Arrowhead Pride
I said last week that I thought the Kansas City Chiefs actually matched up better with the Detroit Lions than they did with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The longer this game went on, the more evident that became. As accurate and proficient a passer as Lions quarterback Jared Goff is, he isn’t very mobile — and when the Chiefs put pressure on him, he was mostly unable to evade the rush. That played a major role in Kansas City shutting down Detroit in the second half.
In addition, the Chiefs largely played mistake-free football. The offense moved methodically up and down the field at will, delivering a must-have 30-17 win over the Lions.
Here are five things we learned.
And I’m not talking about the scuffle that broke out on the field after the game, when Lions’ safety Brian Branch took a cheap shot at Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
So yeah… it’s probably not a good idea to poke the bear right after you got your backside handed to you in a whooping that lasted the final three quarters — especially when the next time these two teams might meet could be in the Super Bowl. That’s the one time you don’t want to give an opponent bulletin-board material.
On a larger scale, this was a Chiefs team with its back against the wall, staring down the possibility of a 2-4 start and falling two games out of first place in the AFC West. Detroit entered the game with the league’s No. 1 offense — and in the second half, Kansas City’s defense shut it down.
What’s more, the Chiefs were coming off a penalty-filled game — and cleaned things up very well. They weren’t called for a single penalty.
This was a must-win game — and Kansas City answered the bell.
In the offseason, the Chiefs signed backup offensive tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract — an insurance policy in case rookie left tackle Josh Simmons wasn’t ready to start. Up to this point, Simmons had played every snap at left tackle. Moore’s signing was starting to look like a luxury Kansas City might not need.
That changed Sunday afternoon when the team learned Simmons had to travel back to California for a personal family matter and wouldn’t be available for the game.
Moore stepped in on short notice and lined up across from one of the NFL’s best pass rushers: Aidan Hutchinson. That’s a tough assignment for anyone, but Moore took it in stride. He filled in for Simmons admirably.
This game was full of impressive moments for Kansas City, but one of the most encouraging was the team’s willingness — and ability — to run the ball effectively. The Chiefs picked up crucial first downs on the ground and closed out the game by grinding out tough yards...
