Kansas City Chiefs failed to put the Saints away despite large lead

The Kansas City Chiefs still haven’t figured out how to close out a game.

Everyone was looking forward to this matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints. Both of these teams are Super Bowl contenders and both have had a tremendous amount of success in recent years.

Because of all of that, Chiefs Kingdom knew this game wouldn’t be a cakewalk. When the Chiefs got off to a 14-0 lead while Drew Brees failed to complete a pass until the second quarter, it felt like maybe the Chiefs would be able to take advantage of their big lead.

Instead, the Saints put up 15 unanswered points to take a 15-14 lead. Well, of course, a one-point deficit is nothing for the Chiefs, who soon took a 29-14 lead and the fans started to feel a little bit better about their chances in this one, especially after Cameron Jordan was ejected and Le’Veon Bell then tiptoed into the end zone to put KC up by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The Kansas City Chiefs once again allowed this to be a close game.

A costly fumble where Patrick Mahomes got crunched by two Saints defenders gave New Orleans the ball in KC territory where they scored a touchdown. After the Chiefs had to settle for a field goal on their next drive, it was important for the Kansas City defense to show that they could get a key stop and allow their offense some breathing room in the final few minutes.

Well, Brees then led the Saints offense on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 2:12 and ended with a touchdown. That made it a three-point game and the Chiefs were sweating it out once again. Fortunately, the Chiefs ended up being able to get enough key first downs to ice the game, but the defense wasn’t able to stop the Saints on their final few possessions and that’s become a huge concern over the past month.

Still, when push comes to shove, it’s hard to be too upset with this game. The Chiefs went down to New Orleans and hung 32 points against a fellow Super Bowl contender. They didn’t play perfectly, but they played well despite going up against one of the best defenses in the league.

On the other hand, the defense allowed 29 points and three touchdown passes from Brees, who hadn’t played in a month. They barely kept Alvin Kamara under 100 yards from scrimmage though, so that is a huge victory because he is a freakish athlete.

With the win, the Kansas City Chiefs move to 13-1 on the year and will remain as the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs no matter what happens in the Steelers game on Monday. A win feels good, but this team definitely has a lot to work on.