Arrowhead Pride
What Kansas City players caught our attention during the season’s first defeat?
You can’t win ‘em all, I guess.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost a tough road game to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, dropping to 9-1 on a 30-21 loss that was capped by Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen rolling through the entire defense for a 26-yard score to all but end the game — and Kansas City’s undefeated season.
Just the same, it was the kind of back-and-forth game we’re used to seeing from these two rivals — even though the final score wasn’t as close as we usually see. Hopefully, another pattern will also continue: the Chiefs will lose to the Bills in the regular season, but defeat them in the playoffs.
Here are a few Chiefs who stood out on Sunday afternoon.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy: From the opening drive, it was clear that the team wanted to get the ball into the rookie’s hands. Using misdirection to get Worthy free on a 7-yard run was a good start. He went on to catch four passes for 61 yards (and a touchdown) in a monster first half. Unfortunately, that didn’t continue in the second half — and once again, Worthy left a huge play on the field when he didn’t get his feet inbounds on a long sideline pass. But there were still plenty of positives. The Chiefs were able to get Worthy involved in a variety of ways.
Tight end Noah Gray: When the Chiefs needed a first down, they ran a Travis Kelce special— but it was to Gray. In all, the backup tight end caught four of five targets and had two touchdowns — the first multi-score game of his career. After signing a new contract this season, it was a performance for Gray to build upon.
Defensive back Chamarri Conner: It wasn’t a perfect day for the second-year player: he missed some critical tackles. But he also made plenty — leading the team with eight, including one for a loss. Ultimately, his interception landed him on our winners’ list, as it led to Kansas City’s final lead with 2:51 left in the second quarter.
Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins: Good things generally happen when Mahomes throws it towards No. 8. In one instance, Hopkins could not haul in what would have been a spectacular contested catch — but he did catch his other three targets. Any thoughts of him giving up targets to JuJu Smith-Schuster should be abandoned. Right now, Hopkins is the team’s best all-around receiver.
Offensive lineman Mike Caliendo: It’s rare to see a lineman get a catch. It’s even more unusual to see it happen in the middle of the field, rather than at the goal line. But with defenders all around him, Caliendo converted a third-and-1 to extend a touchdown drive. Well done, big guy!
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Passing for less than 200 yards — and throwing interceptions on the first and last drives of...
