The Kansas City Chiefs came back to defeat the New York Giants, 20-17, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night to get back in the win column ahead of next week's showdown with the Green Bay Packers.
Here are some quick notes about the game.
1. The defense turned in one of their best outings of the season.
The Chiefs' defense deserves considerable credit for their performance on Monday, as they held New York at bay throughout what ended up being a low-scoring affair. The Giants failed to gain a first down on five of their 11 possessions in the game, including on their final series when New York had an opportunity to either tie or take the lead.
The Giants' 300 yards of total offense marked their second-lowest total of the season, trailing only their 261-yard output against the Rams in Week 6.
2. Willie Gay Jr. tallied another interception.
One reason why the Chiefs' defense was so successful on Monday night was Gay's performance, which included an interception on the Giants' second offensive play. The pick couldn't have come at a better time, too, as it essentially acted as a do-over of sorts after Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes tossed an interception in the end zone just a few moments earlier.
It marked the second straight game with an interception for Gay, who picked off Titans' quarterback Ryan Tannehill two weeks ago. Gay is the first Chiefs' linebacker to tally interceptions in back-to-back weeks since franchise all-time leading tackler Derrick Johnson did so in 2013.
Gay finished the game with nine tackles, including a stop on a designed run by quarterback Daniel Jones on third-and-short early in the third quarter that brought about a punt.
3. Frank Clark was impressive throughout the night.
Clark was also impressive on Monday, as he recorded five pressures, four hurries and a sack in the contest. He saved his best efforts for last, too, as Clark sacked Giants' quarterback Daniel Jones on the Giants' final offensive play to secure the victory for Kansas City.
According to Pro Football Focus, Clark's overall performance was graded as the second-best among all pass-rushers in Week 8.
4. Patrick Mahomes battled to get the offense in position to win the game.
It was wasn't the prettiest game from Mahomes – who completed 29-of-48 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown on Monday – but he battled all night long and put the Chiefs in position to win the game in the end.
He certainly made sure to take advantage of what the Giants' defense was yielding, too. In fact, he completed all 15 of his passing attempts behind the line of scrimmage for 121 yards.
5. Tyreek Hill tallied the second-most receptions of his career.
Hill caught 12 passes in the victory, marking the second-highest total of his career behind only a 13-catch performance against Tampa Bay in Week 12 of last season.
Hill also found the end zone once in the contest with a 6-yard touchdown grab midway through the first quarter. He now has 64 touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2016, which are the fourth-most in the league behind only Todd Gurley (69), Derrick Henry (68) and Alvin Kamara (65) during that span.
His scoring output is now tied with Jamaal Charles for the third-most in franchise history, trailing only Priest Holmes (83) and Tony Gonzalez (76).
6. Derrick Gore impressed when given an opportunity.
Gore got an extended look on Monday and made the most of it, amassing 48 yards on 11 carries. Five of those attempts picked up at least five yards, demonstrating the toughness that made Gore a popular player during the preseason.
He recorded 19 yards after contact – which amounts to about 40 percent of his production – and also found the end zone for the first time in his career with a 3-yard score early in the game.
7. The offensive line was solid as ever on Monday.
The folks at Pro Football Focus were impressed with the Chiefs' offensive line on Monday, ranking all five of Kansas City's starters among the top 30 total offensive linemen (guards, centers and tackles combined) in terms of overall grades for Week 8.
Additionally, PFF graded left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. as the top pass-blocker among all linemen in Week 8 while guard Joe Thuney ranked No. 7 in that category.
8. Creed Humphrey continued his brilliant rookie season.
Speaking of the offensive line, Humphrey deserves special mention for his performance on Monday. The rookie center was the top-graded offensive linemen in the league in Week 8 and currently ranks as the top center in the NFL according to PFF's metrics.
Halfway through his first season as a professional, PFF ranks Humphrey as the No. 4 overall offensive lineman in the league behind only 49ers' tackle Trent Williams, Cowboys' guard Zack Martin and Cowboys' tackle Tyron Smith. He's been tremendous.
9. Travis Kelce came up big in what was quietly one of the biggest moments of the game.
It'll likely be absent from the highlights, but Kelce made one of the game's biggest plays late in the fourth quarter. The score was tied with just over four minutes left, and facing a long second down deep in their own territory, Mahomes found Kelce over the middle for a 14-yard gain. The play (which also drew a facemask penalty) moved the chains and ignited what turned out to be the game-winning drive.
The box score won't reflect a big night for Kelce – he had four grabs for 27 yards – but his contribution at the end changed the outcome of the game.
10. Harrison Butker was clutch.
Butker continued his excellent season on Monday, connecting on both of his field goal attempts. They were important kicks, too, as Butker's efforts tied and later won the game in the fourth quarter.
The veteran kicker has made nine of his 10 attempts this year and remains perfect on extra points, converting all 25 of his kicks.
It all wrapped up into a gritty win for the Chiefs on Monday, and while it wasn't always pretty, the win means that Kansas City enters this Sunday's game against Green Bay with an even record despite some uncharacteristic struggles through the first half of the season.
