Chiefs 26, Rams 10
This game was never in doubt as far as the outright winner was concerned, but it didn’t seem as though the Chiefs would be able to cover the 15.5-point spread for the longest time. There was a chance early in the fourth quarter, but Patrick Mahomes tossed a lazy interception into the end zone. Luckily for Kansas City bettors, Rams third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins threw two interceptions, one of which set up Kansas City’s covering score.
The Chiefs understandably utilized a conservative game plan, which turned out to be the correct strategy. Mahomes’ interception was the only mistake the Chiefs made. Otherwise, Kansas City picked up tiny chunks of yardage at a time, winning the time-of-possession battle as a consequence.
Mahomes finished 27-of-42 for 320 yards, one touchdown and the pick. He also scrambled four times for 36 rushing yards.
Mahomes’ lone aerial score went to Travis Kelce, who didn’t do much following his early touchdown. Kelce still led the team in receiving with four grabs for 57 yards and the score. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (4-56) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (3-38) were next on the stat sheet.
Kansas City’s other touchdown came via Isiah Pacheco, who did well considering the tough matchup. He rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also caught a 17-yard pass.
As for the Rams, Perkins did much better than expected. He led the Rams to 10 early points and kept them somewhat in the game. He also avoided turnovers until late in the afternoon. He finished 13-of-23 for 100 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions to go along with nine scrambles for 44 rushing yards.
With Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson sidelined, Van Jefferson “led” the Rams with 29 receiving yards on his three catches.
Kyren Williams and Cam Akers shared the workload. Akers edged out Williams, 37-35, on three fewer carries (11-8). However, Williams was better in the passing game with three catches for 25 receiving yards.
