5 takeaways from Chiefs’ Week 6 win over Washington

A resounding win on the road over a middling Washington Football Team has the Kansas City Chiefs back to .500 on their season, and potentially back on track to make a run for playoff positioning. Patrick Mahomes had an up-and-down game, passing for almost 400 yards with two touchdowns, but he threw two interceptions in the first half. This game was an uncharacteristically solid outing for the Chiefs’ defense where they capitalized on opportunities to force turnovers that had eluded them in previous weeks.

Kansas City is by no means finished improving after a post-Super Bowl slump left them listless to start the season. There are plenty of facets in their game on both sides of the ball to iron out in the middle part of their schedule, but this Week 6 win feels particularly important for their chances moving forward. With 11 games left before the playoffs, here are our biggest takeaways from the Chiefs win over Washington.

Running game leads the way with solid performance

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With all the talk about Patrick Mahomes’ weekly brilliance, it is a newfound commitment to the ground game that has defined the Chiefs’ offensive attack in recent weeks. Originally it seemed like a way to build Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s confidence after big fumbles in weeks two and three, now that the former first-round pick is on injured reserve, the adherence to the strategy seems to be poised to persist with Darrell Williams leading the way on the run. Williams saw 21 carries in the matchup, rushing for 62 yards and two touchdowns in an effort that seemed like a statement for his role moving forward.

While Edwards-Helaire will be back before too long, Williams proved to be a capable back in the event he’s needed for a spot start, and make a good case to get more snaps when the second-year player returns. The need for a consistent ground game still looms large for Kansas City regardless of the outcome of this game, but progress is a welcome sight for fans who are ready to see the Chiefs return to their championship form.

Defense makes big stands, but pass rush still lacks

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Kansas City’s defense finally made strides toward mediocrity against the Washington Football Team, holding them to just 13 points in this matchup and allowing less than 300 yards of total offense. Veteran safety and resident scapegoat Daniel Sorenson was held out of the starting lineup in favor of Juan Thornhill, who played admirably in his first starting action of the year. The worst play of their game was a 39-yard touchdown to Ricky Seals-Jones in the second quarter, but big stands in the second half kept Washington from scoring when they needed to most.

The defense managed to force their first turnovers in about a month, which should help build momentum to rebuild the unit that has failed the team so far this season. The pass rush still shows minimal gains on paper, with no sacks in Sunday’s win. The Chiefs’ seven hurries are a sign that an eventual turnaround could be on the horizon, but eventually, pressures need to turn into sacks for Kansas City.

Chiefs lose the turnover battle, but escape unscathed

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If Patrick Mahomes hadn’t thrown two interceptions in the first half this game wouldn’t have felt as close as it did heading into the fourth quarter. Turnovers remain a primary concern for the Chiefs, and the matchup continued a trend of losing possession in crucial situations after mental errors that have plagued the team all season. Mahomes is the primary culprit in that aspect of their struggles at the moment, but fumbles have also played a major role in keeping Kansas City from playing up to their full potential.

The coaching staff seems bound and determined to let their players play through the miscues, but as the middle part of their schedule brings a great deal of higher-end competition, they’ll need to mitigate the issues as quickly as possible. They got two of the turnovers back on a fumble recovery and interception in the second half, but they remain one of the worst teams in the league by turnover margin.

Time of possession remains crucial part of formula for beating Kansas City

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One of the only ways to beat Kansas City is to win the time of possession battle and simply keep their offense off the field. The Chiefs managed to win that part of the matchup this week, proving that when the ball is in their hands, the team is nearly unstoppable. Mahomes and his cast of offensive talent have turned the ball over more this season than in years past, but have still managed to score on the majority of possessions that don’t end in an interception or fumble.

While it may be easy to overlook the advantage of maintaining possession of the ball for the majority of a football game, it has been proven time and again that Kansas City can make the plays necessary on offense to win games. This tilt wasn’t in hand until the Chiefs’ offense was in control of the flow of the game, and that will likely be a theme in future matchups, especially next week against Tennessee.

Offensive line took a step back, needs to regroup

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Surrendering three sacks in a disappointing performance this week, Kansas City’s offensive line was a liability for the first time this season against a formidable Washington pass rush. Mahomes was in duress in all four quarters, throwing one of his interceptions on a particularly awful play that started with a bad snap and ended with a throw where the MVP was simply trying to do too much.

One bad performance won’t doom the unit in the long term, but it could be cause for concern against some of the better teams remaining on their schedule. First-year starter Lucas Niang was out in the matchup, and left guard Joe Thuney was playing with a broken hand. The coaching staff may continue to reshuffle the starting line next week to keep Mahomes out of trouble against the Tennessee Titans.

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