The Kansas City Chiefs tallied their fourth victory in a row on Sunday afternoon behind a dominant defensive performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
Here are some quick notes from the game.
1. The Chiefs defense was outstanding once again.
Kansas City continued its turnaround defensively on Sunday, holding Dallas – the top scoring offense in the NFL – to just nine total points. In fact, it marked the first game all season that the Cowboys were held out of the end zone.
Dallas also didn't record a first down on six of its 12 possessions. For context, the Cowboys entered Sunday's game with just 13 three-and-out drives all season before recording six against Kansas City.
The Chiefs have allowed just 11.8 points-per-game over their last four outings – the second-best mark in the NFL – and they're the only team in the league this season to hold the opposition to 17 points or fewer in four straight games.
2. The pass-rush was wreaking havoc all night long.
A big reason behind that defensive success on Sunday was the effectiveness of the pass-rush, which harassed Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott throughout the day. The Chiefs pressured Prescott on 37.5% of his dropbacks in the game, recording 24 total pressures overall.
Kansas City also racked up eight quarterback hits and five sacks on the day.
3. Chris Jones had one of the best games of his career.
Jones accounted for more than half of the Chiefs' sack total all by himself, recording a career-best 3.5 sacks on Sunday. He also tallied a team-most eight pressures – which were the most for any player in the league in Week 11 – to go along with a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defensed.
The veteran pass-rusher is one of only four players in the NFL to notch 3.5+ sacks in a single game this season, joining Chandler Jones, Myles Garrett and Robert Quinn. Additionally, Jones is the first member of the Chiefs to tally 3.5+ sacks in a single game since Dee Ford did so in 2016.
4. Frank Clark was tremendous as well.
Clark continued his hot streak, too, registering three quarterback hits and a strip sack. It marked the second time in Clark's last three outings that he recorded at least three quarterback hits.
Clark also tallied five pressures in the contest and now has at least four pressures in each of his last four outings. His 18 total pressures in that span rank ninth in the NFL while the aforementioned Jones ranks first in that span with 24.
5. L'Jarius Sneed and Charvarius Ward each made a bunch of plays.
The secondary was making plays throughout Sunday's game, amassing nine passes defensed – tied for the sixth-most for any team in a single game this season – and two interceptions.
Sneed and Ward were right in the middle of that defensive effort, as they each tallied exactly three passes defensed and an interception in the game. Ward's interception, in particular, took place in single coverage down the sideline against Cowboys' wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who leads Dallas in virtually every receiving category. The Cowboys were looking to find some momentum heading into halftime with a touchdown, but Ward stuck with Lamb stride-for-stride before intercepting Prescott in the end zone.
6. Patrick Mahomes moved up the charts in the team record books.
Mahomes completed 23-of-37 passes for 260 yards in the game, moving past Bill Kenney (17,277) for the fourth-most passing yards (17,352) in franchise history. Only Len Dawson (28,507), Trent Green (21,459) and Alex Smith (17,608) recorded more passing yards in a Chiefs' uniform.
Mahomes currently leads the NFL in completions (294) and passing yards (3,200) while ranking second in passing touchdowns (25).
7. Travis Kelce continues to epitomize greatness.
Kelce hauled in five catches for 74 yards on Sunday – all in the second half – to move into fifth place all-time in terms of receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history. The All-Pro tight end now has 8,702 receiving yards for his career, passing both Rob Gronkowski (8,668) and Greg Olsen (8,683) on Sunday. Only Tony Gonzalez (15,127), Jason Witten (13,046), Antonio Gates (11,841) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060) recorded more receiving yards at the tight end position.
He also found the end zone early in Sunday's game, taking a direct snap and plunging ahead four yards for the second rushing touchdown of his career.
8. Clyde Edwards-Helaire put together a solid game in his return to action.
The second-year tailback was back on the field following a five-game stint on Injured Reserve, tallying 76 total yards (63 rushing, 13 receiving) and his first rushing touchdown of the season. His score – a 1-yard rush early in the game – gave the Chiefs a two-score lead that they never relinquished.
The folks at Pro Football Focus were impressed with him, too. Edwards-Helaire recorded the highest overall grade among all Chiefs' offensive players in the game and the second-highest grade of his career.
9. Tyreek Hill is quietly having a tremendous season.
Hill caught nine passes for 77 yards against Dallas while also chipping in a 33-yard rush early in the game, and with six games left in the regular season, he's only three grabs shy of matching his career high in receptions (87 in 2018 and 2020).
The All-Pro receiver currently ranks second in the NFL in receptions (84), third in receiving touchdowns (8) and fifth in receiving yards (932). Since 2017, only DeAndre Hopkins (6,008) and Travis Kelce (5,840) have more receiving yards than Hill (5,730). No other team has multiple players in the top 10 on that list.
10. The Chiefs are riding a four-game winning streak into the bye week.
The Chiefs' victory on Sunday marked their fourth win in a row as Kansas City continues to heat up at the perfect time. They'll need to keep it going, too, with four divisional matchups on the horizon following the bye week.
The good news is that Kansas City tends to play its best football during this time of year, which coincides well with this recent stretch of success. The Chiefs are 29-10 under Head Coach Andy Reid in regular season games that take place in December and January, and they're 16-3 under Reid in divisional matchups during the month of December.
Kansas City currently holds a one game lead in the AFC West heading into the bye, and despite some early struggles this year, the Chiefs control their own destiny as they take aim at a sixth-straight AFC West crown.
