Chiefs game report | Offense shrugs off sluggish 1st half in 22-9 win at Giants

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It wasn’t pretty, especially in the first half, but the Kansas City Chiefs cracked the win column for the first time in the 2025 season against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“The second quarter was hard to watch there, but the third and fourth quarter I thought our guys really came together and played well,” head coach Andy Reid said.

Tyquan Thornton finished with a career-high 71 receiving yards and scored on a 5-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter as the Chiefs pulled away for a 22-9 victory.

“We played better together is what we did,” Reid said. “We had too many mistakes — one thing here, one thing there. Some of that can be you’re just trying too hard at times, and then some dumb things can happen.”

It was hardly a juggernaut performance for the Chiefs’ offense, but it was enough — coupled with another stout defensive performance — to ensure the win.

OFFENSE GOING BACKWARD

A very un-Chiefs-like season felt particularly un-Chiefsy in the first half as Kansas City managed only 125 yards on offense at a meager 3.6-yard clip per play, committing six penalties for 65 yards and failing to find the end zone in the first half for the second time in three games this season (and third in the last four games going back to Super Bowl LIX).

Twice, an under-duress Mahomes threw backward passes that skipped short of running back Isiah Pacheco.

A ref’s whistle and Mahomes’ hustle — running down linebacker Bobby Okereke, who had scooped up the loose ball with Pacheco initially (seemingly) unaware the play was continuing, to force and recover a fumble — prevented disaster, but it was emblematic of the offense’s sputtering start to 2025.

The Chiefs didn’t commit any turnovers and their defense allowed only 114 first-half yards, but Reid’s squad only led 9-6 at halftime.

Only a pass-interference penalty on a desperation heave to Hollywood Brown in the closing seconds allowed Kansas City to take a lead into intermission after Butker’s 28-yard field goal to close the half.

Penalties accounted for 57 yards, including 52 on the pass interference, of the 69-yard scoring drive.

Kansas City came out for the second half and marched 74 yards on 11 plays.

“More than anything, we just had to clean it up,” said Mahomes, who finished 22 of 37 for 224 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. “We were getting drives going, but we settled for field goals.”

MORE SIDELINE FIREWORKS

Mahomes went 12 of 21 for 100 yards during a frustrating first half offensively for Kansas City that featured more animated sideline conversations between Reid and tight end Travis Kelce.

With Kelce barking at him, Reid appeared to bump the four-time All-Pro and 10-time Pro Bowl future Hall of Fame tight end, a sideline drama that’s played out many times before, including last week against Philadelphia.

“He’s an emotional guy,” Reid said. “He’s Irish.”

Reid dismissed the confrontation Sunday, saying the sideline needed “juice,” similar to the explanation offered after Week 2.

“I love Travis’ passion, so I’m OK with that," Reid said after the game. "We didn’t have enough of that in the second quarter. It wasn’t where we needed to be. So, within reason, he knows. He knows when to back off the pedal and he knows when to push it, too. That’s the part I love about him; the guy’s all-in, just sometimes I have to be the policeman.”

Before halftime, Kelce had three catches for only 13 yards, including another play where Mahomes missed him wildly as the two remain atypically out of sync at times.

Kelce stopped on a route at the goal line against the Los Angeles Chargers in a season-opening loss in São Paulo, Brazil, and tipped a pass at the goal line that went for a game-changing interception against the Eagles.

Against the Giants, Kelce finished with four catches for 26 yards, one outburst and a W to bring home to Kansas City.

“Don’t make too much of it,” Reid said. “He’s a passionate guy, and I love that part. I’ve been through a lot of things with him. That’s all part of it. I love that he loves to play the game. That’s what I love, and it’s an emotional game, so I’ll take it.”

DEEP BALL DENIED

Russell Wilson entered Sunday leading the NFL in passing yards, so the Chiefs sat deep and dared him to lob his famed “moonball” downfield.

It was a good strategy as the Chiefs intercepted both of his first-half throws longer than 20 yards downfield.

Wilson, who averaged 3.0 yards per passing attempt and less than 5.6 yards per completion in the first half, got impatient and started forcing deep throws.

He tried to connect on a deep post with Wan’Dale Robinson, but safety Chris Roland-Wallace played a perfect centerfield, reading the throw the whole way and beating Robinson to the spot for his second career interception.

Wilson tried to force a deep corner throw to Malik Nabers in the second quarter, but Jaylen Watson had him blanketed and undercut the pass. It was also his second career interception.

Two other times, Wilson appeared to be setting up for a couple other deep throws in the first half, but the blitz got home and forced wobbly duck-like passes.

OFF-TARGET BUTKER 

Harrison Butker capped the Chiefs’ first two drives with a couple of long field goals — from 54 and 48 yards — but he pushed a 40-yard second-quarter try too far right, giving him at least one missed kick in each of the season’s first three games.

He added a 28-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, breaking a 6-6 deadlock after Skattebo’s 13-yard touchdown run had tied the game, and made his first extra-point try midway through the third quarter.

But Butker later pulled a long extra point, which was pushed back 15 yards because Kareem Hunt made a throat-slash gesture after his 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, wide left, giving him four missed kicks in the first three games.

CHIEFS AVOID 0-3 START

The last time the Chiefs started a season 0-3, Mahomes had just turned 16 — he turned 30 on Wednesday — and Todd Haley was well on his way to being fired after losing to the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

Leonard Pope’s fourth-quarter touchdown from Matt Cassel wasn’t enough to salvage a 20-17 loss, but Kansas City would rattle off a four-game win streak before losing five of six as Haley’s tenure came to an unceremonious end.

Romeo Crennel would go 2-1 as interim coach despite an offense that averaged 13 points per game to earn the full-time gig, but his tenure only lasted one more season before his firing ushered in the Andy Reid era.

Kansas City, which hadn’t started 0-2 since Reid’s second season with the Chiefs in 2014, improved to 1-2 on the season and will host the Baltimore Ravens at 3:25 p.m. on Sept. 28 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

INJURY REPORT

Safety Bryan Cook broke up a deep post from Wilson to Malik Nabers in the end zone midway through the fourth quarter, but as he came down, he landed awkwardly on his neck.

Attempting to prevent a third interception on a long throw, Nabers grabbed Cook’s helmet and pulled him over in the air.

Cook landed on his helmet with his chin to his chest and immediately winced in pain after flipping over.

The Chiefs officially listed him as questionable to return with a neck injury, but Reid said, "Bryan Cook was OK at the end of it."

Defensive end Charles Omenihu also got hurt in the fourth quarter when Cam Skattebo’s chip blocked him in the ribs, but the veteran from the University of Texas returned for the next drive.

WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?

Taylor Swift snuck into GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium after kickoff last Sunday behind a curtain, but she wasn’t at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

She’s keeping a low profile for safety and security reasons, according to multiple reports.

Two years ago, shortly after Swift and Kelce started dating, she attended the Chiefs-Jets game at the same stadium with a group of A-list friends, but she didn’t attend any road games last season.

Swift did attend the Super Bowl, a neutral-site game.

Kansas City is 19-5 when Swift, whose album “The Life of a Showgirl” is due out Oct. 3, attends the game during the last three seasons.

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