KC Chiefs: Five things we learned in week two win vs Raiders

That was a game, wasn’t it? The game had some of your usual ups and downs from a KC Chiefs team, but in the end, it was a 28-10 win for the good guys in the Black Hole for the final time.

The Kansas City Chiefs put up at least 27 points in every one of Patrick Mahomes‘ 20 starts.  Feels good, doesn’t it? As per usual, we have five things to talk about so let’s get to it.

The defense played its best game in a while

Hats off to the defense for looking great out there and bailing the offense out when it was down.  The Chiefs defense had two picks and only allowed ten points (all in the first quarter) against a young Oakland offense.

There were still issues with allowing some chunk plays and the run defense, but in crunch time the defense came up big. Everybody played extremely well and the sacks are back. The defense faces a real challenge against a much improved Lamar Jackson led Ravens team, so that will a game to really get a gauge on where this defense is at in terms of its development.

Patrick Mahomes still does Patrick Mahomes things

The rumors of Mahomes’ demise were greatly exaggerated.  The Chiefs quarterback had a paltry 35 yards passing in the first quarter. The offense as a whole looked rough, but more on that in a minute.

After the first quarter ended, something clearly went off in the reigning MVP’s head because the first play of the second quarter was a touchdown throw to Demarcus Robinson, who would have himself a career day with over 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Mahomes looked more poised and just looked more like himself from the last 19 games.  He finished with over 400 yards and four touchdowns, but could have had at least one or two more if they weren’t called back due to penalty.

Now look, Mahomes has regressed from last season in terms of number but can you really call over 700 yards passing and seven touchdowns a true regression?

Run blocking needs work

The Chiefs couldn’t run the ball at all this week, that much was clear. Both Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy were getting stuffed at the line on just about every run. This was more than likely a combination of Eric Fisher‘s injury and that the Raiders have a pretty good defense.

The Chiefs are going to have to get this fixed in a hurry, especially when they play teams like New England and Baltimore, teams that can keep up with the Chiefs and will force them to run the ball. If there is a coach that can scheme this stuff to work, it is Andy Reid.

The Raiders showed promise

In each of these, I like to take a moment and talk about the opponent. The Chiefs and Raiders played the last home game at O.Co where there will be baseball diamond on the field and the Chiefs ended up finishing 20-19-1 all-time at that dump.

All that being said, the Raiders showed promise in this game. This rivalry is always better when both teams are great. Derek Carr looked the best he has been in a while and there are some pieces to build around on offense.

Their defense held the Chiefs extremely well early on, but you can’t contain this explosive offense forever. Things look bright for the Raiders as they head to Las Vegas.

Chiefs offense is on another level

I touched on Mahomes and the run blocking woes earlier, but now it is time to talk about the offense as a whole. This offense might be one of the best the NFL has ever seen at least since the Greatest Show on Turf.

The Chiefs have solid to elite position players all across the board. They also have one of the greatest play-callers in Andy Reid. The offensive line is among the best in the league even with injuries. Oh, and minor detail, they have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback.

After a shaky first quarter, the KC Chiefs had an offensive explosion and got back to where they were last season.  With Mahomes at quarterback, the Chiefs haven’t scored less than 27 points in a game.  As long as the defense plays okay, the Chiefs will never be out of a game.

Enjoy this Chiefs fans.

This game was a fun one to watch if you take the first quarter out of things.  In a way, I am going to miss these games at O.Co because it provides some of that old school feel to things.  The players, coaches, and media won’t because the place is a dump and is from an era gone by.  Next time the Chiefs play a road game against the Raiders, it will be in Sin City.