Quote of the game: \u2018This defense carried them to the Super Bowl\u2026 People talk about them now in the same way they talk about the offense.\u2019<\/p>\n
As \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d commentators Joe Buck and Troy Aikman shared their thoughts on the game in the waning moments, Aikman took time to praise the Chiefs defense, placing it on the same level as their offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve given up 24 points the past three games. Pretty impressive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kansas City limited Washington to 260 total yards, including just 60 yards on the ground on 20 carries (three yards per attempt). The Chiefs (5-3) have kept five of their first eight opponents under 300 yards and are allowing 277.8 yards per game. After holding the Commanders to seven points, they have the league\u2019s No. 2 scoring defense, allowing 16.4 points per game.<\/p>\n
Mahomes, for the first time in his storied career, had been intercepted on each of his first two drives. One was off his receiver\u2019s hands, but it made no matter, the Kansas City Chiefs were sputtering against a Washington Commanders team without star quarterback\u00a0Jayden Daniels<\/a>\u00a0and locked in a tie game.<\/p>\n Then came the second half, when Mahomes and Co. began to dominate, rolling up and down the field for three straight touchdown drives en route to the Chiefs\u2019\u00a028-7 win<\/a>\u00a0over the Commanders.<\/p>\n \u201cIt shows the growth that we\u2019ve had as a team,\u201d said Mahomes, who piloted the Chiefs to their fifth win by double digits this season, already one more than last season\u2019s total. \u201cOffense, defense and special teams, I think we\u2019re getting better and better each and every week. Even though we didn\u2019t start the way we wanted to today offensively, it showed that we can battle through adversity and still continue to play the brand of football that we want to play. We\u2019ll have to continue to get better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n Is it possible that the Chiefs are having\u00a0more fun\u00a0this season \u2014 through a 5-3 start \u2014 than they did even a year ago when they grinded their way to a 15-2 regular-season mark on their way to a Super Bowl appearance?<\/p>\n There\u2019s certainly a case to be made.<\/p>\n For one, the offense last season never rolled like this. Mahomes, in particular, was at his best in the chaos on Monday, thriving in scramble-mode situations while consistently finding open teammates who were more than willing to freelance with him.<\/p>\n NFL\u2019s Next Gen Stats accurately told that story. When he had more than four seconds to throw against the Commanders, Mahomes was 8-for-9 for 149 yards, with all three of his touchdown passes coming in that situation.<\/p>\n In addition, Mahomes scrambled on a season-high 28 percent of his dropbacks, with those plays producing 31 rushing yards and 4-of-6 passing for 52 yards.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a good feel,\u201d Mahomes said, \u201cof finding those open places.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chiefs are flying high once more<\/p>\n