Four Takeaways From the KC Chiefs' 27-20 Win Over the Minnesota Vikings

Four overarching thoughts on the Chiefs' Week 5 road outing in Minnesota against the Vikings.

The Kansas City Chiefs came into U.S. Bank Stadium looking to hand the Minnesota Vikings their fourth loss of the 2023 season, and that's exactly what they did.

In a game that featured plenty of penalties, tons of throws by both quarterbacks and even a scary injury to one of the best players on the field, Andy Reid's squad was able to come out on top by a final score of 27-20. This marks the fourth win in a row for Kansas City, who now sits atop the AFC West and right along the top of the conference with a 4-1 record this year. 

Here are four takeaways from Sunday's game.

There's no questioning Travis Kelce's toughness

When Travis Kelce went down with a right lower body injury late in the first half of the game, many folks were collectively holding their breath. The All-Pro tight end may have had just 22 yards to that point, but the mere threat of him being on the field was enough to help open things up for other pass-catchers and keep the offense going. After an evaluation period during halftime and early in the third quarter, Kansas City's second-best offensive player was able to make his return to the field. In classic Kelce fashion, it was a triumphant one. 

In the third frame alone, Kelce managed to double his reception total for the game, add 45 yards to his stat line and also score a game-shifting touchdown to help pad the Chiefs' lead. All in all, the 34-year-old finished with 10 catches for 67 yards and the aforementioned score. It was a tough, tough performance from the consensus best tight end in the sport, and one that Kansas City really needed. After already having fought off a bone bruise in his knee to start the year and now playing through this on Sunday, there shouldn't be anyone questioning how tough the veteran is. He's fighting through the pain and discomfort. 

Justin Watson comes up with a pair of big-time catches

The Chiefs' wide receiver group is discussed after just about every game, especially now that JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman have exited the building. A young group featuring second-year Skyy Moore, third-year Kadarius Toney and rookie Rashee Rice has experienced its fair share of growing pains in 2023, but one veteran has delivered with some big plays in unexpected fashion: Justin Watson. On Sunday, that was especially the case.

On Kansas City's final drive of the first half, Watson hauled in a second-and-10 pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, somehow got both feet in bounds and gained 23 yards. That drive led to a game-tying field goal. In the third quarter, it was a third-and-18 pass to Watson for 33 yards that helped preserve a possession that ended in a touchdown pass to Rice. Without Watson's critical catches, things would have been much more difficult for the Chiefs' offense. The 27-year-old may not be the brightest performer on a down-to-down basis, but the combination of Mahomes's trust in him and his ability to step up when needed the most is a beneficial development for the team. 

While imperfect, Steve Spagnuolo's defense once again gets the job done

Coming into Sunday afternoon's game, the Chiefs' defense had been performing like one of the five or 10 best groups in the entire NFL. Facing a talented Minnesota offense boasting talents like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, Steve Spagnuolo's unit was facing a tall task in Week 5. Although things weren't perfect on the road, Kansas City did more than enough to secure the win and extended its streak of allowing 20 or fewer points to the opposition.

Despite giving up four of five fourth-down conversions to the Vikings, the Chiefs held Kirk Cousins and company to under five yards per play and under four yards per rush. Additionally, they generated a turnover and got home to the quarterback three times. Put under some intense pressure down the stretch on the game's final drive, multiple players made huge stops to lock down the victory. This is another building block game for Spagnuolo's defense, as it took plenty of contributions to slow down Jefferson while he was in the game and also several efforts elsewhere to maintain the lead.

Patrick Mahomes makes history yet again

It seems that every week, Mahomes finds a new way to etch his name into the history books. Earlier this season, it was becoming the quickest quarterback to reach the 25,000-yard and 200-touchdown marks for his career. As the statistical legend of the 28-year-old continues to grow, he managed to check yet another big accomplishment off his list.

By beating the Vikings, Mahomes has officially logged at least one win against every NFL team he's faced as a starter. Per Elias Sports, he becomes the first quarterback to ever defeat all 31 of his opposing teams before turning 30 years old. Considering that Mahomes sat for almost the entirety of his rookie campaign, he's done this much damage less than halfway through his sixth full season as the Chiefs' starter. No franchise can now claim that it hasn't lost to Mahomes — chalk it up to another accolade on No. 15's lengthy resume.