Chiefs rout Jets 35-12 behind Walker, but Worthy's hamstring clouds the trip to Atlanta
Kenneth Walker scored three times as the Chiefs beat the Jets 35-12 to snap a two-game skid, but Xavier Worthy left with a hamstring injury.
The Kansas City Chiefs ended a two-game losing streak Sunday by beating the New York Jets 35-12 at Arrowhead. The win moved them to 6-2. Kenneth Walker III did most of the damage on offense, but Xavier Worthy hurt his hamstring late in the game, and that leaves an already thin receiver room in worse shape.
Walker scored three touchdowns, two on catches and one on the ground, and finished with 143 yards from scrimmage, according to The Associated Press. Seattle and Denver had largely contained him over the previous two weeks. In its winners and losers review, Arrowhead Pride credited part of the improvement to Kingsley Suamataia's return at left guard. The SB Nation site also pointed to rookie back Emmett Johnson, who scored the second touchdown of his career.
Patrick Mahomes went 23 of 31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He did not miss a snap after David Bailey's second strip sack in three plays left him shaking out his throwing elbow. Travis Kelce caught four passes for 72 yards and a score. The defense sacked Geno Smith five times and kept the Jets out of the end zone. George Karlaftis and Chris Jones had two sacks apiece. In the third quarter, New York was credited with minus-9 yards of offense while Kansas City scored twice to turn a 14-12 halftime lead into a blowout.
The first half was sloppy. By Arrowhead Pride's count, the Chiefs fumbled five times and recovered four. One of those fumbles came on a Justin Fields quarterback sneak on third-and-1, and rookie Cyrus Allen fumbled the opening kickoff. Harrison Butker missed from 56 yards, got another try after a Jets penalty, and missed again from 51.
The bigger worry is Worthy. He caught six passes for 48 yards before his left hamstring gave out on a fourth-quarter catch that involved no contact. "Xavier tweaked his hamstring," Andy Reid said afterward, according to Arrowhead Report at Sports Illustrated. The outlet noted that Tyquan Thornton is already expected to miss most of the season with a dislocated ankle. Rashee Rice missed several weeks with a hamstring strain earlier this season. Worthy's injury adds pressure to find receiver help before Tuesday's trade deadline.
What it means for Atlanta
Kansas City plays next on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Atlanta Falcons on CBS. The Chiefs have won four of their five games on the road this season. The exceptions were the losses at Seattle (20-3) and at Denver (28-24). Their only other games decided by one score were close wins over Indianapolis and Las Vegas.
The Chiefs are favored across the 11 venues on this site's board. On Novig they are -174 to win outright and Atlanta is +167. The point spread splits the market. Novig lists Kansas City at -3.5 with a +111 price, while the best Chiefs number anywhere is Pinnacle's -3 at -117. For Atlanta, Novig has +3.5 at -122 and BetRivers has the best price at that line, -114. The total is 44.5 on Novig and as high as 46 at Hard Rock Bet. Sportsbook hold on the game runs from about 3% to 5%.
How long Worthy is out will probably decide whether that spread stays at a field goal or moves past it. If he can't play, Mahomes will lean even more on Walker, Johnson and Kelce in Atlanta.