The Kansas City Chiefs won an absolute thriller on Thursday night over the Los Angeles Chargers to take a commanding, two-game lead in the AFC West.
Here are some quick notes from the game.
1. It was a career night for Travis Kelce.
Kelce has compiled some tremendous games during his incredible career, but Thursday's performance may have been the best. The All-Pro tight end hauled in 10 catches for a career-best 191 yards and two touchdowns, marking only the third time in NFL history that a tight end amassed 10+ grabs, 190+ receiving yards and 2+ touchdowns in a game (Shannon Sharpe in 2002 and Darren Waller in 2020).
The veteran pass-catcher also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season in Thursday's victory, tallying his sixth-straight 1,000-yard campaign. Only 19 players in NFL history have ever recorded that many 1,000-yard seasons in a row, and Kelce is the first tight end to do so.
2. Patrick Mahomes was clutch when the Chiefs needed him most.
Mahomes shook off some early struggles to do what he does best. In fact, he became just the fourth player in NFL history with three passing touchdowns that either tied or took the lead in the fourth quarter or overtime of a game in Thursday's victory.
He completed 31-of-47 passes for a season-high 410 yards and three touchdowns in the win, marking his seventh-career game with 400+ passing yards and 3+ scoring strikes. Mahomes has the most such games through 60 starts in NFL history.
3. Tyreek Hill also had a huge game.
Hill hauled in a season-high 12 catches for 148 yards and a score in the win, recording his third game of the season with more than 140 receiving yards. The speedy playmaker now has a career-best 102 catches on the season – which ranks second in the NFL – and needs only four grabs to break Kelce's franchise record for receptions in a single season.
It also marked Hill's 18th career 100-yard game, matching wide receiver Carlos Carson for the fourth-most in franchise history.
4. The duo of Kelce and Hill is epitomizing greatness.
Simply put, what Kelce and Hill are achieving together is far from normal by a variety of measures. For one thing, Hill (1,178) and Kelce (1,066) are the first pair of teammates to each record 1,000+ yards on the season this year. They also own the top two spots in terms of receiving yards currently in the AFC.
Additionally, only the duo of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce (13,293 from 2000-04) recorded more receiving yards in a five-year span than Hill and Kelce have tallied since 2017 (12,061). Lastly, Hill and Kelce are the first duo of teammates in NFL history to each record 10+ catches and 100+ receiving yards in a single game numerous times.
We're witnessing greatness with these two.
5. Michael Burton tallied the first rushing touchdown of his career.
The first score of the game belonged to Burton, who broke free for a 7-yard touchdown run on Kansas City's opening series. It was the first rushing score of Burton's career, capping a 95-yard scoring drive.
Burton was one of seven players to touch the ball offensively for Kansas City on the night.
6. Nick Bolton was outstanding.
The Chiefs were down some major contributors on defense – including linebacker Willie Gay – but Bolton stepped up in a big way. He led Kansas City with 14 tackles and three passes defensed, with one of those deflections landing in the arms of fellow linebacker Anthony Hitchens for an interception.
Bolton earned the top grade of any Chiefs' defender based on the metrics compiled by Pro Football Focus.
7. The Chiefs held Los Angeles scoreless on three drives inside their own 5-yard line.
Bolton was part of a defensive effort that held Los Angeles without any points on three separate red zone drives. The Chargers elected to go for it on fourth down once at the Kansas City 5-yard line (on their opening series) and again from the Chiefs' 1-yard line (in the closing seconds of the first half), failing to convert both times. Additionally, the Chargers also turned the ball over on another series that reached the Chiefs' 1-yard line later in the game.
Overall, Los Angeles was 4-of-7 in the red zone, 3-of-6 in goal-to-go situations and 2-of-5 on fourth down.
8. It was Kansas City's seventh win in a row.
It all helped Kansas City win its seventh-straight game, continuing a remarkable turnaround that began following a 3-4 start to the campaign. The Chiefs are now the first team in the AFC to reach 10 wins, and pending the results of this weekend's games, Kansas City has a real shot at the top overall seed in the conference with three regular season contests to play.
The Chiefs are the eighth team since 2010 to win 10+ games after starting the season with a 3-4 record.
9. Coach Reid tied Marty Schottenheimer for the second-most wins in franchise history.
Reid recorded his 101st career victory as head coach of the Chiefs on Thursday, matching the late Marty Schottenheimer. Only the legendary Hank Stram (124) recorded more victories at the helm for the red and gold.
10. The Chiefs have now won 10+ games in seven straight seasons.
Kansas City has recorded double-digit victories in every season since 2015, marking only the fifth time in NFL history that a team has won 10+ games in seven-straight campaigns. Only the 2003-19 New England Patriots (17 straight), 1983-98 San Francisco 49ers (16 straight), 2002-10 Indianapolis Colts (9 straight) and 1975-81 Dallas Cowboys (7 straight) have accomplished that feat.
It's truly an incredible achievement when considering the significant parity in the NFL, and now with another 10-win season already in the books, Kansas City will set its sights on another deep run in the playoffs.
