs want to stay on top.
Other than that, the defense continues to play at a top-tier level. The defense kept all-star wide revecer Justin Jefferson 28 yards on three catches. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed often found themselves one-on-one with Jefferson and were never fazed.
Early in the game, Sneed found himself in some trouble with back-to-back penalties giving the Vikings a chance to get on the board. Despite the poor start to the game, the Chief’s defense did not allow any receiver to go over 65 yards.
After the game, Andy Reid credited Sneed for his play against Jefferson.
“What can you say about Sneed,” Reid said. “This is the best receiver in the National Football League or at least one of them. Arguably the best and he went toe to toe with him tonight. It was a great job.”
The Chiefs defensive line played well against the run. The highest rusher on the day was Alexander Mattison with 26 yards. The only minus to the defense was the amount of time Kirk Cousins had in the pocket. The Chiefs did have some problems getting pressure on Cousins. However, when the team needed it most defensive coordinator Steve Spagnoulo was able to manufacture pressure with a variety of blitz packages.
The Chiefs’ defense took advantage of the Vikings’ biggest flaw heading into the game, turnovers. On the first drive of the game tight end Josh Oliver fumbled the ball giving the Chiefs a great field position. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on that drive.
One of the unsung heroes of the game was running back Isiah Pachko. Even though he only ran 55 yards he was used in key moments. His touchdown came on a short run, an area the Chiefs have struggled.
Pacheco was also used on third and short situations another area in the offense that has struggled to convert. He also found himself gaining extra yards when there was little to be gained. The interior of the offensive line was able to give him just enough room to break past the defensive line to gain the needed yards.
The scariest moment of the game was when Travis Kelce left the game after falling to the ground with a non-contact injury to his ankle. Kelce would eventually come back into the game but with a quick turnaround for Thursday night football.
The Chiefs take on the Denver Broncos on Thursday.
