The Chiefs got creative in their domination of the Saints on Monday night.
Without Rashee Rice, Kansas City had to piece together offense a bit more than usual, and they did just that: Patrick Mahomes connected with eight different receivers, tossing 303 yards in the matchup. Mahomes, though, didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the game. Instead, a pair of rushing touchdowns and four Harrison Butker field goals pushed the Chiefs ahead of the Saints, 26-13.
The Chiefs notched nearly 40 minutes in the time of possession column, thoroughly beating the Saints in almost every facet of the game on Monday night.
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In the process, Saints quarterback Derek Carr was injured with what the team is calling an oblique injury. Carr dropped to 1-9 overall vs. Mahomes, his poor Raiders record following him to New Orleans.
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USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, highlights and more from the “Monday Night Football” game in Week 5 below:
The scoreboard wasn’t indicative of the Chiefs’ domination of the Saints on “Monday Night Football.” Kansas City came away with a 26-13 win over New Orleans, pushing KC to 5-0. The Saints lose their third consecutive game.
Carr wouldn’t be back on the field following his injury (ESPN reports it’s an oblique injury), leading to Jake Haener making his second appearance of the 2024 season.
The Chiefs have had a small issue getting into the end zone, but they haven’t had a problem scoring. Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker nailed his fourth kick of the night to give the Chiefs a 26-13 lead with 3:03 left in the game.
Saints QB Derek Carr took a brutal hit from Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner on an incomplete pass. Carr looked to be grabbing his back after the hit, and headed to the blue medical tent after the hit. He would be examined and then head to the locker room afterwards.
Time is the enemy of Derek Carr and the Saints, but now so is field position.
The Saints needed to convert a fourth-and-8 to keep their drive going. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo dialed up some pressure, forcing Carr to throw off his back foot. Still, Carr got off a perfect pass to Mason Tipton, and the ball went right through the wide receivers hands.
Chiefs take over at their own 41-yard line with 9:32 left in the contest.
Xavier Worthy is something of a momma’s boy.
The Chiefs wide receiver found his mom Nicky Jones in the stands after his touchdown run, tossing her the ball and getting a big hug from mom in the process.
Classic Chiefs creativity was on display in the fourth quarter.
Xavier Worthy scored his second rushing touchdown of the year after taking a handoff from Travis Kelce, taking it three yards to the house to answer the Saints’ score. A Butker extra point put the Chiefs up 23-13 with 11:56 left in the game.
The Saints made good on a red zone visit after Derek Carr found Foster Moreau for a six-yard TD pass. Blake Grupe would miss the extra point, meaning it’s still a three-point game with the Chiefs getting the ball back.
Neither team scored in the third quarter thanks to a Patrick Mahomes red zone interception. Now the Saints have an opportunity to score, sitting inside the Chiefs 10-yard line to start the fourth after a Alvin Kamara catch and run. The Chiefs are up 16-7 entering the last frame.
Interceptions are killer. Red zone interceptions more so.
The Chiefs were angling for their second touchdown of the day, when a Patrick Mahomes pass off the hands of JuJu Smith-Schuster landed in the mitts of defensive tackle Khalen Saunders. Saunders got his big-boy rumble on, with a healthy return.
It’s a nine-point game in Kansas City after Harrison Butker clanked a field goal try off the right upright. The miss was preceded by a non-pass interference call in which referees decided not to flag the Saints after a lot of contact between cornerback Paulson Adebo and wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
“The King” recognizes an NFL GOAT.
LeBron James took to X during the Chiefs-Saints “Monday Night Football” matchup to heap praise on Patrick Mahomes.
“KC just so good man! Doesn’t matter who’s not in the lineup as long as QB1 is!” James posted.
Patrick Mahomes may be finding a little bit of a spark with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran wideout has two catches for 20 yards, but seemed to be wide, wide open on both of his catches. He may be one to watch in the second half.
It was a half of the Chiefs trying to get creative in a few different ways, mainly thanks to their tight ends. Patrick Mahomes found a groove with JuJu Smith-Schuster, but the Chiefs O found the end zone just once in the half thanks partly to a stout Saints defense. KC leads NO 16-7 at the half.
The Chiefs had another golden opportunity before half, but Mahomes couldn’t quite get in sync with his receivers in the red zone. Instead, they settled for another Butker field goal to extend their lead to 16-7 with nine seconds left before half.
Saints running back and return man Jamaal Williams nearly had an brutal botch on a kickoff return before half. Williams nearly took a knee just outside the goal line, which would have placed the ball at the 1-yard line. Instead, he opted to return the ball and got out to the 21-yard line. The Saints would punt back to the Chiefs soon after.
Fantasy managers looking for a last-minute victory over their rivals may have some hope left if they have Rashid Shaheed on their rosters. Shaheed has two catches for 58 yards and a touchdown with 1:20 left before halftime.
The Chiefs couldn’t quite follow up on their second-and-34 efforts, faced a third-and-long and instead kicking a 34-yard field goal attempt after they couldn’t convert. Kansas City leads 13-7 with 1:32 left in the half.
The Chiefs offense is still the Chiefs offense, even when it doesn’t look like the Chiefs offense. After facing a second-and-34 and a third-and-22, the Chiefs converted a fourth-and-1 opportunity to put themselves in good position to score before halftime.
Highlighting the effort on the drive was a Travis Kelce pitch to Samaje Perine which put the Chiefs in position on a fourth-and-short opportunity, which they converted.
Whatever Morris was dealing with turned out to be not serious: He reentered the game to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside soon after he was pulled with that knee injury.
Left tackle Wanya Morris injured his right knee, but walked off gingerly to the side line. He’s replaced by Kingsley Suamataia. Cameras caught trainers working on Morris’ knee on the sideline.
Derek Carr connected with Rashid Shaheed on a post route for a TD. The speedy Shaheed caught the Carr deep ball, a 43-yard strike for the TD. A successful extra point means this is a 10-7 game in the second. Chiefs lead.
Travis Kelce took a rough hit from Saints linebacker Anfernee Orji right on his shoulder. ESPN cameras caught Kelce wincing a bit after the hit, but he wouldn’t end up in the blue medical tent.
The Chiefs had a golden opportunity to go up two touchdowns, but an inopportune holding call followed by a Patrick Mahomes miss of Samaje Perine in the end zone means Kansas City settled for a field goal. They lead 10-0 in the second.
The Chiefs ended the first quarter with an interesting stat: Patrick Mahomes didn’t target a wide receiver once in the quarter. Instead, a steady dose of Kareem Hunt rushes, some throws to KC’s trio of tight ends and some timely Mahomes rushes keeps KC moving and ahead of the Saints 7-0.
Derek Carr has been slightly off so far during “Monday Night Football,” the most exemplary showing of that is a bomb thrown into triple coverage that nearly landed in the hands of Bryan Cook once again. Instead, it landed just incomplete out of the reach of Rashid Shaheed, and the Saints would punt.
There are interceptions and then there are complete thefts. Bryan Cook’s was the latter. The slo-mo of the Chiefs’ safety picking off Derek Carr one-handed is even prettier the second time around:
Well, that was about as Chiefs as Chiefs gets.
After connecting with Travis Kelce on a few chunk plays and tight end Noah Gray, Kareem Hunt bullied into the end zone to cap off a Chiefs scoring drive, putting KC up 6-0. Harrison Butker would net the extra point to make it 7-0 Chiefs in the first quarter.
It’s a school night, after all, so it’s a bit late for the children of football players to take in some “MNF.” That much Patrick Mahomes made clear prior to the game vs. the Saints, telling his daughter Sterling hi, but also letting her know it’s past her bedtime.
The Saints were moving the ball well in the first quarter. That was until Derek Carr tossed an ill-advised deep ball which landed in the hands of Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. Cook brought it the distance the other way for a pick-six, but refs ruled him down by contact.
Look good, feel good, play good: The Saints are again wearing their white color rush alternates with their new second, black lids. They’re a sharp look for “Monday Night Football.”
The Chiefs vs. Saints game will conclude Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season at 8:15 p.m. ET. After two weeks of doubleheaders, it’s the lone game on the Week 5 “MNF” slate.
ESPN is the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football” in Week 5. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentary), and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) will be on the call.
ESPN’s popular alternate broadcast, the “ManningCast,” returns after a two-week hiatus. The two former NFL quarterbacks will break down the action, along with a typically star-studded guest list that will include former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, among other talent. On Monday night, Peyton and Eli’s father, Archie Manning, as well as actor Paul Rudd join the show.
Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for the Chiefs-Saints game:
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She’s nothing if not a “Lover.” Taylor Swift has arrived at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on the Chiefs and her boyfriend Travis Kelce.
No surprises on the inactive list for the Chiefs. They will, of course, be without wide receiver Rashee Rice. Rice was placed on IR, sidelining him for at least four games. His status for the remainder of the 2024 season is still unclear.
The Saints will be without right guard Cesar Ruiz, who is dealing with a knee injury. Taysom Hill will also not play.
The Chiefs are the lone undefeated team remaining in the AFC heading into Monday night.
With a win on Monday, the Saints will move into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South. By way of tiebreakers, they would slot into second place behind the Falcons ahead of the Buccaneers.
Fans not looking to repeat the events of “Sunday Night Football” won’t have to worry about that: Weather in Kansas City is expected to be perfect for football on Monday Night. The temperature is expected to sit around the low 60s at kickoff time, with no rain in the forecast, per Weather.com.
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