The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New York Jets, 35-9 at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon behind a stellar effort from quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a stifling performance by the defense in the second half to secure the Chiefs' seventh victory of the campaign.
Kansas City found the end zone on three of its first four possessions, building a sizable lead as New York moved the ball well early on, but couldn't finish drives.
Mahomes completed 31-of-42 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns in the game, marking his 10th career outing with at least four passing touchdowns – the most in the NFL since 2018 and four more than second place.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP didn't waste any time getting started, tossing a quick "pop pass" to wide receiver Mecole Hardman on Kansas City's opening drive that the speedy Hardman took around the edge for a 30-yard score.
The offense then appeared to stall on its second possession, but punter Tommy Townsend caught the Jets' return unit off guard when he fired a pass to wide receiver Byron Pringle on fourth down rather than kicking the ball away, picking up 13 yards and a new set of downs for Kansas City. Mahomes found wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown a play later, completing an impressive opening quarter for the Chiefs.
Mahomes later tossed a quick underhand throw to tight end Travis Kelce on the Chiefs' fourth possession before the All-Pro tight end did the rest, plowing ahead for a 3-yard score.
New York, meanwhile, managed to move the ball into Chiefs' territory on each of its first three drives, but the Jets only managed a trio of field goals to show for it. They looked poised to connect on a fourth field goal in the final seconds of the first half, too, but Chiefs' safety Armani Watts blocked the kick as the second quarter concluded.
The Chiefs maintained their 12-point advantage through much of the third quarter, as Kansas City yielded just one first down on New York's first six possessions of the second half. Additionally, on that one fresh set of downs New York achieved during that stretch, Chiefs' safety Daniel Sorensen forced a fumble on the Jets' very next play.
On the other side of things, New York managed to hold Kansas City off the scoreboard through the bulk of the third quarter until Mahomes found wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a 26-yard touchdown to effectively seal the game. Mahomes later connected with Hill for a 41-yard score to complete the scoring for the Chiefs.
It was Hill's eighth multi-receiving touchdown game since 2017, tying the Green Bay Packers' Davante Adams for the most in the NFL.
Hill was one of 10 players to catch a pass for Kansas City on Sunday and one of four to top 60+ yards receiving. Kelce led that group with 109 yards through the air, matching Antonio Gates and Jason Witten for the fifth-most 100-yard games (21) by a tight end in NFL history.
It all marked Kansas City's third victory in a row and its seventh overall this season as the Chiefs reached the midpoint of the campaign, and with 35 points on Sunday, Kansas City tallied 23+ points for the 44th time in its last 45 games.
The Chiefs will return to action on Sunday as they take on the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium.
