Chiefs roared to a promising start, then hung on for dear life: grading KC vs. the Jets

The Chiefs opened a 17-0 lead on Sunday night, then hung on for dear life, eking out a 23-20 victory at the New York Jets.

The Chiefs, and certainly quarterback Patrick Mahomes, made plenty of mistakes.

But they also made enough big plays down the stretch to improve to 3-1.

KC STAR OF THE GAME

Isiah Pacheco had one of his best games for the Chiefs. He was the only consistent offensive threat, rushing for 115 yards and a 48-yard touchdown, the longest scoring run of his career. On a day when Patrick Mahomes struggled, Pacheco was the best thing going for the Chiefs’ offense.

Next: The Chiefs remain on the road and take on the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. The game will kick off at 3:25 p.m. on CBS (Channel 5 in Kansas City).

REPORT CARD

Passing offense: D

The worst quarter of Mahomes’ career? After throwing a touchdown pass and helping the Chiefs to an early three-score lead, Mahomes tossed two picks in the second quarter, allowing the Jets to crawl back and make it a 20-12 game at halftime. Just bad throws by Mahomes. No zip on the passes.

Are there any penalties that tackle Jawaan Taylor hasn’t committed this season? He added to his total with a flag that led directly to Jets points. He was called for a facemask in the end zone in the second quarter that resulted in a safety and changed the game’s momentum.

Taylor picked up a holding penalty in the fourth quarter after Mahomes had scrambled for a 12-yard run on third down.

After the penalty was marked off, the Chiefs faced a third-and-23. Mahomes scrambled for 35 yards on the biggest play of the night. It extended the Chiefs’ final possession and the Jets never got the ball back.

Noah Gray made a nice over-the-shoulder grab on what became the 200th career touchdown pass for Mahomes. But it was the rare game when Mahomes finished with more interception than touchdown passes.

Rushing offense: A

Pacheco gave the Chiefs their best game by a running back this season. The Chiefs got a break when Mahomes, under center, recovered his own fumble for a 2-yard gain and first down.

Give Mahomes great credit for awareness. He could have scored a touchdown with 1:45 remaining but slid down at the 2. That meant the Chiefs could take a knee and bleed the clock.

Passing defense: C

For the second and third quarters, Zach Wilson outplayed Mahomes. Wilson was sharp on his throws and looked nothing like a quarterback whose team ranked last in yards, points and passing yards per game.

The Chiefs took advantage of a sloppy moment by Wilson, who appeared to take his eyes off a snap and mishandled it. Turk Wharton was there for the recovery.

Chris Jones and Mike Edwards picked up sacks. That’s three straight games with a sack for Jones.

Rushing defense: B

The Chiefs lost Breece Hall on a 42 yard run in the third quarter. A Bryan Cook tackled saved what could have been an 85-yard touchdown run by the Wichita native. The Jets finished with 108 rushing yards, and that wasn’t enough.

Special teams: A

Tommy Townsend could hardly have delivered a better free kick. After the safety, Townsend punted the ball nearly 80 yards on the fly. The ball bounced into the end zone for a touchback.

Harrison Butker remained his steady self, knocking through all three field-goal attempts.