NFL
“Too Good To Be Beaten”, Chiefs Whitewashed Saint 26-13 As They Enter Bye At 5-0… See More
Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards, Kareem Hunt ran for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Chiefs overcame more red-zone woes Monday to beat the New Orleans Saints 26-13 on a big night for Kansas City’s professional sports teams.
Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their AL Division Series in New York. There were frequent chants of “Let’s go Royals!” throughout the game, and when the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory to send the series back to Kansas City tied a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead Stadium.
There were plenty of roars for the Chiefs, too. Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scored another touchdown, and their defense shut down old Raiders rival Derek Carr while dealing the Saints (2-3) their third consecutive defeat.
It was exactly that — field goals — that kept New Orleans in the game, though. The Chiefs have struggled to score TDs in the red zone all season, and they were forced to let Harrison Butker kick a trio of chip shots to lead 16-7 at the break.
Their red-zone woes continued in the third quarter. On second-and-goal, Smith-Schuster had a pass bounce off his hands at the goal line and into the arms of 324-pound former Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who made his first career interception.
The Saints promptly marched 65 yards with Foster Moreau’s TD catch getting them within 16-13 with 14:16 to play.
But unlike every other game for the Chiefs, which had been decided in the final minutes — if not the final play — they answered the blow by delivering one of their own. Smith-Schuster hauled in a 50-yard pass moments later, and Worthy took a handoff on first-and-goal at the 3 for a touchdown that extended their cushion early in the fourth quarter.
After the Chiefs stopped the Saints on fourth down, they tacked on another field goal with 3:03 left.