Kansas City Chiefs win nailbiter over Washington on Monday Night Football
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs survived an incredibly close game on Monday night as the Washington Redskins brought everything they could.
For rookie kicker Harrison Butker, it was a chance at redemption. For the Kansas City Chiefs, it was a nail-biter to remember.
The Chiefs pulled off the 23-20 victory on Monday night under the bright lights at Arrowhead over the Washington Redskins in primetime in a game that was hard fought on both sides. Changing leads throughout, the Chiefs ended the game with the football and gave Butker a chance to right himself by game’s end after missing his first ever attempt earlier in the evening.
For the Chiefs, it was a challenging victory over a punishing Washington team that came out swinging early on both offense and defense. A deep throw from Kirk Cousins to wide receiver (and former Chief Terrelle Pryor) put Washington up early, and their celebrated front seven made life tough offensively for the Chiefs early. It also didn’t help that the Chiefs lost Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to injury in the first quarter.
Working behind a makeshift offensive line, the Chiefs made some adjustments and ground out a win largely on the backs of Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt. The Chiefs All-Pro tight end had 7 catches for 111 receiving yards and proved to be a vital outlet at times when the offense struggled to move the chains.
Hunt found his rhythm largely in the fourth quarter, churning out yards after making first contact with the defender on a number of plays, including some valuable catches out of the backfield. The rookie phenom finished with 121 yards from scrimmage including 101 rushing yards, his third 100-plus game of the season.
Enough good things cannot be said about Alex Smith, who completed 27 of 37 passes for 293 passing yards and 1 touchdown. He kept many drives alive with his scrambling ability and deft touch, and his numbers should have been even better if not for drops by Tyreek Hill and Demetrius Harris.
The Chiefs are officially the only undefeated team through the first quarter of the season after taking out Washington. They face a shortened week before taking on the Houston Texans on Sunday.