5 winners and 4 losers from the Chiefs’ win over the Commanders

Early on, Week 8’s “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders was ugly — but the better team managed to pull away with a stellar second half. Some of it was just how the ball bounces. The Chiefs lost two interceptions after passes bounced off the hands of their intended receivers. They also fumbled twice, recovering both of them.

But when Kansas City came out of the locker room for the third quarter, the team once again looked like a Super Bowl contender. The defense pitched a second-half shutout, while the offense buried Washington with three more touchdowns on the way to a 28-7 victory.

There were plenty of standouts as the Chiefs took care of business, getting to 5-3 on the season. Here are a few of them.

Winners

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Box-score scouts will see the two interceptions and doubt that Mahomes had a great game. They’ll be wrong. The absolute heater continues for Mahomes. He was brilliant — especially in the second half as the Chiefs pulled away from Washington and didn’t look back. He spread the ball around to tight end Travis Kelce and wideouts Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. They averaged eight targets, seven catches, and 81 yards each as Mahomes led four touchdown drives on a day when two probably would have been enough. He averaged 8.8 yards per attempt and ended with just under 300 yards passing and 30 yards rushing. That’s my quarterback.

Wide receiver Rashee Rice: Football is more fun when the Chiefs have their full arsenal of receivers. Rice is clearly the No. 1 guy — and he delivered again on Monday, catching all nine targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also added a seven-yard rush to get to 100 total yards.

Defensive lineman Mike Danna: From the first-drive interception to the sack that ended Washington’s final drive of the third quarter, Danna just made plays. That sack on third-and-3 pushed the Commanders out of field-goal range and forced a punt, keeping this game fully out of reach.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo: This is the only Chief who might be on more of a heater than Mahomes. All five of Kansas City’s wins have been by double-digit margins. Coming off Week 7’s 31-0 pounding of the Las Vegas Raiders, the defense held Washington to a single touchdown (which was a remarkable play) and completely shut down a good rushing offense, holding the Commanders to 60 yards on 20 carries (led by quarterback Marcus Mariota). For all the talk about Kansas City’s defensive line, its poor pass rush and the confusion over who is playing where in the secondary, this unit has quietly become one of the league’s top five defenses. That’s why these games aren’t close.

Tight end Travis Kelce: This guy is winning at life. He’s marrying a billionaire, building a podcast and media empire, breaking records and still putting up No. 1 tight end numbers at the age of 36. Kelce and Mahomes showed that their relationship still goes beyond the steakhouse they own together. They shook off a deflected pass that was intercepted — and then connected for 99 yards and a touchdown.

Losers

Running back Brashard Smith: There were bound to be some struggles for the seventh-round rookie. He fumbled on his first carry but recovered it. His best run of the day — a 15-yarder — was called back for holding, so he ended up gaining just eight yards. He didn’t have a catch, either. Smith has better days ahead.

Wide receiver Hollywood Brown: In the world of #EGE (Everyone’s Gotta Eat), it’s very difficult to get every single receiver involved in every game. On Monday, it was Brown who only got one target — a back shoulder attempt that was intercepted on a spectacular play by defender Marshon Lattimore. Brown will have plenty of opportunities to eat. This just wasn’t his week.

Defensive linemen Ashon Gillotte and Charles Omenihu: After losing rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott to injury, there’s a need for other pass rushers to step up in Kansas City’s defense. That didn’t really happen against Washington. It didn’t matter much on Monday — but against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday? That could be a different story.

Please note: The labels “winners” and “losers” are not judgments of talent or character. They simply reflect single-game performance. No disrespect is intended.

Click here to read article