Chiefs move to 5-0 as Saints' offensive woes continue: Key takeaways

By Nate Taylor, Larry Holder and Jenna West

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The Kansas City Chiefs' undefeated season improved to 5-0 with a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night. The Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings are the only remaining undefeated teams in the NFL.

Meanwhile, the Saints suffered their third straight loss, losing quarterback Derek Carr to an oblique injury in the fourth quarter. Carr was hit in the pocket on a failed fourth-down throw and went to the locker room with seven minutes left in the game. The Saints called his return questionable, but he never did.

Kansas City relied on four field goals from Harrison Butker and a strong performance from veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had seven receptions and 130 yards, to get past the Saints.

Smith-Schuster fills in for the Chiefs

One of the biggest questions entering the game was a simple one: How would the Chiefs' receivers cope without Rashee Rice, the team's leading man, who missed his first game of the season with a right knee injury? Smith-Schuster was heroic for the Chiefs, turning in his best performance of the season.

Late in the third quarter, Smith-Schuster, a seven-year veteran, made a mistake: He dropped a ball near the goal line that would have given the Chiefs a commanding 16-point lead. Smith-Schuster's error dropped the ball after he took a slash from the Saints' 2-yard line on a pass from Mahomes, where the ball was behind him, and led to an interception by defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, a member The Chiefs that did this had an impressive 37-yard return.

But Smith-Schuster responded well, giving the Chiefs their largest single-play gain on their next drive. Smith-Schuster was able to secure a 50-yard lead in the middle of the field after his nifty dig route sent Tyrann Mathieu to safety, who was in man-to-man coverage, slipped and onto the turf fell. The Chiefs ended the drive with a creative play, a full-house backfield, with shotgun tight end Travis Kelce handing the ball off to rookie receiver Xavier Worthy, who used his rare speed to score with a 3-yard Run to get into the end zone.

Smith-Schuster last finished a game with at least 130 receiving yards in December 2018, when he played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. – Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat writer

50 yard completion for JuJu and he has 117 yards on 6 catches!

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Derek Carr? OIL? It's all bad

Carr looked desperate early in the opening drive with a poor interception. Then he seemed unsettled on the second drive when he missed throws and hurled the ball deep into triple coverage as if he thought it would count as a punt. These long ball hopes and prayers continued throughout the game, with only one hitting big.

It was expected that the Saints' offense might struggle with a makeshift offensive line without starting center Erik McCoy and guard Cesar Ruiz. A deep ball connection between Carr and Rashid Shaheed doesn't change the ineptitude of the offense. And fill-in center Lucas Patrick had to temporarily leave the game with a collarbone injury.

Would acquiring Davante Adams help? Maybe, but it doesn't matter if Carr and the offensive line play without any consistency. —Larry Holder, senior NFL writer

The Chiefs defense continues to shine

The healthiest part of the Chiefs' roster is their defense. Longtime coordinator Steve Spagnuolo used several of his starters to limit the Saints to just 13 points. Pass rusher Chris Jones, the Chiefs' best defender, put pressure on Carr and Tershawn Wharton collected the team's only sack. Bryan Cook intercepted Carr on the game's first possession, and other young players — like linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerback Trent McDuffie and safety Chamarri Conner — had standout moments to never let the Saints take the lead.

The Saints' last chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter was thwarted when Spagnuolo called an “Engage Eight” blitz that resulted in Conner Carr being hit and knocked out of the game. The fourth-down play ended incomplete. –Taylor

The Saints' 2-0 start is once again fool's gold

The Saints opened their second straight season with a 2-0 record. Optimism remained dimmed throughout the 2023 season as a few ugly wins didn't give Who Dat fans enough strength to believe the good times would continue.

This season, New Orleans obliterated Carolina and Dallas to give Saints fans a heightened sense of belief that this year could be better than mediocre. Welp…all it took was Carr's hard-hitting interception combined with the team's Swiss cheese defense and all those warm and rosy feelings went down the drain.

The Saints went from 2-0 to 2-3 and faced the reigning NFC South champions — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Looms. But if you told me the Saints started the season with a 3-3 record, it wouldn't be the end of the world. – Owner

The All Taylor Swift Angle

Saunders, a current Saints defensive tackle, former Chief and brother of Taylor Swift's backup dancer Kameron, nearly upset Kansas City because Swift was present at Monday's game. I also quickly feel dizzy.

KHALEN SAUNDERS SAID HOLD ME, LET ME DO THIS

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Saunders intercepted a pass juggled by Smith-Schuster in the end zone late in the third quarter. This led to a 6-yard TD reception by Foster Moreau that cut the Chiefs' lead to 16-14 early in the fourth quarter. Kansas City raced on the next drive, ending with a 3-yard TD run by Xavier Worthy that put an end to the possible Swiftie conundrum. The scenario was the closest thing to an upset for the Saints. – Owner

Required reading

(Photo: Denny Medley / Imagn Images)