All the talk about the decline of the Kansas City Chiefs was apparently premature.
With Patrick Mahomes doing his magic and a stout defense, the Chiefs can beat anybody.
A convincing 30-17 victory over the Detroit Lions in front of a national audience on Sunday night lifted the Chiefs to 3-3.
They’ve got a long way to go but they’re a much better team than the one that started 0-2. Critics were wondering if it was the end of Kansas City’s dynasty.
But the Chiefs just need to get healthy and work out some kinks.
Mahomes and the offense have regained their mojo and will get a boost when wide receiver Rashee Rice is back from a six-game suspension next week. Xavier Worthy’s return from injury already energized the passing attack. The offensive line is settling in and Jaylon Moore was exceptional filling in for Josh Simmons at left tackle against Detroit.
“We’re not afraid to go up against anybody,” Mahomes said.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s unit shut down Detroit’s dynamic offense, holding Jared Goff and Co. to just 17 points and 297 yards.
“I’m disappointed because it’s been a long time since you’re watching somebody kneel it two times in front of you and it’s not even close. You’re down two scores. We got worked pretty good,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I felt like this was a game where we needed to score 30 points at least. We weren’t able to get the points required to give ourselves a chance. We needed to show up and we weren’t able to do it.”
The Lions (4-2) lost for the first time since Week 1 against Green Bay. They have a tough schedule coming up with home games against the Buccaneers (5-1) and Vikings (3-2) followed by road games against the Commanders (3-2) and Eagles (4-2).
Both teams won 15 games last season and this was expected to be a potential Super Bowl preview. It still could be but they’ve got plenty of work ahead.
The Chiefs trail the Chargers and Broncos by one game as they pursue a 10th straight AFC West title and fourth Lombardi trophy in seven years. An impressive victory over Detroit has them heading in the right direction.
Missing Lamar
Without Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens have no chance.
The three-time All-Pro and two-time NFL MVP missed his second straight game. The Ravens managed just one field goal in a 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. They’ve scored only 13 points with Cooper Rush at quarterback and fell to 1-5. Only four teams have rebounded to make the playoffs after losing five of six games to open the season.
At least they have a bye to give Jackson more time to heal.
“I know we’re 1-5, and it doesn’t look good, as far as (big) picture-wise, but we still have a lot of games left ahead of us,” running back Derrick Henry said.
Same old Jets
Aaron Glenn is still seeking his first win as a head coach after the Jets lost 13-11 to Denver in London to fall to 0-6.
Glenn’s decision-making might be even worse than the team’s record.
The offense showed no urgency at the end of the first half down 10-6. The Jets faced a fourth-and-1 from their own 47 with just under 30 seconds left in the second quarter and no timeouts. Justin Fields stood at the line of scrimmage and let the clock run out.
Glenn explained that he didn’t want to give the Broncos an opportunity to run a play if the offense couldn’t convert on fourth down. However, Fields could’ve taken the snap with a couple seconds left and thrown a Hail Mary.
It appeared there was confusion on the sideline. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson was upset and had some words for Glenn on the way to the locker room.
Winless teams need to play aggressive. The Jets have some talented players but they can’t even find a way to win a game.
At this point, they might be better off losing enough games to secure the No. 1 pick in the draft.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
