5 bolts and 2 duds from the Chiefs’ convincing win over the Saints in Week 5

The Kansas City Chiefs are still undefeated entering their first bye week. With a 26:13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, KC is 5-0 and is one of two undefeated teams (Minnesota Vikings).

From the first offensive drive of the game, the Chiefs finally seemed more composed on offense. The defense forced an early turnover and was able to hold the Saints’ explosive offense to just 13 total points. In Kansas City in particular, some players turned back the clock and showed dominant performances.

With that in mind, it’s time to highlight some of the most notable achievements from this victory. Here are five studs and two duds from the Chiefs’ convincing win.

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

In Rashee Rice’s absence, someone had to step in at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster has done all of that and more. JuJu got some open looks due to some late releases where he sold like he was blocking. The Saints also seemed to get lost in the coverage throughout the evening.

Smith-Schuster had seven catches for 130 receiving yards, good enough for 18.6 yards per catch. That receiving yardage total was his first 100-yard receiving game since the 2022 regular season, when he and the Chiefs won at San Francisco. In this game, he not only managed to break free during routes, but he also added several yards after the catch. Kansas City’s offense will be fine if he can bring those traits to the table in the future.

RB Kareem Hunt

Speaking of veteran Chiefs skill players turning back the clock, Kareem Hunt was a handful for the New Orleans defense from the jump. He scored the first touchdown of the game. His 102 rushing yards were the most he had achieved since the 2020 season when he played for Cleveland.

Just like last week, Hunt caused some defenders to miss or bounce off of him. He found some extra hidden yards in traffic to help Kansas City stay on schedule and stay ahead of the chains. Most importantly, Hunt had no problem finding the open lanes and planting his foot on the ground without unnecessary movements. The Chiefs can continue to rely on him even without Isiah Pacheco.

TE Travis Kelce

They told us Travis Kelce was out of shape. They told us Travis Kelce was distracted. It turns out the veteran tight end is doing as well as ever after celebrating his birthday over the weekend. The Chiefs were finally able to get some quick finishes in this game. Many of them went straight to Kelce from the gate.

At the end there were a few more longer plays in which Patrick Mahomes hit the ball with open throws in the middle of the field. Kelce’s nine receptions led the team Monday night. He always knows how to shine brightly under the lights. His performance was crucial to the Chiefs rolling through the air in the early stages.

QB Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes may not have thrown a touchdown pass in this game. Still, compared to most of the last few weeks, he seemed extremely relaxed and confident. He was on time. He recognized the pressure much more consistently than last week. Furthermore, Mahomes even pulled the trigger on throws deep down the field. He even did this several times.

Interceptions in the red zone hurt, and it really wasn’t his fault for a tipped pass. In the end, Mahomes was able to find rhythm and chemistry with numerous weapons on the depth chart. It felt like he, Andy Reid and Matt Nagy were in her pocket most of the night. His 331 passing yards were his most in a single game this season. This must be a great pick-me-up to start the break after a few sluggish games.

Chiefs run defense

We highlighted the meeting of the Saints’ run offense and the Chiefs’ run defense starting Monday. Once again, Kansas City answered the bell against one of the better rushing units in the NFL. Alvin Kamara rarely got steam on his carries. The defense did an excellent job of breaking free from blockages and closing gaps. Overall, Kansas City held New Orleans to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries, which equates to just 3.1 yards per carry. For Kamara alone, the star rusher only collected 26 rushing yards and 2.4 yards per carry on 11 carries.

This Chiefs run defense is an underrated element of a strong defense right now. Best known for its varied blitz attack and the star power of Chris Jones, Kansas City can make opponents one-dimensional with his run-stopping ability. When opposing offenses try to outplay Mahomes and Co., putting teams in obvious passing situations is critical.

The Chiefs’ red zone offense

The year is 2037. Patrick Mahomes holds as many passing records as possible, if not more, than most passers in NFL history. And at this point, Kansas City still may not be able to find consistency in the red zone. But seriously, the Chiefs could have had a bigger margin of victory in this game if there hadn’t been some ups and downs in the red zone.

KC made it into the red zone seven times in this game. Only twice did the Chiefs turn those opportunities into touchdowns. This problem has hurt them this season and in previous years in the Mahomes era. If the Chiefs can see improvement there, they could at least make the playoffs as a 15-win team.

Chiefs offensive tackles

Was it your worst performance of the season so far? Not necessarily. But the Chiefs were once again a little shaky at offensive tackle. Jawaan Taylor scored a few penalties again. A call on hold negated a touchdown pass early on. Wanya Morris was injured and returned with some pressure.

The only pass rush New Orleans generated came from the outside edges. Kansas City has attempted several swings with the stick to improve the offensive tackling spots. They aren’t the worst in the NFL at this position. However, the comfort in this area is not yet quite as high.