Without the Baltimore Ravens’ opening drive — and the 71-yard garbage-time touchdown by running back Justice Hill — the Kansas City Chiefs played a darn-near perfect game on Sunday.

Head coach Andy Reid had the offense humming like a well-oiled machine — and for the second straight week, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo rolled out a game plan that completely neutralized nearly everything the opposing offense wanted to accomplish. The result was a resounding victory, as Kansas City dismantled the Ravens 37-20 to claim its first home win of the season at Arrowhead.

Here are five things we learned.

1. Xavier Worthy was the missing piece

When the Chiefs opened the season with a frustrating 0-2 start, many wondered whether the return of wide receiver Xavier Worthy would really make that big a difference, given the level of disorder Kansas City had shown early.

It’s not just because Worthy is a young, talented, all-around wide receiver, or that he is one of the fastest players in the NFL. It’s because he adds an element to this offense that was sorely missing before.

Sure… the Chiefs didn’t play perfectly. But a dynamic player like Worthy brings an element that covers a multitude of sins and puts pressure on an opposing defense in such a way that it splits at the seams, opening space for others to operate.

This was the first time that the offense Kansas City envisioned for 2025 was finally on the field.

Just imagine what it will look like when Rashee Rice returns from his suspension.

2. Steve Spagnuolo is evolving

The improved play of the defense over the last two weeks cannot be overstated. It may sound simple, but the Chiefs’ ability to take away what the opposing offense wants to do has been the key to their success.

You might be asking, “Isn’t that the objective of any defense?”

Yes… it is. But it’s a lot easier said than done.

Every defense would love to erase Malik Nabers from the game plan, as Kansas City did in Week 3 against the New York Giants, or to limit Baltimore star running back Derrick Henry to just eight carries and fewer than 50 rushing yards. Every team wants to neutralize quarterback Lamar Jackson’s legs and ability to scramble for a first down.

It’s just that not many do.

Coming into Sunday’s matchup, the Ravens were averaging 37 points per game. The Chiefs held them to just 13 through 58 minutes of this 60-minute game.

When you’ve had as much success as Spagnuolo has had in his career, there’s a tendency to say, “We’re going to play our style of football and impose our will.” But that’s not how he has been operating. Every week, Kansas City’s defense is winning in different ways.

Last week, the Chiefs rolled zone coverage against Nabers. This week, Spagnuolo put a linebacker spy on Jackson. It will be exciting to see what he draws up next week when Kansas City travels to Florida to face a sneaky Jacksonville Jaguars team.

3. The Chiefs trust Kareem Hunt more than Isiah Pacheco

The running game was quietly important because it opened things up for the passing game.

Kansas City came out of halftime with a balanced attack, marching on a six-play, 65-yard touchdown drive split evenly between runs and passes. Each of those runs came from starting running back Isiah Pacheco, accounting for nearly half of his rushing attempts on the day.

While Pacheco was more effective — averaging five yards per carry — when the Chiefs found themselves in critical, short-yardage situations, they turned to Kareem Hunt.

There’s no question Pacheco is the more explosive player at this stage of their careers. But when Kansas City needs to gain six feet to keep the sticks moving, it’s clear the coaches prefer Hunt.

4. The Chiefs’ role players make this offense dynamic

Role players cannot be a team’s stars. Teams need someone like Worthy to keep defenses honest and force them to game plan around him.

But the others — who operate in the space created by those stars — are the ones who deliver death-by-a-thousand-cuts to the opposition.

When your starting wide receivers are JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown, you have a problem. But when they are your third or fourth options — and you can add Tyquan Thornton into the mix — you have a versatile group that can frustrate defenses and put points on the board.

5. The Chiefs have a good problem at kick returner

Do you remember when Skyy Moore was Kansas City’s best option at kick returner?

If you’ve blocked out that memory, I don’t blame you.

Those days are long gone. The Chiefs now have a surplus of strong options. In this game alone, Kansas City had three different players return kicks, all averaging more than 27 yards per return — and that doesn’t even include Tyquan Thornton, who has carved out enough of an offensive role that the Chiefs don’t want to risk him on special teams unless it’s necessary.

Special teams setting up the offense with shorter fields will be an underrated (but important) reason it will keep improving this season.