KC Chiefs: Handing out game grades for Week 8

This week’s game was ugly till the end, but a win is still a win! The Kansas City Chiefs were able to come out with a close 20-17 victory against the New York Giants at Arrowhead Stadium, with Frank Clark and Chris Jones sealing the game with a sack each on the last two plays before time expired for the Giants.

With that said, it’s time to grade some of the best and worse performers from Monday Night Football in Week 8. Let’s jump right into it:

The Best: Willie Gay Jr., LB

Among the best defensive players in this game was none other than linebacker Willie Gay, who had a fantastic day with nine total tackles, five of them solo. He also had a pass deflection along with a spectacular interception in the first quarter:

That was Gay’s second INT of the year (in consecutive games). He also had an impressive third-and-one stop on Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, holding him to no yards gained on the play. He has been a great addition to this young linebacking corps, and he continues to show that Veach made a great choice in selecting him. He and Bolton are making a good duo as two of the best young LBs this year.

Grade: A

The Worst: Daniel Sorensen, S

Blown coverages and Daniel Sorensen; name a better duo, I’ll wait. This year, Sorensen still shows why his re-signing was a mistake for the Chiefs in one of his worst performances in coverage this year. His first colossal letdown was late in the first quarter. Jones heaved one up for Darius Slayton with Sorensen in coverage. And what did Sorensen do? He gave up a huge 50-yard reception.

This play is worse because there was a pass inference called on Sorensen, and the ball was still caught. To add even more insult to injury, the ball was in Sorensen’s hands. Take this as you will.

Sorensen then allowed Evan Engram to fake him out and catch a late fourth-quarter TD. Why Sorensen is still being utilized in coverage is beyond me. Chiefs’ fans continue to scratch their heads, and even NFL legends are questioning Spagnuolo in his decision making:

Grade: F- –

Right Below The Best: Tyreek Hill, WR

The best receiver in this game, without a doubt, was the ‘”Cheetah” himself, Tyreek Hill. On a whopping 18 targets, Hill had 12 catches (66.6% catch percentage), 94 receiving yards, and an impressive red zone touchdown.

Hill was all over the place, juking defenders for first downs and showing his great route running and speed/agility that we all know and love. Hill has been a monster this year, having great game after great game while serving as one of Mahomes’ favorite targets. Don’t be surprised, as the Cheetah will continue to shine as he has been let loose.

Grade: A-

Right Above The Worst: Travis Kelce, TE

Kelce had an off game overall as he didn’t make much of his targets last night compared to everyone else. Kelce only caught 4 passes on 7 targets for a measly 27 yards and an average of 6.8 yards per catch. To make matters worse, he had a huge fumble on the play, which resulted in a touchdown on the Giants’ next drive.

Now, everyone has their down games. I don’t see Kelce getting worse, but this week, the Giants had a game plan against him, and it worked; it seems as though the Giants always had two guys on him, making Mahomes look for other targets. Maybe next week against the Packers, things will pick up, but sadly, he was among the worst this week, and the turnover solidifies that claim.

Grade: D-

Contributed Well: Darrel Williams, RB

I couldn’t leave Darrel “Barrel” Williams out of this article because he had an impressive game. He was the Chiefs’ leading rusher, with 49 yards on 13 carries, averaging 3.8 yards per run. While that may not be that impressive, his receiving numbers were!

Williams was perfect on the receiving end, catching all six passes for an outstanding 61 yards on six targets. He averaged over ten yards per catch and was third on the team in receiving yards yesterday. This significantly improved not only his grade but the Chiefs’ chances of winning. He has developed well into not only a dependable passing-catching RB, but he has shown that he could be the Chiefs’ back-up RB for a long time.

Chiefs’ fans hope his play continues like this for the rest of the year. This 2021 Chiefs’ team needs everything they can get.

Grade: B

Moderate, But Played His Part: Derrick Gore, RB

Coming off the practice squad, Derrick Gore played in his first game of his NFL career. He certainly made his mark as on 11 carries, he had 48 yards and a rushing touchdown. He averaged 4.4 yards per run:

The one thing that stood out from Gore was his vision. His touchdown run was a great example of this as he saw all the gaps were clogged up. He quickly bounced to the outside for an impressive touchdown run. He even showed a solid suddenness, using his agility and quickness to get to the outside quickly for the score.

The debate is out as if Gore should take Williams’ job as the starting RB. I wouldn’t take it that far (it was only one game after all), but he may take McKinnon’s job as he outperformed in every way, shape, and form. The only reason he’s graded lower than Williams is that he didn’t contribute to the receiving end at all.

Grade: C+

Do you agree with my grades? Leave a comment down below to join the discussion!