5 studs and 2 duds from the Chiefs' convincing win over the Saints in Week 5

The Kansas City Chiefs are still undefeated as they enter their early bye week. With a 26-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, KC is 5-0, making them one of two unbeaten teams left (Minnesota Vikings).

From the first offensive drive of the game, the Chiefs finally looked more settled on offense. The defense forced an early turnover and was able to hold a Saints offense that had been explosive to just 13 total points. Most of all, Kansas City saw some players turn back the clock and churn out some dominant performances.

With that and mind, it is time to pinpoint some of the more noteworthy performances from this win. Here are five studs and two duds from the Chiefs' convincing victory.

Studs

WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Someone had to step up at wide receiver in the absence of Rashee Rice. JuJu Smith-Schuster did all of that and then some. JuJu got some wide-open looks due to some delayed releases where he sold like he was blocking. The Saints also appeared to get lost in coverage throughout the evening.

Smith-Schuster had seven catches for 130 receiving yards, good enough for 18.6 yards per catch. That receiving yardage total was his first 100-yard receiving game since the 2022 regular season when he and the Chiefs won at San Francisco. Not only did he get free during routes in this game, but he added some yards after the catch. Kansas City's offense will be just fine if he can provide those traits moving forward.

RB Kareem Hunt

Speaking of veteran Chiefs skill players turning back the clock, Kareem Hunt was a handful for the New Orleans defense from the jump. He scored the first touchdown of the game. His 102 rushing yards were the most he had tallied since the 2020 season when he was with Cleveland.

Just like last week, Hunt made some defenders miss or bounce off of him. He found some extra hidden yards in traffic to help Kansas City stay on schedule and ahead of the chains. Most of all, Hunt had no issue finding the open lanes and putting his foot in the ground with zero wasted movements. The Chiefs can continue to trust in him without Isiah Pacheco.

TE Travis Kelce

They told us Travis Kelce was out of shape. They told us Travis Kelce was distracted. It turns out, the veteran tight end is feeling as good as ever after celebrating his birthday over the weekend. The Chiefs were finally able to dial up some quick completions in this game. Many of those went to Kelce out of the gate.

In the end, there were some other extended plays where Patrick Mahomes, and he connected with open throws in the middle of the field. Kelce's nine receptions led the team on Monday night. He always knows how to shine bright under the lights. His performance was key in getting the Chiefs rolling through the air in the early going.

QB Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes may not have thrown a touchdown pass in this game. Yet, he looked extremely comfortable and confident, compared to much of the last couple of weeks. He was on time. He recognized pressure much more consistently than last week. Additionally, Mahomes was even pulling the trigger on throws deep down the field. He did that multiple times, to boot.

The interception in the red zone hurts, and it really was not his fault on a tipped pass. In the end, Mahomes was able to find rhythm and chemistry with numerous weapons on the depth chart. It felt like he, Andy Reid and Matt Nagy were in their bag for much of the night. His 331 passing yards were his most in a single game this season. That has to be a tremendous pick-me-up heading into the bye after some sluggish games.

Chiefs Run Defense

We highlighted the matchup of the Saints' run offense and the Chiefs' run defense entering Monday. Once again, Kansas City answered the bell against one of the NFL's better rushing units. Alvin Kamara rarely got any steam on his carries. The defensive line did a great job of disengaging from blocks and plugging gaps. In total, Kansas City held New Orleans to just 46 rushing yards on 15 carries, which is just 3.1 yards per carry. For Kamara alone, the star rusher picked up just 26 rushing yards and 2.4 yards per carry on 11 carries.

This Chiefs run defense is an underrated element right now on a stout defense. Known more for their different blitzes and the star power of Chris Jones, Kansas City can make opponents one-dimensional with their run-stopping ability. Getting teams into obvious pass situations goes a long way when opposing offenses are trying to outduel Mahomes and Co.

Duds

The Chiefs' Red Zone Offense

The year is 2037. Patrick Mahomes holds as many records as possible, if not more, than most passers in NFL history. And at that time, Kansas City may still not be able to find consistency in the red zone. But seriously, the Chiefs could have had a greater margin of victory in this one, if not for some ups and downs in the red zone.

KC made it to the red zone seven times in this game. Only twice did the Chiefs convert those opportunities into touchdowns. This problem has hurt them this season and in prior years in the Mahomes era. If the Chiefs can find any improvement there, they may be a 15-win team at least entering the playoffs.

Chiefs Offensive Tackles

Was it their worst performance of the season so far? Not necessarily. But, the Chiefs were a little shaky at offensive tackle once again. Jawaan Taylor had a couple of penalties again. One holding call negated a touchdown pass early on. Wanya Morris got hurt and returned with some pressures being allowed.

The only pass rush New Orleans generated was from the outside edges. Kansas City has attempted multiple swings of the bat to try and fix the offensive tackle spots. They are not the worst in the NFL at the position. Although, the comfort in that area is still not all the way there.