New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs
· National Football LeaguePatrick Mahomes throws for 331 yards, Derek Carr hurt as Chiefs shut down Saints for 26-13 victory
It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.
But with injuries having ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13. Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That's why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”
There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.
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 at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.
“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like, ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,'” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”
The Chiefs held Saints quarterback Derek Carr to 185 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception before leaving with an oblique injury. It occurred with about 9 1/2 minutes left, when Carr was hit by blitzing defensive back 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 needed to do in the simplest form," said Carr, who plans to get an MRI exam on Tuesday.
The Saints' Alvin Kamara managed 26 yards rushing on 11 carries, becoming the latest high-profile running back to struggle against the Chiefs. They held the Ravens' Derrick Henry to 46 yards rushing, Zack Moss of the Bengals to 34, Falcons star Bijan Robinson to 31 and J.K. Dobbins to 32 in last week's win over the Chargers.
“We got outplayed,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said. "We really couldn't get a whole lot going on either side of the ball.”
The first half Monday night featured a bit of everything: Hunt's first TD since returning to Kansas City, where his once-promising career was derailed by an off-the-field incident; a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Rashid Shaheed, the shortest of the three Shaheed has caught this season; and yet another lateral by Kelce, which came on the most bizarre of drives.
The Chiefs were leading 10-7 when a fumbled pitch and a holding penalty left them facing second-and-34. They got some of it back on a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, and then Mahomes hit Kelce over the middle. Kelce lateraled to Samaje Perine, who got within a yard of a first down, and Kansas City converted the fourth-and-short play to set up an eventual field goal.
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 Xavier 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 to put away the game.
"It’s pretty cool to get the band back together,” said Smith-Schuster, who is also back with the Chiefs after a couple of years spent in New England. “Man, I’m telling you, there is no place like this. What we have here is special. It’s unreal.”
Chiefs: LT Wanya Morris left in the first half with a lower leg injury but returned to the game.
Kansas City has a week off before visiting San Francisco on Oct. 20.
How can I watch Saints vs. Chiefs?
- TV Channel: Saints at Chiefs 2021-22 NFL, week 5 is broadcasted nationally on ESPN.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
In Canada, viewers can watch Saints vs. Chiefs on DAZN.
Scoring Summary
TD | 1st Period 6:34 | Kareem Hunt 5 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 12:39 | Harrison Butker 26 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 2nd Period 8:36 | Rashid Shaheed 43 Yd pass from Derek Carr (Blake Grupe Kick) | |
FG | 2nd Period 1:32 | Harrison Butker 34 Yd Field Goal | |
FG | 2nd Period 0:06 | Harrison Butker 28 Yd Field Goal | |
TD | 4th Period 14:16 | Foster Moreau 6 Yd pass from Derek Carr (Blake Grupe PAT failed) | |
TD | 4th Period 11:56 | Xavier Worthy 3 Yd Run (Harrison Butker Kick) | |
FG | 4th Period 3:03 | Harrison Butker 38 Yd Field Goal |
Statistics
NO | KC | |
---|---|---|
14 | 1st Downs | 28 |
11 | Passing 1st downs | 15 |
1 | Rushing 1st downs | 11 |
2 | 1st downs from penalties | 2 |
4-10 | 3rd down efficiency | 6-14 |
0-2 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
51 | Total Plays | 80 |
220 | Total Yards | 460 |
4.3 | Yards per Play | 5.8 |
10 | Total Drives | 10 |
174 | Passing | 321 |
20/35 | Comp/Att | 28/39 |
4.8 | Yards per pass | 7.8 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
1-8 | Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-10 |
46 | Rushing | 139 |
15 | Rushing Attempts | 39 |
3.1 | Yards per rush | 3.6 |
1-1 | Red Zone (Made-Att) | 2-7 |
5-70 | Penalties | 6-55 |
1 | Turnovers | 1 |
0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
1 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
0 | Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 |
20:04 | Possession | 39:56 |
Game Information
Location: Kansas City, MO
Attendance: 73,592 · Capacity:
2024 NFC South Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta | 8 | 7 | .533 | 0 | 327 | 349 |
Tampa Bay | 8 | 7 | .533 | 0 | 427 | 352 |
New Orleans | 5 | 10 | .333 | 0 | 309 | 346 |
Carolina | 4 | 11 | .267 | 0 | 283 | 448 |
2024 AFC West Standings
TEAM | W | L | PCT | T | PF | PA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kansas City | 14 | 1 | .933 | 0 | 356 | 278 |
Los Angeles | 9 | 6 | .600 | 0 | 328 | 274 |
Denver | 9 | 6 | .600 | 0 | 363 | 281 |
Las Vegas | 3 | 12 | .200 | 0 | 264 | 390 |
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