Kansas City Chiefs defense steps up in a major way in Week 7
By Jalon Dodson
It’s time to hand out our weekly Chiefs player awards for Week 7, which includes an overlooked running back and promising draft pick finally coming around.
Welcome to the Week 7 edition of our Kansas City Chiefs weekly player awards, where we focous on which players are on the rise, the top performers of the week, and the biggest disappointments on both offense and defense. The Chiefs weren’t going to let a loss against the New England Patriots in Week 6 bring them down this week.
Something amazing happened on Sunday night, and it wasn’t the fact that the offense put up 38 points. It also wasn’t the fact that Patrick Mahomes balled out by throwing for 4 touchdowns which set an NFL record for most touchdowns through the first 7 games of the season. Instead, It was the defense stepped up and allowed just 10 points to one of the NFL’s top offenses and best overall red zone offense in the Cincinnati Bengals.
Player on the Rise: Offense
This player doesn’t get talked about enough, although he deserves credit where it’s due. Chiefs running back Spencer Ware was just 11 yards short of 100 yards from scrimmage against the Bengals. With second-year running back Kareem Hunt taking the league by storm, most had forgotten that Ware was this good.
On what would have sealed his 100-yard game and give him a touchdown to go with it, Ware tripped and fell just a few yards short of the end zone. While he undoubtedly wanted the touchdown, I think he will get more opportunities as the season goes on. Ware provides nice depth to the Chiefs running back corps, and I’m excited to see what he has to offer the team.
- 8 carries, 59 rushing yards
- 3 receptions, 30 receiving yards
RUNNER-UP: Demarcus Robinson (2 receptions, 13 receiving yards)
Player on the Rise: Defense
One of my favorite draft picks for the Chiefs 2018 draft class was middle linebacker Dorian O’Daniel, selected in the third round. He had fallen in the draft due to refusing to play as a safety, a request he had gotten since he was seen as an undersized linebacker. After an injury forced Terrance Smith out of the game, O’Daniel stepped up to the task and made several nice plays that I personally enjoyed. If you remember, safety Jordan Lucas also stepped up to the plate following injuries to the Chiefs secondary, and his play was so outstanding that he was listed as the starter against the Bengals.
Maybe O’Daniel can make his case known. One of my favorite plays was on a swing route to Bengals running back Joe Mixon. O’Daniel diagnosed the play rather perfectly, finding his way to Mixon to tackle him for a four-yard loss. While it wasn’t an overly spectacular play, it definitely showed what he can do. I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Daniel’s role increases in the coming weeks.
- 4 solo tackles
RUNNER-UP: Reggie Ragland (2 solo tackles, 1 assisted)
Player of the Week: Offense
Offensive player of the week honors has to go to none other than quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Each week brings another record-breaking performance, and this week he threw for 4 touchdowns and 358 passing yards. His 300-yard passing game makes it his sixth in a row, beating his own franchise record of five consecutive games. He also set an NFL record for most touchdowns through the first 7 games with 22 touchdowns, surpassing Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner.
His performance was tainted with one interception, but that was purely just an underthrown ball capitalized on by a Bengals defender. Nonetheless, Mahomes and the high-powered offense once again led the team to a spectacular outing, putting up 38 points on their own.
- 28-for-39, 358 passing yards, 1 interception
- 4 passing touchdowns
- 4 carries, 45 rushing yards
RUNNER-UP: Kareem Hunt (15 carries, 86 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown; 5 receptions, 55 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns)
Player of the Week: Defense
In what would be the first pick-6 of his career, Chiefs safety Ron Parker had somewhat of a quiet night but still stepped up in a big way. Parker intercepted Andy Dalton and took it to the house for a 33-yard pick-6 as if the game wasn’t sealed already.
Even though he only had 1 tackle, which some would argue the stat isn’t even much of a factor, he still had what would be one of the most memorable games of his career. Parker has been a great addition for the Chiefs after being re-signed in the offseason.
- 1 interception, 1 defensive touchdown
- 1 pass defended
- 1 tackle
RUNNER-UP: Steven Nelson (1 solo tackle, 2 passes defended)
The Wrap
This week, we won’t feature a disappointment on the offense nor defense. The team played wonderfully throughout the entire game, not letting their foot off of the gas. I dreamt of a day where I would be able to forego adding the biggest disappointments of the week, and that day is finally here.
A record-setting performance by Mahomes topped off by another 100+ yard scrimmage game for running back Kareem Hunt and a memorable defensive performance led the Chiefs to their sixth win of the season.
Whether or not the defense can continue to impress is up in the air, as their consistency, or lack thereof, is something that just simply hasn’t been a factor as of late. Regardless of future circumstances, the Chiefs and its fans can rest easy for the week. Hopefully, the Chiefs can keep up their success on both sides of the ball.