KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdowns and Kadarius Toney asserted himself for a depleted Kansas City Chiefs wide-receiving corps Sunday in a win against the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars.
For Mahomes, it was his third game this season with at least four touchdown throws, while Toney finished with four catches for 57 yards, including his first career NFL touchdown, and added 33 yards rushing on two carries.
Mahomes, who finished 26 of 35 for 331 yards, also threw scoring strikes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling along with tight ends Noah Gray and Travis Kelce in the 27-17 victory.
After Jacksonville cut Kansas City’s lead to 20-10 with a field goal on a long drive to open the second half, Mahomes answered with his fourth touchdown of the game — a 7-yard dart to Kelce.
The Chiefs, who sacked Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence five times and largely bottled up running back Travis Etienne Jr., were never threatened the rest of the way in improving to 7-2 — the best record in the AFC.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones had 1 1/2 sacks, including a shared sack with Carlos Dunlap.
After entering the game with 99 1/2 sacks, the half-sack made Dunlap the 40th player in NFL history with 100 career sacks since the stat became official in 1982. He is one of eight active players to reach that milestone.
After a Mahomes interception, Lawrence connected on his second touchdown of the game to Christian Kirk — a 19-yard score with less than 6 minutes remaining — but Jacksonville never managed to get within one score again.
The Chiefs ran out the clock after Mahomes hit Kelce on a fourth-and-2 conversion just before the two-minute warning.
Kansas City led 20-7 at halftime despite a spate of injuries and fluky circumstances.
The Jaguars stunned the Chiefs, who elected to receive the opening kickoff, with a surprise onside kick.
But Jacksonville didn’t do anything with the possession.
Kansas City marched right into the red zone only to have Isiah Pacheco fumble inside the 10-yard line.
Still, the Chiefs scored the game’s first 20 points.
Kadarius Toney, who Kansas City acquired from the New York Giants at the trade deadline, scored his first career NFL touchdown on a swing route to cap the next drive.
He hopped on one leg the final few yards into the end zone for the first-quarter score.
Early in the second quarter, Mahomes connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the former Green Bay Packers' first score with the Chiefs.
Kansas City lost two offensive starters — wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and right tackle Andrew Wylie — on its next drive.
Smith-Schuster entered the concussion protocol after taking a vicious hit to the head from Jaguars cornerback Andre Cisco.
Wylie initially was questionable with an elbow, but he was ruled out early in the second half. Prince Tega Wanogho replaced Wylie.
Mahomes’ third touchdown pass of the half — a 13-yard strike to tight end Noah Gray — made it 20-0 after Harrison Butker missed an extra point for the second straight week.
The Jags finally got on the board late in the first half on Lawrence’s 3-yard touchdown to Kirk with 11 seconds left.
Jody Fortson fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Jacksonville recovered.
But Riley Patterson missed his second field goal of the half as the second quarter expired, keeping it 20-7 at halftime.
Kirk finished with nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns, but Etienne only managed 73 yards from scrimmage.
