Chiefs beat Saints: 5 things we learned in Week 5

On the Week 5 edition of “Monday Night Football” under the bright lights at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs controlled their game against them New Orleans Saints From start to finish. Even though it was difficult to finish drives in the red zone, the offense was efficient: moving the ball easily.

Meanwhile, Kansas City continued to prove that it is a well-rounded team by dominating the Saints’ offensive line, shutting down New Orleans’ star running back Alvin Kamara and making life miserable for quarterback Derek Carr The Chiefs earned a 26-13 win.

Here are five things we learned.

1. Kareem Hunt is the answer to the Chiefs’ short-yardage woes

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Maybe it’s because he has unfinished business in Kansas City. Maybe he’s an older running back trying to make the most of what could be his last rodeo. Perhaps the wear and tear of the last few years had taken its toll on his body; he just needed a moment to heal. Maybe playing for the ill-fated Cleveland Browns simply broke his soul.

Maybe it’s all of these things. But whatever the reason, Hunt looks better than he has in some time.

But it’s not just that Hunt looks better than he has in recent seasons. He looks better in short-yardage situations than any Kansas City player since Hunt was released in 2018.

Although Isiah Pacheco is a great player, vision and patience are not his strengths. Hunt has plenty of both. He excels at identifying blockers and diagnosing the weak spots in the defensive line, using selective attacks to get past the line of scrimmage and consistently get to the line of gain.

It remains to be seen what will happen when Pacheco returns from his injury. But in the meantime, if the Chiefs find themselves in a tight-yardage situation, Hunt should get the ball 10 times out of 10.

2. Getting the band back together could work

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When a team loses multiple playmakers due to injury, sometimes the best course of action is to bring in well-known players who can be trusted to implement the system. What you might give up in explosive athletic ability, you make up for in familiarity.

It’s not just Hunt who is experiencing a renaissance in Kansas City. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has now stepped into Rashee Rice’s role without taking a break. We shouldn’t be surprised that Kansas City had its best offensive performance of the season as Hunt, Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce all had great games. There’s a lot of old man strength in this ragtag bunch – and Mahomes has already proven he can win with them.

3. We have a tale of two Boltons

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Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton has two sides.

The first is a player who doesn’t quite Have the athleticism or comfort in the open field to move back into cover. He finds it difficult to keep up with faster players running east and west – and lacks the confidence to break and smack the ball away at the last moment.

The other side is a player who may be the NFL’s best downhill linebacker – a guy who epitomizes the term “controlled chaos.” No other linebacker can diagnose a running game and explode downhill to stop a running back like Bolton.

4. Jaylen Watson deserves recognition

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According to Pro Football Reference, the third-year cornerback caught exactly one pass (12 yards total) in the first four games of the season against Trent McDuffie.

Watson continued that strong performance in Monday night’s matchup.

“McDuffie deserves a lot of credit,” head coach Andy Reid said after the game. “He plays like an All-Pro — (and) we just take that for granted. (But) this Watson kid? Man, he plays his heart out. (He) does a great job for us.”

At the beginning of the season, we didn’t know who would secure the No. 2 spot at outside cornerback. But there’s no question that Watson has taken full control, eliminating opponents and turning half the field into a no-fly zone.

5. The Chiefs are good enough to win it all

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Kansas City controlled the ball for more than twice as long as the Saints – and won by two touchdowns. Still, it felt like the team had left points on the field.

If the offense hadn’t continued to stagnate in the red zone, the Chiefs could have easily scored at least 35 points. While that sounds like a complaint, I’m actually impressed that Kansas City came out with a two-touchdown win.

Much of the credit for this should go to coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which has allowed more than 20 points just once in five games. If the team ever figures out its red zone issues, it will be unstoppable.