Kansas City Chiefs shut down Saints for 26-13 victory

AP, KANSAS CITY, Missouri

Patrick Mahomes on Monday threw for a bunch of yards, Travis Kelce caught a whole lot of his passes and Kareem Hunt plowed into the end zone once again, sending a torrent of red fireworks flying over Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

It might as well have been six years ago, the last time that trio of Chiefs played in a home game together.

However, after injuries ravaged their offense, the Chiefs were forced to lean on two of their stalwarts and the return of their erstwhile star running back to beat the Saints, 26-13.

Mahomes finished with 331 yards through the air, Kelce had a game-high nine catches for 70 yards, and Hunt ran 27 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.

“It was a great feeling to get back in the end zone. I missed it very much,” said Hunt, who only returned to the Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, after an injury to starter Isiah Pacheco. “That’s why I threw up a heart. To show my love for Kansas City.”

There was a lot of love flowing inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Just as the Chiefs were moving to 5-0 behind another defensive gem, the Royals were beating the Yankees in Game 2 of their American League Division Series in New York, sparking frequent chants of “Let’s go Royals” throughout the game. When the Royals finished off a 4-2 victory to send the series back to Kansas City tied at a game apiece, a roar ripped through Arrowhead.

“There was kind of a lull there toward the end of the game, and I was like: ‘They’re not showing the score. The Yankees came back,’” said Mahomes, who owns a part of the Royals. “But they picked it up and got the win, and it was extremely exciting.”