The Kansas City Chiefs are 5-0 after a 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead on Sunday, and the way they got there looks different from the Patrick Mahomes-first teams of recent years. Kenneth Walker III has become the engine, with 665 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in five games, and the defense has held three of five opponents to 10 points or fewer.
The margin for error has not always been wide. Kansas City needed a field goal on the last snap of overtime to beat Indianapolis and two Walker touchdowns in 19 seconds to escape Las Vegas. But across five games the Chiefs have scored 140 points, allowed 83 and averaged 414 yards, numbers that put them on a contender’s pace heading into a road trip to Seattle and Denver.
Scroll through the start step by step below: the five results, Walker’s workload, Mahomes’ efficiency, the yardage, the defense and the two games ahead. The Week 7 game at Seattle is in the Game Center.
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (file photo). Photo by Justin Brockie, CC-BY-2.0, resized.5-0, and running through people
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (file photo). Photo by Justin Brockie, CC-BY-2.0, resized.Five games, five wins
The Chiefs opened with a 31-10 Monday night win over Denver, survived the Colts 33-30 in overtime and won 24-10 in Miami. After a 30-27 escape in Las Vegas and a Week 5 bye, they beat the Chargers 22-6 at Arrowhead on Sunday.
Two of the wins came by three points. The other three came by 14 or more.
- Chiefs 31, Broncos 10 at Arrowhead
- Chiefs 33, Colts 30 in overtime at Arrowhead
- Chiefs 24, Dolphins 10 in Miami
- Chiefs 30, Raiders 27 in Las Vegas
- Chiefs 22, Chargers 6 at Arrowhead
Kenneth Walker III in 2026 (archive photo). Photo by Time2Football, CC-BY-4.0.Kenneth Walker III carries the load
Walker has run for 665 yards on 106 carries, 6.3 yards a try, with six rushing touchdowns. He topped 170 yards twice: 173 against Denver and 177 in Las Vegas.
In Las Vegas he scored twice in 19 seconds late in the fourth quarter, from 2 and 22 yards, to turn a 19-17 deficit into a 30-19 lead.
Walker rushing yards, week by week
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alec Risser, cropped and resized.Mahomes, efficient instead of spectacular
Patrick Mahomes has 1,309 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and three interceptions. His biggest night was the overtime win over Indianapolis: 32 of 47 for 382 yards and three touchdowns.
In Miami he completed 20 of 24. On Sunday he completed 23 of 30 for 272 yards and threw no scores, while Walker finished the drives.
Mahomes passing yards, week by week
An offense that keeps moving
Kansas City has gained 2,070 yards, 414.0 a game, and has passed 390 in four of five games. The high was 523 against the Colts.
The low, 334 in Miami, still came with a 14-point win.
Chiefs total yards, week by week
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (file photo). Photo by Justin Brockie, CC-BY-2.0, resized.The defense closes doors
Opponents average 16.6 points. Denver and Miami scored 10 each, and the Chargers managed two field goals on Sunday while going 0 for 3 in the red zone.
The two shootouts came against Indianapolis and Las Vegas, and in both the Chiefs found the last answer: Harrison Butker’s 40-yard kick on the final snap of overtime, and Walker’s late double.
Points allowed, week by week
What comes next
The schedule gets harder. The Chiefs visit Seattle on Sunday night, October 25, then go to Denver on November 1.
Travis Kelce played through an ankle injury against the Chargers and right tackle Jaylon Moore is in the concussion protocol, so health is the question to watch.
- At Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. EDT
- At Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. EST
Five games in, the Chiefs win with the run game first, Mahomes second and a defense that rarely breaks. The road trip to Seattle and Denver will show whether 5-0 is a fast start or a contender’s pace.
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