The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the New York Jets in a fashion nobody saw coming. Despite coming in as underdogs the Chiefs came away with a 24-3 victory. The real story however, was the Jets eight, count them eight, turnovers. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled to get anything going and ended up throwing a pick-six to seal the game in the fourth quarter. After such an impressive win Chiefs fans are undoubtedly excited, but was it just a fluke, or is this team the real deal?
Kansas City Chiefs Week Three Takeaways
The Secondary Was Fantastic
Kansas City’s secondary looked like one of the best defenses in football this week. Getting six interceptions in no easy feat after all, especially when you’re going up against Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Decker finished the game with only one catch while Brandon Marshall only had three. Kansas City did an excellent job covering them and keeping them out of the game. The defense also was clutch when it came to playing in the red zone. They came up with three interceptions in the endzone, two off of tipped balls. Of course, I have to mention the standout performance of Marcus Peters. He tallied two interceptions this week making it his fourth in three games. In fact, through his first 21 games he has totaled 13 interceptions. For comparison, Deion Sanders and Darrelle Revis only had six interceptions each in their first 21 games. This former first round pick seems to be the real deal.
Offense Still Struggles to Score
In a game where your team has eight takeaways, you would usually expect to score more than 24. The offense itself only scored one touchdown. The other two came from special teams and defense. The offenses opening few drives were able to get them a ten point lead. They got the ball out quickly with short passes over the middle and screens to Tyreek Hill. Travis Kelce finished the day as the leading receiver with six receptions 89 yards and a touchdown. However, in the second half, the offense came to a grinding halt. Despite only a two possession lead, Andy Reid felt confident in just running the ball and keeping play extremely conservative. Kansas City would not get the ball into the red zone the entire second half. They had ample opportunities to put the game away with one more touchdown but failed to do so. Instead, they had to rely on the defense, with Derrick Johnson’s pick-six, to seal the game up.
The Pass Rush Still Needs Improvement
While the defensive line did pressure Ryan Fitzpatrick into making bad throws, they were not able to get a single sack. That keeps the Chiefs’ season sack total at a surprising three. It just stresses how much Kansas City needs Justin Houston back. Dee Ford also saw far less action than in previous weeks, coming away with only one tackle. Instead, Tamba Hali and Frank Zombo were the primary outside pass rushers. With teams like the Steelers and Raiders coming up, the Chiefs need to find a way to consistently get to the quarterback if they want to keep winning games.
Quick Notes
This is the second week in a row we’ve seen snaps that were too high. While it didn’t cause a fumble on the few times we saw it happen this week, it’s a slight area of concern.
Parker Ehinger and Jah Reid were both scratched from the game, making this the third week in a row with a new combination up front.
Derrick Johnson looked to be in prime form again leading the team in tackles for the second week in a row. It looks like he’s found the fountain of youth.
Both D.J. White and Daniel Sorensen got their first career interceptions this week.
Conclusion
This was an important victory for the Chiefs, showing they can bounce back after a tough loss. The defense is looking more and more like the unit we saw last year. However, Kansas City can’t expect to get so many turnovers each week, and will need the offense to be more efficient if they want to keep winning games. This week no doubt will give them a confidence boost heading into week four in Pittsburgh.
