The Kansas City Chiefs faced the New York Jets on September 24 in Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season. Here are takeaways and highlights from the game.
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Final Score: Kansas City Chiefs 23, New York Jets 20
For anyone who thought it would be a walk in the park for the Chiefs, forget about the close calls they had last season on their journey to the Super Bowl. Any given Sunday, no matter how good you are, if you are not careful, your opponent can get you when you least expect it. This seemed to be the case for Kansas City. While they may not have been expecting a pushover in the form of the Jets, they certainly did not look like themselves. The Jets kept themselves in the game to only lose to the Chiefs 23-20.
At first, the Chiefs were looking good. Making plays, scoring points. Running back Isiah Pacheco seemed to be the only steady part of the Chiefs’ offense in the game. Patrick Mahomes finished with 203 yards on 18 of 30 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was surprisingly outplayed by Zach Wilson, who had 28 of 39 passes for 245 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. It was one of Wilson’s best games as a pro. Hopefully, he will be able to continue to grow and make more plays like he did in this game. It was a comeback, and with their defense combined with the poor play of the Chiefs’ offense, a possible win was within their grasp.
This game wasn’t without controversy, and that isn’t just in reference to calls by the referees. It seems that the NFL has caught the Taylor Swift bug. Between cutting to live shots of Swift and Aaron Rodgers, it was certainly cringeworthy. Swift and Rodgers aside, there were several calls by the referees that did not make either side, but mainly the Jets unhappy. The big one was a holding call on Sauce Gardner on a play where the Jets intercepted Mahomes. With that hold, the Chiefs kept the ball and made their way down the field. The Chiefs were able to hold on to their lead and ensured a victory when Mahomes slid and downed the ball instead of running it in for a touchdown.
The Jets put on an admiral comeback, with both sides of the ball doing their best; however, they also benefitted from a Chiefs offense that was not running on all cylinders.
Highlights
THE KID FROM JERSEY.
WELCOME HOME, POP ❤️ pic.twitter.com/znfkfgshCF
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 2, 2023
.@M__Edwards7 read that all the way 😤 pic.twitter.com/ktVrXk2XNy
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 2, 2023
.@ZachWilson with the touch! @cj_uzomah with the grab!
WE RIGHT BACK IN IT!!!#KCvsNYJ on NBC pic.twitter.com/UPhjmI41Oh
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2023
.@ZachWilson out here throwing DOTS.
TIE BALLGAME.#KCvsNYJ on NBC pic.twitter.com/xn9FQUmCEl
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 2, 2023
Looking Forward
The Chiefs will be heading into Minnesota to face the Vikings. The Chiefs lead the series 8-5, and last faced the Vikings in 2019, winning 26-23. With the Vikings finally getting a win against the Panthers, it might be another case of a close game if the Chiefs are not careful. Despite their losses, the Vikings have been playing decently. The Chiefs will need to get their offense together on the same page, even if they have to disregard the receptions by-committee plan they seem to have going on.
The Jets have much more to do before their next game. Keeping Rodgers around as a lucky talisman should be the first thing on their list. Next, they should look at all the plays and decisions Wilson made right and get him to replicate them. They will be traveling to face the Denver Broncos, who is also 1-3 after securing a comeback victory against the Chicago Bears.
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