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Upon Further Review

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10 Quick Facts Following the Chiefs Week 15 Win Over Cleveland | Upon Further Review

Here are some quick notes from the win

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cleveland Browns, 21-7, for their 13th victory of the season on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some quick notes from the win.

1. The Chiefs recorded six takeaways on Sunday.

Kansas City took the ball away six times on Sunday, recording four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. It marked the Chiefs' most takeaways in a single game since Week 3 of the 2016 season, and just the third time that any team recorded six or more takeaways in a single game over the last five seasons.

Cornerback Chris-Roland Wallace forced the ball free from Browns' return man James Proche II early in the game before tailback Samaje Perine pounced on the loose ball, marking Kansas City's first takeaway of the afternoon.

Safety Bryan Cook added an interception in the end zone a bit later, and then on the first offensive snap of the second half, linebacker Nick Bolton recorded the Chiefs' second pick of the day. Linebacker Leo Chenal then jarred the ball loose from tailback Nick Chubb on the Browns ensuing possession, setting up a fumble recovery by linebacker Drue Tranquill.

The Chiefs' final two takeaways, which took place over the course of the Browns' final four drives, were interceptions by cornerback Trent McDuffie and safety Jaden Hicks. For McDuffie, it marked the first pick of his young career.

Regarding the interceptions specifically, the Chiefs are just the fourth team this season to tally at least four picks in a single game.

2. Kansas City also logged five sacks, including three on third down.

Defensive end George Karlaftis (2 sacks), defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, defensive end Charles Omenihu, linebacker Drue Tranquill (0.5 sack) and linebacker Nick Bolton (0.5 sack) were each credited with at least a partial sack on Sunday. Kansas City's five total sacks matched a season-high.

Additionally, three of those sacks (two by Karlaftis and one by Omenihu) took place on third down. Karlaftis also influenced an intentional grounding penalty on third down later in the game.

In terms of quarterback pressures, defensive lineman Chris Jones (7) and Karlaftis (6) combined for 13 total pressures on the day.

3. Overall, the Chiefs' defense held Cleveland to its lowest offensive output under quarterback Jameis Winston.

The Browns are just 3-11 on the season, but ever since Winston took over in Week 8, their offense has been among the best in the league. In fact, prior to Sunday's game, Cleveland was averaging the third-most yards-per-game of any team in the NFL since Week 8 (when Winston took over).

The Chiefs' defense was excellent, however, holding Cleveland to its lowest point total (7) and second-lowest offensive yardage total (311) under Winston.

4. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy is the fifth rookie wide receiver with 3+ rushing touchdowns and 3+ receiving touchdowns in NFL history.

Worthy recorded his third rushing touchdown of the season on Sunday with a 21-yard run around the edge early in the third quarter. The play actually featured quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball to Worthy, but because the throw went backward, the touchdown was technically recorded as a rush.

The play made some league history for Worthy, as he's now just the fifth wide receiver in NFL history to tally at least three rushing and three receiving touchdowns as a rookie, joining Deebo Samuel (2019), Tyreek Hill (2016), Eric Metcalf (1989) and Charley Taylor (1964).

Worthy finished the game with 76 total yards (46 receiving, 30 rushing) on nine touches.

5. Tight end Noah Gray found the end zone for the fifth time this season.

Gray hauled in a 6-yard touchdown reception to complete a 14-play, 87-yard scoring drive late in the second quarter. It was the fifth touchdown of the season for Gray, all of which have taken place over the last five weeks.

The veteran tight end already has career-bests this season in catches (37), receiving yards (420), receiving first downs (25) and receiving touchdowns (5).

6. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster tallied his second touchdown of the year.

Smith-Schuster caught a 7-yard touchdown pass early in the game that cashed in on the Browns' first fumble. It was the second score of the season for Smith-Schuster, and his first since Week 3.

Smith-Schuster is the sixth member of the Chiefs to record multiple touchdown catches this year, which marks the third-most of any team in the league. Only the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens (each with 7) have more.

7. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes tied Dan Marino for the second-most touchdown passes through eight career seasons in NFL history.

Mahomes threw two touchdowns on the day, moving him into a tie with Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the second-most touchdown passes (241) through eight career seasons in NFL history. Only Peyton Manning, with 244, recorded more.

Of course, Mahomes played in just one game (and didn't throw a touchdown pass) during his rookie campaign in 2017, so he's closing in on the record with one fewer season of actual playing time under his belt. Conversely, Marino (9 starts) and Manning (16 starts) each recorded significant starts during their respective rookie seasons.

8. The Chiefs didn't commit a turnover for the fourth-straight week.

Kansas City, which committed the 10th-most turnovers of any team in the NFL through the first 10 weeks of the season (with 14), is now one of only two teams in the league (joining the Bills, who have only played three games) without any turnovers over the last four weeks.

That effort, coupled with Sunday's six-takeaway performance, now has Kansas City at +2 in the turnover margin for the year after having operated in the negative for much of the season.

9. The Chiefs have now won 19 of their last 20 games (including the playoffs)

The Chiefs have lost just once in their last 20 games (including the playoffs), which dates back to Week 17 of last season. Kansas City, despite playing the most games of any team in that time (19), has the fewest losses in that span. The next closest team, Detroit, has a 15-3 record in 18 games during that time.

10. The Chiefs have 13 wins for the third time under Head Coach Andy Reid.

Kansas City is now 13-1 on the season, marking the franchise's third campaign with at least 13 victories under Head Coach Andy Reid (joining the 2020 and 2022 14-win squads).

Overall, this marks the Chiefs' sixth 13-win season in team history, joining the 1995, 1997, 2003, 2020 and 2022 teams.

The Chiefs are just two wins away from the best regular season in franchise history with three games left to play, and with a matchup against the Houston Texans looming on Saturday, Kansas City will aim to keep pace for the top record in the conference this weekend.

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