5 takeaways | Chiefs clip Falcons’ wings, improve to 7-2 with victory in Atlanta

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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No Kenneth Walker III, no problem — sort of — thanks to a pair of rookie fifth-round draft picks.

The Chiefs surpassed last season’s win total with a 35-13 victory Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, moving into a tie atop the AFC West with idle Denver.

Kansas City (7-2) was without Walker and third-string running back Jadyn Ott, leaving only two healthy tailbacks.

But rookie fifth-round running back Emmett Johnson did a reasonable Walker impersonation, totaling 171 yards from scrimmage, while Patrick Mahomes torched the Falcons’ secondary, finishing 22 of 35 for 348 yards with five touchdowns — the seventh time he’s had five-plus TD tosses in the regular season — and no interceptions.

“He’s always ready,” Mahomes said. “Every time he gets an opportunity, he goes out there and makes plays. He’s a young guy, but he’s an old soul. I’m excited for him and his future here and we’ll have that 1-2 tandem going.”

It was Mahomes’ 50th career regular-season game with at least three touchdowns, the most in the NFL since 2018. He has nine more in the playoffs during a storied 10-year career.

The Chiefs’ defense contained Bijan Robinson, who finished with 77 yards from scrimmage, and flummoxed Michael Penix Jr., who struggled until garbage time when he rescued an anemic stat line, finishing 23 of 43 for 286 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

Meanwhile, Mahomes delivered the dagger with a 39-yard bomb to rookie fifth-rounder Cyrus Allen late in the third quarter.

The Mahomes-to-Allen connection marked Kansas City’s longest touchdown pass to a wide receiver since Tyquan Thornton’s 49-yard touchdown against Philadelphia in Week 2 last season.

Mahomes topped it two drives later when he launched a 43-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Armstrong sandwiched around a second TD toss to Johnson.

The Chiefs led 28-3 before the Falcons’ only touchdown, a 3-yard run by Robinson midway through the fourth quarter.

Atlanta successfully recovered an onside kick, which netted a field goal, but got no closer than 15 points.

Emmett up to task

Johnson finished with his first career 100-yard rushing game. He racked up 101 yards on 22 carries, adding another 70 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.

“Nothing but just blessings,” Johnson said.

Two weeks after Johnson had five catches for 128 yards, including a 73-yard catch-and-run in a loss at Denver, he validated that breakout performance with a career-high 171 yards from scrimmage.

That’s very much in line with the otherworldly production Walker has delivered in his first season with Kansas City.

Johnson opened the game for the Chiefs’ offense with a 10-yard run, and it seemed like Walker’s absence may not be felt acutely.

On the long touchdown march, Johnson finished with five carries for 36 yards and capped the 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown catch-and-run.

Kansas City appeared to be firing on all cylinders, but the offense managed only 63 yards on 16 plays across the next four drives, which all ended with a Matt Araiza punt.

Everything changed in the two-minute drive when Mahomes found Johnson on a screen pass to the right.

On the second snap, Johnson rumbled 34 yards to put the Chiefs in field-goal range on the first play after the two-minute warning.

Six plays later, Kansas City appeared ready to settle for a field goal, but a penalty gave Mahomes and the offense new life — capping the seven-play, 79-yard drive with his second touchdown of the first half.

Johnson added a 6-yard touchdown catch in the second half.

Downs’ day

Josh Downs introduced himself in style to Chiefs Kingdom, scoring a touchdown in his team debut on a slick back-shoulder throw to the front pylon from Mahomes, one play after an offside penalty on a field-goal try extended Kansas City’s drive.

After some initial confusion — when the Chiefs momentarily declined the penalty, which came on fourth-and-2 before Harrison Butker made a 41-yard kick — Downs punished Mike Ford Jr.’s mistake with an 18-yard touchdown catch.

He finished the first half with three catches for 51 yards, the most receiving yards by a wide receiver for the Chiefs.

“I didn’t throw him the ball enough,” Mahomes said. “Some of those plays that he was out there, he was winning and I didn’t even expect him to win with some of the leverages he got. So, when I gave him chances, he made plays. But he’s going to be a big addition and help other guys get open.”

Downs, who added a 2-yard catch in the second half, took Nikko Remigio’s place on the roster.

After the Chiefs sent two mid-round picks to Indianapolis in exchange for Downs at Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, Remigio was released to make room on the 53-man roster.

In addition to taking Remigio’s roster spot, when Kansas City lined up for a punt return after the defense forced a three-and-out to open the game, Downs also took Remigio’s spot deep downfield as the primary punt returner.

Downs wisely let the first punt sent his way fly over his head for a touchback, but he muffed the second one before recovering it for a 1-yard loss that pinned the Chiefs’ offense inside its own 5-yard line.

On the third Falcons punt, Downs had a 7-yard return, but it was negated by a Jaden Hicks holding penalty that once again left the offense with a long field.

The ensuing drive got off to a promising start when Mahomes found Downs alone over the middle for a 21-yard gain, his first catch with Kansas City, but the drive stalled from there.

Downs successfully made a fair catch late in the first half, setting up a two-minute drive that featured a 12-yard pass to Downs before catching the 18-yard TD later in the drive.

Early in the third quarter, Downs ripped off an 11-yard return, his best of the day.

Mahomes makes history

Mahomes entered Sunday tied with Peyton Manning for the most touchdown passes in the first 10 seasons by any NFL QB, including the postseason (327).

The Chiefs’ future Hall of Famer now stands alone with 332.

It was Mahomes’ first five-touchdown, 300-yard passing game since a season-opening win at Arizona to kick off the 2022 campaign. He threw for 360 yards and five scores in a 44-21 that day.

Despite the fact that Mahomes appeared in only one game as a rookie — a win against Denver to end the regular season in which he didn’t throw a touchdown pass — he rocketed past Manning, in part, because he’s thrown 46 career postseason touchdown passes in 21 playoff games.

Mahomes, who has 286 career regular-season touchdown passes, reached at least overtime in the AFC Championship Game in his first seven seasons as a starter, beginning in 2018. That stretch included three Super Bowl titles and two more AFC titles.

Already, Mahomes ranks 19th in NFL history in career touchdown passes. He could move into the top 15 by season's end if he eclipses 300 career TD passes (Johnny Unitas, 290; Warren Moore, 291; Carson Palmer, 294; John Elway, 300).

Bottling up Bijan

The NFL’s leading rusher, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, showed a couple of flashes when the ball was in his hands, but he got scant opportunities to show off against the Chiefs’ defense, especially in the first half.

Robinson only had eight touches, seven rushes for 42 yards and a catch for minus-1 yard, in the first half.

Kansas City led 14-3 at halftime and had tacked on two more touchdowns before Robinson got rolling in any real way.

He finished with 16 carries for 71 yards and a late (mostly meaningless) touchdown and added four catches for 6 yards.

Robinson entered the week with 880 yards rushing, but he had his third-fewest rushing yards in a game this season. Only Chicago (53 yards) and Tampa Bay in a tropical storm (76) have allowed fewer total yards to Robinson in a game.

Deep ball returns

Mahomes completed seven passes of at least 20 yards, including a trio of deep shots.

Allen’s touchdown, the first of his career and longest play of his career, came on a double move that took the top off the defense down the left sideline.

Mahomes perfectly floated a pass into the arms of Allen, who beat Falcons second-round pick Aveion Terrell by a couple yards.

A couple of drives later, Mahomes outdid himself — rolling to the right, buying space with a jab step that caused defensive end Cameron Thomas to hesitate, and lobbing a pass deep down the right sideline for Andrew Armstrong, who adjusted at the goal line and hauled in the 43-yard TD toss.

In between, Mahomes and Rashee Rice hooked up on a 50-yard bomb on a go ball down the middle of the field.

“Guys made plays,” Mahomes said. “I gave them chances downfield and they went out there and made plays happen.”

After four straight games with an Intended Air Yards per Pass Attempt of 4.7 or below, according to Pro Football Reference, Mahomes got his deep-ball magic back for the first time since Tyquan Thornton’s ankle injury.

Mahomes also completed passes of at least 20 yards to tight ends Travis Kelce and Jake Briningstool, along with Downs and Johnson.

Injury report

Kelce (ankle) left the game after the second offensive snap but returned midway through the second quarter. He finished with two catches for 30 yards.

Fellow tight end Jared Wiley (ankle) and starting right guard Trey Smith (concussion) left in the first half and did not return.

Reid said he thought Wiley fractured his ankle, which makes sense after he was carted off and quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game.

After missing the last two games, rookie Mansoor Delane returned and played well, recording three tackles with two passes defended. He had a tackle and a pass breakup in the first half

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