For the first time since January, the Kansas City Chiefs partook in a regular-season game. Their return to action certainly lived up to the hype, especially with a heated rival in the Denver Broncos visiting town.
Powered by a strong rushing attack and some high-quality defending, Kansas City took care of business and then some in front of the home crowd. It didn’t end up being close, evidenced by a 31-10 final score that depicted every bit of how things unfolded by the time it was all said and done.
The Chiefs kick off their season 1-0 and currently sit in first place in the AFC West.
With that in mind, here are three of the top things that mattered from Monday’s game.
The Kenneth Walker III experience is off and running
The Chiefs made it clear with their off-the-field actions that they were frustrated with their running back room at the end of last season. Not only did they spend an NFL Draft pick on Nebraska standout Emmett Johnson, but they also shelled out a considerable amount of salary cap space for Kenneth Walker III to save their rushing attack.
Back in May, I wrote that the coaching staff could do some things to get the most out of Walker’s skill set. Boy, did head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy commit to change, even if only for one night.
Before the halftime break arrived, Walker had already logged more rushing yards in a game for a Chiefs halfback in under-center formations since 2022. His 60-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter gave him more such yards than a KC player in quite some time:
In all, the 25-year-old finished with 19 carries for a career-high 173 yards. He did it multiple ways, too, whether it be flashing some patience, making defenders miss in the open field or doing dirty work between the tackles. Expecting a performance like this on a weekly basis would be foolish, but first impressions don’t get much better than this.
Quick thoughts on Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes
Speaking of Reid, much of the talk all offseason was about whether he would — or even could — change at this stage of his career. Considering he’s been doing this for over a quarter of a century and is knocking on the door of 70 years of age, it’s a reasonable concern. He isn’t out of the woods, as having ample time to plan for one particular game doesn’t prove everything.
Still, Reid did a bang-up job blending the aforementioned run-game tweaks with adjusting to left tackle Josh Simmons not being available for Week 1’s contest due to a back injury. Kansas City’s passing game was limited to short throwing windows and Mahomes obviously still isn’t himself, but the team made do with what it had to begin the year.
The real test will come when keeping the ball on the ground isn’t as legitimate of an option. Given an underwhelming receiver room and no real vertical passing element as things stand, something eventually has to give. But for now, Reid showcased flashes of improvement and his superstar quarterback did just enough to help propel his team to victory.
Steve Spagnuolo’s defense showed up and showed out
If Kansas City is truly rolling out a two-year rebuild as some have pitched, year No. 1 was almost all about defense. If you remove Walker from the equation, general manager Brett Veach invested a ton of resources in revamping Steve Spagnuolo’s side of the ball. Despite first-round rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane going down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter, the unit didn’t seem to skip a beat.
Broncos signal-caller Bo Nix mustered only 131 passing yards on the night, posting a 69.2 passer rating in the process. In all, Denver converted on no fourth downs and was 2-for-12 on third-down tries. Multiple pieces up front did some damage, including rookie defensive end R Mason Thomas and 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah. Nix was never comfortable for an extended period.
At the next level, linebacker Drue Tranquill played the run well on several occasions. In the secondary, sophomore man Nohl Williams starred and was perfectly complemented by veteran L’Jarius Sneed’s homecoming going as well as anyone could’ve hoped for.
Holding a competent offense to 3.7 yards per play is tremendous work. Factor in that the Broncos acquired wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to bring an explosive element to the table (he finished with one catch for two yards), and it’s even more impressive. This was an inspired outing for a group that could still have some growing pains on the horizon.
Those weren’t anywhere to be found on the Monday Night Football stage.
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