KC Reporter

The Kansas City Chiefs secured a 28-7 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, improving their season record to 5-3. The game was tied at halftime after a first half marked by five turnovers between both teams, including two failed fourth-down attempts by Washington.

Kansas City responded in the second half with 21 unanswered points. Head Coach Andy Reid said, "I thought our guys played a great second half. The first half, we lacked a little bit, but in the second half, we came around. There were a lot of individual accolades for the guys, but the main thing is we played as a team in the second half."

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes led three consecutive touchdown drives to start the third quarter. He completed 17 of 19 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns after halftime. Mahomes’ first touchdown pass was a two-yard throw to running back Kareem Hunt on fourth down, breaking the tie and giving Kansas City a lead they would not surrender. Mahomes then connected with tight end Travis Kelce for an 11-yard score and wide receiver Rashee Rice for an 18-yard touchdown on subsequent possessions.

Kelce and Rice combined for 15 receptions and 192 receiving yards during the game. Kelce’s third-quarter touchdown was his 83rd regular-season score, tying Priest Holmes for most total touchdowns in franchise history. Mahomes commented on Kelce’s impact: "He's like the true Chiefs' Chief. He's the guy who's been here through the whole thing and been with Coach Reid the entire time. He helped set the culture of what it means to play for Coach Reid and play in Kansas City…He's breaking all the records now."

Defensively, Kansas City limited Washington to just 260 total yards and held Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota to six completions for only 58 yards in the second half.

With this win—their fifth in six games—the Chiefs are now one game behind division leaders Denver Broncos in the AFC West standings and have outscored opponents by a margin of 89-24 since Week 6.

Coach Reid addressed injuries after the game involving Nick Bolton (knee) and Isiah Pacheco (knee), stating that they will monitor their progress moving forward.

The Chiefs next face a short turnaround as they prepare to play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.