Chiefs at Browns - Week 9 - Record: 8-1

Today's game featured a very interesting quarterback matchup: Patrick Mahomes vs. Baker Mayfield. Two years ago they met as the quarterbacks of Texas Tech and Oklahoma, respectively, and they lit up the scoreboard. Together they set records for yards and points and whatever other astronomical passing numbers there could be. I'm not going to go find them now, but I do know the final score was 66-59. With his passing and running I believe Mahomes set some record of 800-something total yards from scrimmage in a game.

What's kind of funny is that just yesterday Oklahoma and Texas Tech played their annual game, just the day before Mahomes and Mayfield went at it as pros for the first time. This time it was Mahomes who came out on the winning side today enjoying a bit more non-ludicrous score of 37-21.

The subject of his current football occupation, this here Kansas City Chiefs, is still being racked by penalties. At one point we had the Browns at 3rd-&-goal from the 23 and Anthony Hitchens got some personal foul call giving them a 1st down that led to a touchdown. Please. Come on guys. Again, everyone is raving about our talent and our offense and all that -- it is fun. But we know too well that this is just not a disciplined team when it comes to avoiding penalties.

Our first half defense was ugly, our second half a bit better because Cleveland had to start passing more. Our run defense is just very, very spongy. Here's the thing however. We actually get good clutch plays from certain players, and not just a few! Chris Jones, Breeland Speaks, Kendall Fuller, Steven Nelson -- just some of whom I have immediate mental recollection. We have good players, and for all the vitriol spewed at Bob Sutton we do get some good schemes working when we need them.

But really, let's face it, nothing is different than what we've expected all along. If we can keep them at 30, we should be good.

Of course, that's because of our offense which was humming beautifully again today. Mahomes had another 300+ day, they say this is one short of the record of consecutive 300+ passing yardage days. Kareem Hunt was phenomenal again, 160 total yards, just scorching up the field with his patented combination of speed and power, running and receiving -- the whole package.

The first touchdown of the second half was just noteworthy for Mahomes accuracy. He fired it into the end zone between two defenders just high enough so Travis Kelce could snatch it. If Mahomes misfires, he's got help: the notable play was the one-handed juggling catch Spencer Ware made to get something like 20 on the catch-&-run.

The Chiefs also got a blocked punt from Damien Williams -- that is something we haven't mentioned much, maybe we just take it so much for granted: our special teams! I have seen a few remarks from around the punditsphere about the quality of our special teams. Yeah our offense is good and our defense not-as-much, but our special teams play helps make the Chiefs a genuinely fine pro football team. And how funny is that, we're hardly even using Dustin Colquitt.

I must say at the end of this one, that last week I was a bit lazy regarding how many straight games we've won over Denver. I have to just specify that we have won seven straight, our last loss that horrible game when we went up 24-17 then Jamaal Charles fumbled and Peyton Manning led them to late TD to start that 5-game losing streak in 2015. Thing is later that year we soundly defeated the Broncos during an 11-game winning streak that made 2015 one of the most memorable Chiefs seasons ever.

As it is on this season, we're now 8-1. I do want to post more about my thoughts, put up something of a mid-season take, but that'll have to come during Thanksgiving break -- the week we play that game-of-the-year against the Rams. Right now I just have so much to do, work, family, ministry... but yeah, a lot of amazing Chiefs things happening this season -- amazing to say the least.
__