Chiefs game day: Chiefs defeat Jets 35-9

UPDATE, 3:18 p.m. | Kansas City Chiefs coaches and players are speaking after their win against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium.

UPDATE, 2:57 p.m. | The Kansas City Chiefs are 7-1 after their blowout 35-9 win against the New York Jets.

UPDATE, 2:45 p.m. | Mahomes threw his fifth touchdown pass of the game, hitting Hill with a 41-yard throw. The extra point brings the score to 35-9 and the Chiefs bring back-up quarterback Chad Henne onto the field in their next offensive drive.

UPDATE, 2:15 p.m. | The Chiefs grabbed the first score of the second half deep in the third quarter with Mahomes' fourth touchdown pass of the day.

Demarcus Robinson was on the receiving end of the 26-yarder, bringing the score to 28-9 with the extra point.

UPDATE, 1:24 p.m. | The Chiefs lead the Jets 21-9 at the half. The defensive line successfully blocked a Jets field goal attempt with two seconds left on the clock.

UPDATE, 1:14 p.m. | Mahomes and Kelce connected in a shovel-pass play for another six, plus an extra point from Harrison Butker.

UPDATE, 1:04 p.m. | The Chiefs again held the Jets to a field goal. Castillo hit the 48-yarder to bring the score to 14-9, Chiefs.

UPDATE, 12:53 p.m. | The Chiefs' drive stalled after a three-yard loss on third down. Townsend punted to return the ball to Jets possession.

UPDATE, 12:42 p.m. | After Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton sacked Jets quarterback Sam Darnold on third down, Castillo buried a 55-yard field goal for another three points.

Jeff Roberson/AP

UPDATE, 12:31 p.m. | The Chiefs racked up another seven points with a trick play on fourth down and four yards to go.

Punter Tommy Townsend passed to Byron Pringle for the yardage gain.

Mahomes connected with Tyreek Hill for a touchdown on the next play.

Charlie Riedel/AP

UPDATE, 12:23 p.m. | The Chiefs kept the Jets out of the end zone, though Jets kicker Sergio Castillo's 39-yard field goal was good for three points.

UPDATE, 12:10 p.m. |The Chiefs scored a touchdown on their first drive with a 30-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.

They completed the 90-yard drive in seven plays and just under 4 minutes.

UPDATE, 10:35 a.m. | With less than 90 minutes before kickoff, the Chiefs and Jets have released their list of inactive players for today's game:

Chiefs:
RT Mitchell Schwartz
WR Sammy Watkins
RB DeAndre Washington
TE Ricky Seals-Jones
DE Demone Harris
DT Khalen Saunders
LB Darius Harris

Jets:
QB James Morgan
K Sam Ficken
WR Breshad Perriman
LB Blake Cashman
OL Jimmy Murray
OL Cameron Clark
WR Jamison Crowder

EARLIER | On paper, this one’s an absolute mismatch — the equivalent of an SEC opener in seasons not played during a pandemic, a lopsided affair that pits a powerhouse program against a small-conference school in need of a paycheck.

The Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions, coached by a future Hall of Famer and led by a generational talent at quarterback.

The Jets are 0-7, having lost by an average of nearly 17 points per game, with a coach unlikely to survive a moribund season and a roster that — well, it doesn’t include many generational talents.

Our “4th & 1” podcast crew, analyst Nick Jacobs and host Tod Palmer, don’t expect the game, which kicks off at noon from Arrowhead Stadium, to be particularly competitive, but that comes with one significant caveat — New York is awful on defense — and no shortage of storylines.

Will Andy Reid game plan anything special for new Chiefs running back Le’Veon Bell, who was cut two weeks ago by the Jets?

This week’s episode also includes a raucous Steve Mariucci interview with 41 Action News Sports Director Mick Shaffer.

While fans and oddsmakers believe the Chiefs should win handily, Reid’s squad doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

As Kansas City reaches the midpoint of the season, there’s still plenty to work on — Harrison Butker’s extra points, the red zone offense and the run defense among the areas for improvement.

Safety Tyrann Mathieu certainly won’t be satisfied; we know that, because of of how he's wired.

Byron Pringle won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his kickoff return touchdown at Denver last week and will try to keep up that momentum against New York.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will look to evolve and improve more, while rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will try to build off last week’s touchdown gallop.

If you’re hoping to catch a regular-season game at Arrowhead in December or January, those tickets go on sale next week.

We also learned about a partnership with Travis Kelce’s “87 & Running Foundation” this week.