Kansas City Chiefs: 10 likes and 10 dislikes from Week 9 vs Vikings

In Week 9, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Minnesota Vikings and knocked them out with a last-second field goal, winning 26-23.

With the win, the Kansas City Chiefs split the games in which they played without starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes while also snapping a three-game home losing streak.

Here are my 10 likes and 10 dislikes from the much-needed victory.

10 Likes

1. The Back-Up Quarterback Wins

One week after keeping the Chiefs in a close battle with the Packers, back-up quarterback Matt Moore led the Chiefs to victory over the Vikings. He went 25-for-35 for 275 yards and one touchdown, good enough for a 103.9 rating. And he took some shots doing it, standing tall inside the pocket to complete the pass.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1191096628330954752

In 2.5 games under center, Moore completed 59 of 91 pass attempts for 659 yards with four touchdowns, zero picks, and a 100.9 rating.

2. Chris Jones‘ Return

The Chiefs excellent defensive tackle hadn’t played since October 6th against the Colts. His return was most welcome, as the team was without Frank Clark and Alex Okafor. And Jones did not disappoint, collecting three tackles and the team’s lone sack of Kirk Cousins to go along with seven QB pressures.

An impressive return.

3. Williams’ 91-Yard Touchdown Run

Before this play, the Chiefs had lost a fumble to open the second half and gone down 16-10. The team’s previous offense drive was a three-and-out that netted a whopping eight yards.

But then Damien Williams, who received the lion’s share of the touches among running backs against the Vikings, broke a 91-yard run for six points. The play tied Jamaal Charles for the longest run in team history and is the longest run in the NFL this season.

Not all the credit goes to Williams, though. Just look at the job the offensive line does on this play:

https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1191085285267968001

4. Suffocating the Run

The Vikings, behind Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, entered the game as one of the more dangerous running teams in the NFL. And yet the Chiefs defense, which had been gashed on the ground at the start of the season, stood firm. From BJ Kissel, the Chiefs official reporter:

5. A Kicker’s Poise

Harrison Butker made all six of his kick attempts on Sunday, going 4-for-4 in field goals and 2-for-2 in PATs.

With the third quarter winding down, he nailed a 45-yard field goal to put the Chiefs up 20-16. Then in the fourth quarter, he added two more field goals, both within the last two-and-a-half minutes of the game.

On the first, he nailed a 54-yard attempt to tie things up at 23. And then, with time expiring and the Vikings opting not to try to freeze him, he knocked a laser through the uprights from 44 yards out to move the Chiefs to 6-3.