As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions game exemplified two very well-coached teams locked in a dogfight, both figuratively and literally. It was a back-and-forth chess match between two teams that have spent plenty of time atop their respective divisions.

There’s been plenty of discussion surrounding areas of concern for this Chiefs team. Obviously, everything starts and ends with Mahomes. I think the world experiences “Mahomes fatigue” at times, but once again, he’s playing exceptionally well. However, I’d like to highlight a few areas of the game that provided real reason for optimism for the remainder of the season.

1. Offensive Line Play

Josh Simmons missed the game due to a personal matter. In his absence, free-agent signing Jaylon Moore stepped in. When Moore signed his fairly lucrative deal in the offseason, the thought was that he’d be the starting left tackle—before Josh Simmons unexpectedly fell into their laps. Nonetheless, against Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions, Moore played well, not only in pass protection but also getting a few solid backside seal blocks.

Moore allowed just three pressures against a very talented Lions defensive front. According to NFL Pro, the Lions’ defense recorded a 17.9% pressure rate on Sunday Night Football—their lowest in a game since 2022.

Meanwhile, Kingsley Suamataia’s development at guard is progressing and trending upward. Creed Humphrey continues to be the rock-solid anchor he’s always been. What hasn’t been discussed enough is the play of Jawaan Taylor, who has seemingly eliminated his penalty issues and is playing like one of the better right tackles in the NFL.

Ultimately, it always comes down to running the football effectively and protecting Mahomes—and the Chiefs did both on Sunday.

2. Coaching and Intangibles

The Chiefs started the season sloppy, to say the least. Their early games were marred by critical penalties that contributed to their 3–3 start. However, on Sunday night against the Lions, they played complementary football—limiting penalties and committing zero turnovers.

Even more impressive, the offense converted two of three fourth-down attempts, each being a crucial part of sustaining drives.

3. Offensive balance

The Chiefs also ran the ball effectively, outgaining the Lions on the ground 112 to 98. This balance allowed Mahomes to operate efficiently, finishing 22 of 30 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. We all know this team will go as far as Mahomes takes them, but when the other facets of the team support him—like they did Sunday—Kansas City becomes hard to stop.

4. Defensive upgrades

This was one of the better performances by a Chiefs defense in recent memory—especially against an offense as creative and dynamic as Detroit’s. The secondary held up well, limiting big plays over the top. Even Jahmyr Gibbs was held to just 65 total yards.

Overall, the defense did an excellent job preventing explosive plays, holding the Lions to 5 of 11 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down.

In the secondary, the Chiefs seem to have found their most effective nickel package—with Nohl Williams and Jaylen Watson on the outside and Trent McDuffie sliding into the nickel slot. Keeping Chamarri Conner out of coverage situations will be critical for this defense in sub-packages going forward.

What this means for K.C.

There’s still room for improvement on this team. Adding a more explosive, dynamic runner at the trade deadline could be a huge boost to a very dangerous team. However, Brashard Smith seems to be getting more comfortable and ultimately more touches.

Overall, just one week after a crushing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and a sloppy start that had pundits questioning whether the dynasty was over, Kansas City responded with a statement win, giving them plenty of reasons for optimism heading into the rest of the year (not to mention the return of Rashee Rice). Suddenly, this team is getting healthy and playing like a more balanced, complete team.