Patrick Mahomes returned after his right elbow was bent awkwardly on a strip-sack, threw two touchdown passes to Kenneth Walker III, and the Kansas City Chiefs pulled away in the second half to beat the New York Jets 35-12 on Sunday, November 8, at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City improves to 6-2 and snaps a two-game skid that included blowing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead at Denver. The Jets fall to 2-7 with their fourth straight loss and were held without a touchdown, with Jason Sanders kicking four field goals for all of their points.
Mahomes scare, Sanders field goals
The Jets controlled the early going without star receiver Garrett Wilson, who was inactive with a concussion. Running Breece Hall, back from a quadriceps injury for the first time in five games, and Braelon Allen, and throwing short to rookie Omar Cooper Jr., they moved the ball and settled for Sanders field goals of 23 and 48 yards for a 6-0 lead.
Walker caught a 7-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, and Sanders answered from 49. Then Jets rookie David Bailey sacked Mahomes twice in three plays, the second a strip-sack that left the quarterback’s throwing arm bent the wrong way. Mahomes flexed the elbow on the sideline, threw a few warmup passes and returned. “Once I threw the football, I knew I was OK,” he said. On the next possession, Walker took a screen 25 yards for a touchdown behind guards Trey Smith and Kingsley Suamataia. Sanders hit from 54 to make it 14-12, then missed from 53 in the final minute of the half. Harrison Butker missed from 56 and again on a retry after a penalty, adding to doubts about his job with Justin Tucker on the practice squad.
Second-half takeover
The Chiefs opened the third quarter with a 60-yard drive. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Mahomes pitched along the line of scrimmage to Travis Kelce, who walked in for his third career rushing touchdown. After a 69-yard punt return was wiped out by a penalty, Walker carried six times on an eight-play, 82-yard march and scored from 2 yards out with 11 seconds left in the period, giving him his third career three-touchdown game. New York was credited with minus-9 yards in the third quarter. Rookie Emmett Johnson added a 6-yard touchdown run late.
The numbers
- Patrick Mahomes: 23 of 31 for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, sacked twice and lost one fumble.
- Kenneth Walker III: 18 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown, plus four catches for 41 yards and two touchdowns, 143 yards from scrimmage in all.
- Travis Kelce: four catches for 72 yards and a rushing touchdown. He and Mahomes now have 9,365 yards together, passing Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates (9,352) for the most by a quarterback-tight end duo in league history.
- Geno Smith: 18 of 32 for 165 yards, sacked five times. He has been sacked 28 times this season for a league-high 236 yards lost.
- Jason Sanders: 4 of 5 on field goals, all in the first half, with a long of 54.
- Pass rush: George Karlaftis and Chris Jones each had two sacks for Kansas City; Bailey had two for New York.
- Team totals: Kansas City 391 yards to 229 and 4 for 4 in the red zone, but lost two fumbles, including one on a Justin Fields quarterback sneak.
What it means
“They didn’t hang their heads,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. On the kicking situation, he said, “I’m not making any decisions about that today.” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said his team “didn’t play up to par” after halftime: “I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.” Mahomes was set for more testing on the elbow after the game; for the latest, see our Week 9 injury roundup. Kansas City has beaten the Jets in each of the last three meetings.
Chiefs right tackle Jaylon Moore hurt an ankle, and receiver Xavier Worthy left in the closing minutes with a left hamstring injury.
What comes next
The Jets host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, November 15. Kansas City visits the Atlanta Falcons the same day.
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