The Kansas City Chiefs began the season in the win column on Sunday with a thrilling victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Here are 10 quick notes about the game.
1. Patrick Mahomes recorded his ninth career game with 330+ passing yards, 3+ touchdowns and zero interceptions.
It's easy to become numb to Mahomes' greatness at this point, but it's still important to recognize just how special the fourth-year starter is. He completed 27-of-36 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, compiling his ninth career outing with 330+ yards, 3+ touchdowns and zero picks. That's the most such games in the NFL since 2018, and three more than second place.
Mahomes also broke a couple of NFL records on Sunday. He now owns the league marks for passing touchdowns (117) and passing yards (14,489) through 50 career starts, and to make matters even more incredible, Sunday's win was only his 47th career game.
2. Tyreek Hill had one of the top games of his brilliant career.
Hill was simply incredible on Sunday, hauling in 11 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown. His score – a 75-yard bomb from Mahomes – was the turning point of the game, as it began a stretch of 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter that led to the victory.
Additionally, the score marked Hill's league-leading 15th touchdown of at least 50 yards since he entered the NFL back in 2016. His 197 receiving yards on the day were the third-most of his brilliant career.
3. Travis Kelce was in the end zone twice.
Kelce was reliable as ever on Sunday as usual, catching six passes for 76 yards and two scores. It was Kelce's 12th outing in his last 16 games in which he tallied 70+ yards, matching the Bills' Stefon Diggs and the Bears' Allen Robinson for the most such games in the NFL since the beginning of last season.
His second touchdown – which put the Chiefs in front for the first time all day – came on third down, too.
4. Rookies Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey were tremendous.
There was a ton of talk about the Chiefs' young offensive line – primarily the rookies up front – heading into Sunday's game, and they delivered in a big way. Rookies Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, in particular, combined to allow just one total pressure between them despite facing one of the better defensive lines in all of football.
5. The Chiefs were terrific on third down.
Finding ways to make plays on third down is often what makes the difference between a win and a loss when facing a good team, and the Chiefs took care of business on Sunday.
Kansas City went 9-of-13 on third down in the victory, and one player in particular – Tyreek Hill – was tremendously effective. Hill caught four passes for 53 yards on third down, moving the chains with each grab. His four conversions were the second-most for any player in the league.
6. Chris Jones and the pass-rush got to Baker Mayfield.
The Chiefs pressured Mayfield on nine of his dropbacks, holding him to 3-of-7 passing with an interception and two sacks in the contest. Jones (3) and defensive end Mike Danna (2) each tallied multiple pressures in the game.
Creating pressure on Mayfield was one of the the keys to victory discussed prior to kickoff, as the fourth-year quarterback is historically much less effective when under duress. That narrative rang true on Sunday, especially during the Browns' final three drives that took place in the midst of Kansas City's comeback.
While the Chiefs were scoring 13 unanswered points offensively, the defense held Cleveland to three-and-outs on each of their two possessions following Chiefs' touchdowns. Their final drive – which began with just over two minutes remaining in the game – ended with an interception.
7. Nick Bolton was impressive in his NFL debut.
Bolton showed some serious promise in his first game as a professional on Sunday, matching the team lead with seven overall tackles. He tallied three defensive stops, and according to Pro Football Focus, Bolton recorded the top tackling grade of any player on the Chiefs' defense.
He also didn't miss a tackle, per PFF's metrics.
8. Mike Hughes sealed the victory with an interception.
Speaking of impressive debuts, Hughes – who the Chiefs acquired via trade during the offseason – ended the game with an interception at midfield. It's worth pointing out, too, that the errant throw was caused by safety Dan Sorensen, who tallied a pressure on the play.
9. It was the biggest regular-season comeback of the Mahomes Era.
The Chiefs have become synonymous with comebacks during Mahomes' tenure as starting quarterback, as evidenced by their 6-4 record during the regular season when trailing by double digits in that span.
In fact, the folks at ESPN Stats & Info reminded the internet that despite the Chiefs' 12-point deficit at halftime, the game was far from over.
That record is now 7-4 following the Chiefs' comeback, and in terms of regular-season victories, this was Mahomes' largest comeback to date. Overall, it was his second-largest comeback when including the postseason, trailing only the Chiefs' 24-point comeback against Houston in 2019.
10. The Chiefs continued their ridiculous early-season success.
Kansas City improved to 8-1 in season-openers under Head Coach Andy Reid on Sunday, including seven consecutive wins. The victory marked the Chiefs' 15th consecutive win in the month of September.
Mahomes has been at the helm for 11 of those wins while compiling a truly incredible stat line in the process.
The Chiefs will now look to keep things going as they turn their attention to the Baltimore Ravens for a matchup on Sunday Night Football next weekend.
