KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With Rashee Rice likely done for the season, a big question for the Kansas City Chiefs entering a Monday Night Football showdown against the New Orleans Saints was who’d replace the second-year wide receiver’s production.
Rice was off to a sizzling start to the season, leading the Chiefs in receptions (24), receiving yards (288) and receiving touchdowns (two) despite missing most of a Week 4 win at the Los Angeles Chargers after suffering a knee injury.
During Kansas City’s 26-13 rout against New Orleans, JuJu Smith-Schuster answered the bell with seven catches for 130 yards.
Patrick Mahomes, who completed 28 of 39 passes for 331 yards with an interception, targeted Smith-Schuster eight times. He also completed nine of 10 throws to tight end Travis Kelce, who finished with 70 yards.
HUNTING 100 YARDS
For the first time in 50 games, Kareem Hunt hit the century mark.
Hunt logged 27 carries for 102 yards, his first 100-yard game in nearly four years, in his second game back in a Chiefs uniform.
During his first two NFL seasons, Hunt had seven 100-yard games, including six as a rookie in 2017.
But that impressive production dried up after he left Kansas City, which cut him after video of him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel and other incidents came to light in December 2018.
The Chiefs re-signed Hunt, who spent the last five seasons with his hometown Cleveland Browns, three weeks ago after starting running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken leg.
Hunt had one 100-yard game in 64 appearances with Cleveland from 2019 to 2023, totaling 104 yards on 19 carries in a 10-7 win in November 2020 against Houston.
He capped the offense’s first drive with a 5-yard touchdown and the Chiefs never trailed against the Saints.
“It was a great feeling to get back in that end zone,” Hunt said. “I missed it very much, which is why I threw up a heart to show my love for Kansas City.”
DEFENSE GETS COOKING EARLY
The Saints had a promising first drive going.
They’d already managed two first downs and traveled 31 yards before Derek Carr got greedy and looked for a chunk play down the right sideline to Rashid Shaheed.
Carr lofted the ball into double coverage and Chiefs S Bryan Cook floated over for an easy pick, the second of his four-year career.
“It was a statement, because they won the toss and took the ball,” linebacker Drue Tranquill said. “So, for us to be able to go out there and get that turnover and get the ball back then let Pat and them do their thing — it was big.”
Carr said after the game that he was trying to throw the ball away.
BROKEN DOWN CARR
Derek Carr, a familiar foil for Chiefs Kingdom from his days with the Las Vegas Raiders, left the game in the fourth quarter with an oblique injury.
Carr finished 18 of 28 for 165 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
He was replaced by Jake Haener, who went 2 of 7 for 17 yards and also scrambled twice for 9 yards on the final drive.
Carr did pass 40,000 career passing yards in the game.
WAS TAYLOR SWIFT AT THE GAME?
Uh, yeah! Would you miss a chance to celebrate your boyfriend Travis’ 35th birthday and hang out with his brother, Jason, and sister-in-law, Kylie?
Nope, we wouldn’t either.
Taylor Swift made it to the Chiefs’ first two games of the season — wins against Baltimore and Cincinnati at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium — but lived her own life for the next two road games.
Her appearance Monday at Arrowhead for the game against New Orleans probably marks her last visit for a while with the U.S. portion of the Eras Tour set to fire up again Oct. 18 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Swift made her first appearance at a Chiefs game on Sept. 24, 2023, a win against Chicago, and has been a regular ever since.
Kansas City, which has a bye next week, improved to 13-3 when Swift is at the game. It was her 10th appearance at Arrowhead and the Chiefs have won eight consecutive games when Swift shows up to cheer them on, including all four postseason games last season en route to a Super Bowl repeat.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs (5-0) have a bye next week before returning to action with a Super Bowl LVIII rematch Oct. 20 at San Francisco.
Kansas City also beat the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, snapping a 50-year championship drought and kicking off the recent dynasty.
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