The Kansas City Chiefs shook off a sluggish start and consecutive losses to get back in the win column Sunday, defeating the New York Jets 35-12 at Arrowhead Stadium. Kenneth Walker III paced the attack with 143 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns, while Patrick Mahomes completed 23 of 31 passes for 242 yards and two scores despite playing through an elbow injury.
The Chiefs (6-2) improved after dropping consecutive games to the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. They outgained the Jets 391-229, converted 4-for-4 in the red zone, and sacked Geno Smith five times while holding New York out of the end zone entirely. Kansas City trailed after a quiet first quarter but outscored the visitors 35-6 the rest of the way, including a dominant second half in which the Jets managed just 46 total yards.
Walker carried 18 times for 102 yards and a 2-yard touchdown run, adding four receptions for 41 yards and two touchdowns—including a 7-yard catch on the first play of the second quarter and a 25-yard screen pass. It marked his third career three-touchdown game and pushed his season total to 10 scores through eight contests. Travis Kelce contributed four catches for 72 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal, while Emmett Johnson added a 6-yard rushing score in the fourth quarter.
Mahomes, who briefly exited after a strip-sack by Jets defensive end David Bailey just before halftime, returned after receiving treatment and showed no lasting effects. “If I’m able to play, I’m going to play. That’s part of the game,” Mahomes said. “Once I threw the football, I knew I was OK.” Head coach Andy Reid praised the response after a slow start. “Coming off the two losses that we had, and a slow start here, we were able to rally on both sides of the ball and on special teams,” Reid said.
The Jets (2-7) managed just 12 points on four field goals by Jason Sanders, including three in the first half. Smith finished 18 of 32 for 165 yards with no touchdowns as New York lost its fourth straight. Breece Hall led the ground game with 15 carries for 61 yards, while rookie Omar Cooper Jr. paced the receivers with eight catches for 58 yards. The Jets were without star wide receiver Garrett Wilson (concussion).
Kansas City’s defense, led by multi-sack efforts from Chris Jones and George Karlaftis, held New York to negative-9 yards in the third quarter and limited them to a single red-zone trip. The Chiefs now turn their attention to a road matchup at the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday.
