Minnesota Vikings vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are toast without Patrick Mahomes; until they’re not. The Chiefs offense got big plays out of Tyreek Hill and Damien Williams, but the real story here was the 30th ranked defense in rushing yards per game holding Dalvin Cook to just 71 yards on 21 carries. The Chiefs dared Kirk Cousins to beat them and when the dust settled the hero of the day was Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker, who nailed a 54-yard field goal to tie the game and a 44-yarder for the win.
Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback
- Kirk Cousins: 19/38, 220 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 sack | 1 carry, 5 yards
This game started weird, as we saw the team that runs the ball at the second-highest rate, call three straight pass plays – all of which fell incomplete. Following a second consecutive three and out, Kirk Cousins finally got things going on the Vikings’ third drive. The key play of the drive came on 3rd and 7, where Cousins found Laquon Treadwell in traffic for a 26 yard gain. Cousins then doubled-down and found Treadwell again on 3rd and 11 for a 13 yard gain to keep the drive going. Two Dalvin Cook carries later, Cousins found Bisi Johnson in the middle of the end zone for a four-yard touchdown reception. Two more three and outs ensued, the second of which ended with a big sack on 3rd down by Chris Jones. On the Vikings next drive, Cousins made two great passes – one found Irv Smith up the seam for 21 yards and the second found Treadwell for a 19 yard gain. That Treadwell reception became famous rather quickly as Treadwell had an offensive pass interference penalty overturned on the play. The Vikings got the benefit of a short field following a Mecole Hardman fumble on the opening second-half kickoff. Six plays later, Cousins found Ameer Abdullah on a swing pass, who took the ball 16 yards to the house for Cousins’ second touchdown on the day. Cousins’ third touchdown of the day came on 3rd and goal, where he found Kyle Rudolph in the back of the end zone for the score. While Cousins did a decent job of not turning the ball over, completing just 50% of his passes made for a fairly inconsistent day. He made some big plays, but the Vikings had six drives that ended as three and outs.
Running Backs
- Dalvin Cook: 21 carries, 71 yards | 7 targets, 4 receptions, 45 yards
- Ameer Abdullah: 1 carry, 2 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards, 1 TD
Dalvin Cook had one of his worst games of the year against what had previously been one of the worst run defenses in the league. The Chiefs got a key piece of their defensive line back with the return of Chris Jones from a groin injury. In addition to his key 3rd down sack, Jones managed to clog holes, helping to keep Cook in check. I’m not going to go as far as saying the Vikings were too predictable, but 13 of Cook’s carries came on first down for just 43 yards. Cook had two red zone carries, neither of which ended up in the end zone. It’s strange to say that a running back that had 116 all-purpose yards is seen as a disappointment, but that’s certainly the case with Cook’s day. Regardless, Cook remains one of the best running backs in the game moving forward. Talk about a blast from the past, but hello Ameer Abdullah. The former Lion found the end zone on just two touches as he split time with Alexander Mattison. Their usage should be monitored moving forward.
Wide Receivers
- Stefon Diggs: 4 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards | 1 carry, 12 yards
- Adam Thielen: 1 target
- Laquon Treadwell: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 58 yards
- Irv Smith, Jr: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards
- Kyle Rudolph: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards, 1 TD
If I told you Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns, you’d expect most of that production to be to Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, and Adam Thielen. Not the case at all. Thielen left the game when he reaggravated his hamstring injury in the first quarter; he did not return to the game. Diggs came into Sunday’s game following three straight games of monster production, having at least seven catches and 147 yards. Diggs saw just four targets on the day, catching just one of those for four yards. One of those targets came in the red zone but fell incomplete. Diggs was also targeted in the first quarter on a play in which there was defensive holding on. Following Thielen leaving, Laquon Treadwell became Cousins’ favorite target. Treadwell had two key third-down catches, including one where an offensive pass interference was overturned. Three of Treadwell’s targets were deep down the field. Cousins relied on his tight ends against the Chiefs, especially in the red zone. Irv Smith saw two of his six targets in the red zone, while Kyle Rudolph saw three of his targets in the red zone.
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback
- Matt Moore: 25/35, 275 yards, 1 TD, 5 sacks
Matt Moore game managed so hard today. Moore managed zero turnovers, despite being sacked five times, while fumbling twice. On the Chiefs’ second possession, Moore made the pass of the game, finding Tyreek Hill on a 40-yard corner route to put the Chiefs up 7-0. Following back-to-back three and outs by both teams, Moore led the Chiefs on an impressive 17 play, 85-yard clock-eating drive that led to a 24-yard field goal. On the drive, Moore completed four passes of 10-yards or more. Moore was relatively quiet until the Chiefs’ second possession of the second half, where he completed four consecutive passes, including a deep ball to Hill for 30-yards. On the game-tying drive, Moore again hooked up with Hill for a 41 yard gain, although the drive was stalled when Moore took a big sack that lost 11 yards on a 3rd and 13. The Chiefs’ game-winning drive started with an awful 27-yard punt that gave the Chiefs possession on the Vikings 45-yard line. Moore opened the possession by being sacked and fumbled, with Damien Williams falling on the fumble. Moore then connected with Travis Kelce for 17 yards and Hill for 13 yards, setting up the game-winning 44-yard field goal.
Running Backs
- Damien Williams: 12 carries, 125 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 3 yards
- LeSean McCoy: 3 carries, 9 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 0 yards
What a nice line Damien Williams ends up with. Outside of that monster, 91-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, Williams had a high of just eight yards, although he did have an 11-yard carry negated by an offensive holding call. Williams had the lions share of the running back plays as he was on the field for 72% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps. LeSean McCoy took a backseat to Williams today as he saw just four touches and played just 10% of the team’s snaps – his lowest snap share of the season. If Williams continues this kind of snap share, he could be in for an increase in his workload, potentially returning him to consistent fantasy relevance.
Wide Receivers
- Tyreek Hill: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 140 yards, 1 TD | 1 carry, 5 yards
- Sammy Watkins: 10 targets, 7 receptions, 63 yards
- Travis Kelce: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 62 yards
I love seeing these kinds of target numbers for the Chiefs’ primary pass catchers and we can only hope it continues once Patrick Mahomes returns from injury. Even though he only had six catches, it felt like Tyreek Hill was involved in every big play. In addition to the 40-yard touchdown reception, Hill had a 30-yarder, an 11-yard catch on 3rd and 7, with a 41-yard catch on the following play, and finally a 13-yard catch on 3rd and 4 that set up the game-winning field goal. With this type of workload, it’s only a matter of time before Sammy Watkins finds the end zone. In addition to having 10 targets, Watkins had two red-zone targets. Unfortunately, there is a stark difference in the quality of targets between Watkins and Hill. Watkins 6.5 aDOT limits his big-play ability. Travis Kelce continues to have one of the most consistent workloads among tight ends. In addition to his nine targets, he saw three red-zone targets.
-Rich Holman