Five things that stood out about the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Dallas Cowboys

Some 27 days ago, the Chiefs woke up tied for last place in the AFC West, with a trio of first-place teams looming on the next month’s schedule.

They were at a crossroads, quarterback Patrick Mahomes said in so many words, acknowledging that he needed to look not just at an upcoming game but the bigger picture.

That look is a bit more attractive now.

The Chiefs beat a first-place team for the third straight week, a 19-9 win against the Cowboys, and held firm in their own first-place standing in the AFC West.

Let’s get into the five observations for how they got it done:

1. Is the defense for real?

We can safely say this defense has turned a corner, right? Even for those who identified as the last holdouts, the evidence is piling too high to ignore.

The Chiefs shut down Daniel Jones and Jordan Love in back-to-back weeks, and many pointed at the opponent. They shut down Derek Carr and the Raiders’ fifth-ranked offense, and yeah, well, Carr so rarely plays well against the Chiefs.

Can’t deny this one.

The Cowboys entered Sunday as the league’s top-ranked offense — and by quite a bit. They were averaging 433 yards per game.

They totaled just 276 at Arrowhead Stadium (much of that on a final drive), turned it over three times and never got their passing nor ground game moving. Dak Prescott finished 28 of 42 for just 216 yards and two interceptions.

2. Chris Jones, still a beast

This is what the Chiefs front office envisioned when it invested about $40 million in their defensive line this year alone.

The Chiefs had a lot of things go right defensively, but none played a bigger factor than putting Prescott under such consistent pressure.

Through seven weeks, the Chiefs had only eight sacks, but with Frank Clark healthy again, with Melvin Ingram in the fold and with Chris Jones back on the inside, the pass rush has come alive.

We mentioned Chris Jones, right?

The Cowboys had zero answer for No. 95, who was credited with 3 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He might’ve relished a chance to play on the edge this season, but he is a beast from the inside, where he played most of the evening Sunday. He’s simply too good to move off the three-tech.

The pass rush is no longer just effective in stopping drives, either — it’s directly leading to points. In the first half Sunday, Clark won his battle on the edge, got to Prescott and knocked the ball loose. Jones scooped it up, and the Chiefs turned the opportunity into a field goal.

3. The defensive backfield

Yes, another on the defense. Everything looks better when the quarterback has less time to make a decision, to be sure, but opposing passers are also finding less room to throw it.

Quietly, the return of cornerback Charvarius Ward has solidified roles in the Chiefs’ secondary, which, dare we say, is turning into the strength they hoped it could be. Ward had an interception, running stride for stride with wideout CeeDee Lamb into the end zone.

Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed got one late. He’s playing his best football not only in coverage, but his open-field tackling has popped.

Their emergence has made it all the easier for Juan Thornhill and Tyrann Mathieu to roam elsewhere. Notice how top tight ends aren’t giving the Chiefs a problem anymore?

4. The men up front

We’ve mentioned that this offensive line has vastly improved from a season ago — the objective of Brett Veach and his crew over the offseason was accomplished. Pro Football Focus rates the Chiefs as the sixth-best pass blocking unit and second-best run blocking unit in the NFL.

And they bossed the opening-drive touchdown Sunday against the Cowboys.

But Dallas made life difficult for Patrick Mahomes afterward. It had three sacks, beating three different offensive linemen in the process — right tackle Andrew Wylie, left tackle Orlando Brown and left guard Joe Thuney. Rookie Micah Parsons got them twice — once from each edge.

5. Let’s not forget about Clyde Edwards-Helaire

As Darrel Williams racked up nine catches and a spectacular touchdown catch last week, it might’ve been easy to forget the Chiefs have actually been playing without their top back.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire provided a reminder.

Returning from a five-game absence, Edwards-Helaire scored a first-half touchdown, part of a complete game. He led the Chiefs with 63 rushing yards on 12 carries and also caught a pair of passes for 13 more.

It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs plan to split up their backfield snaps now. Williams has earned playing time, at least on passing downs, where he’s developed a keen sense of when to leak out of pass protection and provide an outlet for Mahomes. Williams was targeted three times and carried five for 15 yards.