4. Trey Smith’s block on the Pacheco touchdown
I’m not sure if you heard, but Trey Smith is a bad man and is an absolute freight train when he is a pulling guard. Pacheco went untouched for a reason on his touchdown, with Smith being a huge part of that. This was not just a pancake, this was a large pile of flap jacks.
Trey Smith with the fatality. pic.twitter.com/oB3AAwbpKk
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) October 2, 2023
5. The Chiefs defense did not play bad (Zach Wilson was actually good)
There is an absurd statistic out there saying Zach Wilson is the first quarterback to outplay Patrick Mahomes in every major statistical category in college or the pros.
Zach Wilson of the @nyjets is the only opposing QB to have more completions, more passing yards, more TD passes and fewer interceptions than Patrick Mahomes in a Mahomes start, college or pro (out of 127 total starts, including postseason).
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 2, 2023
Many people want to blame the Chiefs defense for letting Zach Wilson torch them in stretches of the game, but sometimes you just have to give credit to where it is due. On the Jets' last touchdown drive, he went five for five for 70 yards and every pass was an absolute dot. The Chiefs players appeared unprepared for this type of game the Jets unleashed and were singing Wilson's praises after the game.
Defensive backs cannot guard a perfect pass and that is what Wilson displayed at times Sunday night. I would not be alarmed at the Kansas City defensive performance. They still only allowed 20 points in a game where the former second-overall pick had a career night, and they clamped down when they needed to.
6. Some reasons Mahomes struggled
Mahomes had an off night, there is no doubt about it. Many people are speculating as to why, but I suspect it has something to do with the wide receivers not gaining enough separation against a very solid defensive back room.
Mahomes’ 51-yard rushing was necessary to win the game, but he was also literally doing it out of necessity. The timeliness of his runs and the ability to gain first downs on most of them is clutch, but New York's defense hurried him a whopping 18 times Sunday night to go along with their solid coverage. That is nearly the amount of times the Jaguars and Bears hurried him combined and it forced Mahomes to take over the game in a different way when his arm was failing him.
Here are the Chiefs' starting five offensive linemen’s pass-blocking grades according to PFF in the game against the Jets.
- Donovan Smith, left tackle: 82.6
- Joe Thuney, left guard: 61.3
- Creed Humphrey, center: 52.3
- Trey Smith, right guard: 22.7
- Jawaan Taylor, right tackle: 25.7
I do not take PFF grades as the bible, but it does help tell the story. The Jets were rotating guys in and stunting gaps all night. It had the offensive line confused and left Mahomes uncomfortable. This will be an interesting development to watch for.