Four winners and four losers in Chiefs’ win over Panthers

Well, you can’t expect the Kansas City Chiefs to dominate every week.

It was a terribly close game, as the Carolina Panthers threw everything but the kitchen sink at the defending champions. It took great performances from Andy Reid’s top three stars on offense to pull this one off.

Here are some chefs who stood out with their eighth victory in 2020:

Winners

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

• Travis Kelce: Another 10 catches and 159 yards for the Chiefs’ most reliable offensive weapon and football’s best tight end. He’s a winner almost every week, but Sunday was a particularly excellent performance from Kelce in moving the chains. Covered, double covered – it doesn’t matter, and Mahomes knows it.
• Tyreek hill: Two scores against Carolina to go with nine catches, scoring 113 yards for Hill. His ability to make defenders ridiculously slow is a joy to watch every week.
• Patrick mahomes: It wasn’t his best day, but again, when he had to put the attack on his back and carry it, he did it – and in style. Oh, and he broke another record this week. It’s mind-boggling that he’s averaged 2.5 touchdowns per game in his entire NFL career.
• Chris Jones and Frank clark: They combined for seven hits and two sacks from Teddy Bridgewater. Bag Nation was back on Sunday, and he was the Panthers clown.

Losers

Photo by William Purnell / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

• Harrison butker: It’s a cliché at this point, but the missed extra points are a problem. Butker also missed a basket this week, and the game was closer than it had to be at the end as a result. Hopefully he and Uncle Dave can get together and find a solution.
• The Chiefs Racing Game: 12 attempts, 30 meters. It will not be enough. Clyde Edwards-Helaire bumped into defensive walls early, then Andy Reid just stopped trying to throw the ball. That’s a significant difference from a few weeks ago – when the Chiefs looked like a ground team with their new offensive line squad. Come to think of it, Austin Reiter returned to the lineup on Sunday …
• Daniel Sorensen: This guy continues to be one of the most chosen defenders for opposing offenses. Sorensen tackled really well once again this week, but we still watched Curtis Samuel and Christian McCaffrey run free through midfield on plays designed specifically to target him.
• Le’Veon Bell: His instant count was down and his production was non-existent. He’ll likely still play a role for that team, but not until he can take over the snaps currently being attributed to Darrel Williams.