Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs
Final Score: Chiefs 30, Lions 17
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter/X, Reddit)
It was a perfect primetime game matchup as the Lions brought their 4-game win streak into Arrowhead to face off against the struggling Chiefs. Detroit won the coin toss and elected to take the first possession in an effort to silence the crowd. They did just that via a clinical 15-play drive, draining almost 10 full minutes of the play clock. A trick play touchdown at the goal line was negated by a penalty, so they had to settle for 3. Kansas City responded with a drive that took half the plays and time to get Xavier Worthy into the endzone (but Harrison Butker shanked the PAT). Another lead change ensued when Jared Goff hit Jameson Williams for a 22-yard TD. Knowing this game would be a hard-fought battle, both coaches were aggressive in 4th down situations. Each team turned the ball over on downs after decent drives, but the Chiefs were able to convert their stop into a score from Patrick Mahomes, running it in from a yard away. The Chiefs opened the second half with another tuddy, this time from Hollywood Brown to take a 20-10 lead. Even after the Lions struck back with an incredible 1-handed touchdown from Sam Laporta, KC responded with another Hollywood score and forced a 3-and-out. They ate up clock through the ground and settled for their only field goal of the game with just under 2:30 left in the game. Down by 2 scores, Detroit’s last-ditch effort at a comeback faltered without a single first down.
Two Up
- Sam Laporta — His second straight game with a TD, and it was the highlight of the game.
- Isiah Pacheco — Seemingly taken over as the clear lead RB in the backfield for the first time since last season’s injury.
Two Down
- Kareem Hunt — Lost a foothold in his share of the backfield, including those critical short-yardage situations.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster — Didn’t do enough in the last game before the return of Rashee Rice.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 23/29, 203 Yards, 2 TDs | 1 Carry, 7 Yards
Jared Goff nearly had a receiving touchdown on the first drive of the game, but there was a quirk in his motion from under center to out wide that deemed him ineligible due to not getting fully set before the snap. He put on a clinic as a pocket passer – he maneuvered collapsing pockets, was pinpoint accurate, and made great decisions all game. He only took one sack, but it was an untimely one that killed a drive as they were down by 10 in the fourth quarter. Outside of that, it was a near-perfect game. His incompletions were two drops, a screen that was blown up, not being on the same page as Jahmyr Gibbs during a scramble drill, a ball deflected at the line of scrimmage, and flicking one away while getting hit.
Running Back
Jahmyr Gibbs: 17 Carries, 65 Yards | 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 0 Yards
It was a strong start to the game for Jahmyr Gibbs, getting ten touches on the opening drive with several good chunk gains. Once they got to the goal line on that drive, he had two carries inside the 5 that were both stuffed for one or two yards before David Montgomery came in. Once the Lions were playing from behind, mostly in the second half, the team leaned more into the passing game despite his productivity on the ground. One of his longest runs went for 15 yards and could have been a house call if he hadn’t been taken down by the safety. The game script and play calling got away from him, so this was essentially a floor game for what we can expect from one of the most dynamic players in the league.
David Montgomery: 4 Carries, 24 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 37 Yards
David Montgomery played only 17 snaps compared to Gibbs’ 37. He threw that negated TD pass to Jared Goff at the goal line on the first possession, and had a few solid carries on the following drive. It seemed like he had better circumstances on the touches he was given compared to Gibbs, and while he looked as solid as ever, Gibbs was the preferred back for most of the game. There was a screen called for him that was blown up, and Goff had to throw it at his feet, but he took a checkdown later on for 23 yards and had another screen called for him a few plays later. Montgomery has gotten by for fantasy because of his likelihood of finding the endzone, but this game goes to show that he might be a relatively TD-dependent asset.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 10 Targets, 9 Receptions, 45 Yards, 1 FUM | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
The Sun God wasn’t utilized very often to start the game, but the team knows who their number one is when they need him. After only an end-around carry, a hook-and-ladder, and a short completion in the flat through the first 20 minutes of the game, St. Brown had an uncharacteristic drop on a critical 4th-and-two. The second drive of the second half was all him, though. Three straight plays went his way for 30 yards, with another catch inside the 10 before Sam Laporta got the touchdown. The fumble is a total nothingburger; he was already running out of bounds when a swiping hand knocked the ball into the white paint.
Jameson Williams: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 66 Yards, 1 TD
An encouraging signal for Jameson Williams was that he was on the field for several heavy-set formations as the lone wideout. His utilization is breaking free from the pure deep threat-only role, with his route tree now consisting of out routes, shallow crossers, and screens. Jamo got his second touchdown on the season, bouncing off a crashing defender and falling into the endzone on a 22-yard dig. Despite the flashes and snap shares from Isaac TeSlaa, Williams is cemented as the WR2 in this typically highly productive offense.
Sam LaPorta: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 55 Yards, 1 TD
Sam Laporta was on the field for all but two offensive snaps. His number was called early on, where they motioned him across the formation and dished it to him in the flat before he took it for 11 yards. He was all over the field, and the only incompletion his way was a pass deflected at the line of scrimmage. Perhaps the highlight of the game was an insane 1-handed grab, mossing the defender while toe tapping the catch for a touchdown. This was his third game with 6 or more targets, and his second straight game with a touchdown.
LAPORTA OH MY.
DETvsKC on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/GHT7VS43QX— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2025
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes: 22/30, 257 Yards, 3 TDs | 10 Carries, 32 Yards, 1 TD, 1 FUM (Recovered)
What can you say other than Mahomes is Mahomes? He was making all of the plays we know he makes, either slipping out of a sack and finding an open receiver downfield or even a no-looker to send off a simple 5-yard hitch. He continues to be a threat on the ground, almost to a fault. Mahomes took a big hit on one of his runs, but maintained his feet just to get sandwiched by two more crashing defenders. After last season’s mundane production, the rushing upside propels him back to being an elite QB for fantasy purposes in an offense that’s humming and getting its WR1 back next week.
Running Back
Isiah Pacheco: 12 Carries, 51 Yards | 3 Targets, 1 Reception
The stats aren’t great, but this was a significant game for Isiah Pacheco. His snap share was around 50% for the start of the season and got up to 62% last week, but spiked up to over 76% of snaps in this one. We all know Pacheco isn’t an elite playmaker, but he’s a very capable and strong runner who averaged 4.25 yards per carry against a stout Detroit run defense. Their offensive line wasn’t dominant in this game, but they very well could be against weaker foes. When the offense was at the 1-yard line, they ran a speed option with him and Mahomes, but Pat kept the ball for his own TD glory.
Kareem Hunt: 6 Carries, 23 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 11 Yards
Kareem Hunt is losing his foothold in this backfield to Isiah Pacheco, including short-yardage and goal-line situations. His longest run of the day was 10 yards, where he bulldozed the DB, but it was late in the game with Detroit’s defense looking exasperated. It may have felt like Hunt could be a spot start as a bye week replacement option, but current trends and usage are starting to point more toward the waiver wire.
Brashard Smith: 0 Carries | 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards
The 7th round rookie’s passing profile makes him more of a WR in this offense than an RB. This is his fifth game with two or fewer carries, but he’s had three or four targets in each of the last three games. He’s a fun gadget player for this offense for the occasional screens, but Brashard Smith is a long way away from being a relevant fantasy asset.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Xavier Worthy: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards, 1 TD | 1 Carry, 6 Yards
Xavier Worthy‘s first touch of the game came in style, catching a ball in the flat and taking it in for a TD. Unfortunately, his usage outside of that was thin. Patrick Mahomes looked his way on a fourth down, but the pass was well defended and broken up. Later on, a deep ball was launched for him, but Worthy skinnied the route toward the goal post, and Mahomes threw it at the corner of the endzone, expecting him to break the other way. While the ball didn’t go his way very much, he led the WR room in snaps. I wouldn’t expect Rashee Rice’s return to have any bearing on the role Worthy plays in this offense, and owners shouldn’t panic at the seemingly thin opportunities he got in this game.
Travis Kelce: 7 Targets, 6 Receptions, 78 Yards
The connection between Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes continues to live on. These two are on the same page with quick hitters, option routes, and finding pockets in a zone defense. If you see anywhere that points out Kelce was outpaced in snaps by Noah Gray, disregard it. Kelce rolled an ankle and was sidelined for a drive or so before returning to the game. There was an opportunity for him to have caught a 20+ yard TD, but he drew a DPI. The lone incompletion was a blatant drop, and he also bobbled an easy catch later but held onto it, for whatever that’s worth (nothing to me).
Hollywood Brown: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 45 Yards, 2 TDs
Congratulations to Hollywood Brown for making the most of his limited opportunities. His snap share has been steadily declining since Week 1: 93%, 75%, 68%, 52%, 52%, 51%. This was also his lowest target count of the season, and yet he scored twice on those four measly targets. His first catch was a solid 20-yarder, finding a nice cushion in a zone. His second was very impressive, elevating to bring the ball down and tiptoeing the sidelines. His first TD was a pop-pass end-around, and his second was a shallow crosser out of trips in a short-yardage goal line situation. Both of the TDs could have been run by almost any other WR on this team, so looking at the snaps & targets leads me to believe his days of impact in fantasy are numbered.
JuJu Smith-Schuster: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 57 Yards
JuJu Smith-Schuster made a big splash 30-yard catch on the Chiefs’ first drive, then ran a ton of cardio. He was on the field for 40 snaps, compared to Hollywood’s 33 and Worthy’s 47; but, his only other targets were a screen and a quick snap-gather-pass to take advantage of soft DB alignment. He’s been a body for this offense to use and might still have a few more games like this one over the rest of the season, but JuJu and Hollywood Brown are both candidates to be afraid of fading into the ether upon the return of Rashee Rice.
Noah Gray: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 25 Yards