KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for a bunch of yards. Travis Kelce caught a complete lot of his passes. And Kareem Hunt plowed into the top zone as soon as once more, sending a torrent of crimson fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday evening.
It would as properly have been six years in the past, the final time that trio of Chiefs performed in a house sport collectively.
However with accidents having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs had been pressured to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star working again to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes completed with 331 yards by way of the air, Kelce had a game-high 9 catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 instances for 102 yards and a landing.
“It was an excellent feeling to get again ultimately zone. I missed it very a lot,” stated Hunt, who solely returned to the Chiefs a few weeks in the past, after an harm to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That’s why I threw up a coronary heart. To point out my love for Kansas Metropolis.”
There was a whole lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.
Simply because the Chiefs had been shifting to 5-0 behind one other defensive gem, the Royals had been beating the Yankees in Recreation 2 of their AL Division Sequence in New York. There have been frequent chants of “Let’s go Royals!” all through the sport, and when the Royals completed off a 4-2 victory to ship the collection again to Kansas Metropolis tied at a sport apiece, a roar ripped by way of Arrowhead.
“There was form of a lull there towards the top of the sport, and I used to be like, ‘They’re not exhibiting the rating. The Yankees got here again,’” stated Mahomes, who owns part of the Royals. “However they picked it up and acquired the win, and it was extraordinarily thrilling.”
The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception earlier than leaving with an indirect harm. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive again Chamarri Conner on a fourth-down incompletion as he tried to rally New Orleans from a 23-13 deficit.
“I couldn’t do what I wanted to do within the easiest type,” stated Carr, who plans to get an MRI examination on Tuesday.
The Saints’ Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards dashing on 11 carries, turning into the newest high-profile working again to wrestle towards the Chiefs. They held the Ravens’ Derrick Henry to 46 yards dashing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.Okay. Dobbins to 32 in final week’s win over the Chargers.
“We acquired outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen stated. “We actually couldn’t get a complete lot occurring both aspect of the ball.”
The primary half Monday evening featured a little bit of every little thing: Hunt’s first TD since returning to Kansas Metropolis, the place his once-promising profession was derailed by an off-the-field incident; a 43-yard landing move from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet one more lateral by Kelce, which got here on essentially the most weird of drives.
The Chiefs had been main 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them going through second-and-34. They acquired a few of it again on a move to JuJu Smith-Schuster, after which Mahomes hit Kelce over the center. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who acquired inside a yard of a primary down, and Kansas Metropolis transformed the fourth-and-short play to arrange an eventual subject aim.
It was precisely that — subject objectives — that saved New Orleans within the sport, although. The Chiefs have struggled to attain TDs within the crimson zone all season, and so they had been pressured to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip photographs to steer 16-7 on the break.
Their red-zone woes continued within the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a move bounce off his palms on the aim line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive sort out Khalen Saunders, who made his first profession interception.
The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau’s TD catch getting them inside 16-13 with 14:16 to play.
However not like each different sport for the Chiefs, which had been determined within the closing minutes — if not the ultimate play — they answered the blow by delivering considered one of their very own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard move moments later, and Xavier Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal on the 3 for a landing that prolonged their cushion early within the fourth quarter.
After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on one other subject aim with 3:03 left to place away the sport.
“It’s fairly cool to get the band again collectively,” stated Smith-Schuster, who can be again with the Chiefs after a few years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there isn’t any place like this. What we now have right here is particular. It’s unreal.”
Tay-Tay returns
Taylor Swift was again at Arrowhead Stadium to see Kelce and the Chiefs after lacking her boyfriend’s earlier two street video games. She resumes her record-setting Eras Tour on Friday evening with the primary of three reveals in Miami.
Accidents
Saints: CB Will Harris harm his hamstring within the first half. C Lucas Patrick left briefly within the third quarter with a collarbone harm,
Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left within the first half with a decrease leg harm however returned to the sport.
Up subsequent
New Orleans hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Kansas Metropolis has every week off earlier than visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.
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AP NFL:
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