The Chiefs are the AFC’s only undefeated team heading into Week 6, and their 4-0 start has been built the hard way: four tight wins, a few big moments, and plenty of weekly grind.
Blair Kerkhoff’s report cards from The Kansas City Star trace the path. Kansas City opened with a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium, powered by Kenneth Walker III’s career-high 173 rushing yards. He broke loose for a 60-yard touchdown, the Chiefs’ longest run since Damien Williams went 91 yards against the Vikings in 2019.
Week 2 turned into an overtime battle with the Indianapolis Colts, and Harrison Butker ended it by drilling a 40-yard field goal on the final play for a 33-30 win. Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns, moving to 8-0 in regular-season overtime games.
Travis Kelce also found the end zone for the first time this season, finishing with nine catches for 101 yards. Even with the offense producing, the passing defense drew a D grade after Daniel Jones kept finding answers against the blitz, including a 50-yard strike to Laquon Treadwell in overtime.
Kansas City then handled a road trip to Miami in Week 3, winning 24-10. Mansoor Delane was back after missing the season opener with an injury and tied Nick Bolton for the team lead with 10 tackles. Mahomes started fast, completing his first 11 passes, before throwing a late second-quarter interception.
The Chiefs’ Week 4 trip to Las Vegas brought another tense finish. They beat the Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium behind another monster day from Walker, who piled up a season-best 177 rushing yards and ripped off a 77-yard run late in the third quarter. He scored twice, and Kansas City survived a furious Raiders push.
That game also took a toll on the receiver room. Rashee Rice exited in the first quarter with an apparent hamstring injury, and Tyquan Thornton seemed to suffer a serious ankle injury after a 45-yard catch that set up the go-ahead touchdown.
There were also encouraging signs from the rookie class in the opener against Denver. Undrafted left tackle Khalil Benson handled his first start well while filling in for the injured Josh Simmons, and rookies Mansoor Delane and R. Mason Thomas each made impact plays, with Delane grabbing an interception and Thomas recording a sack.
Now comes the stretch run after the bye: 13 straight games without a break, beginning Sunday, Oct. 18, against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
In Other News...
Chiefs Have A Next-Wave Opportunity Fans Should Be Watching
The Chiefs head into their early bye at 4-0, and a lot of the attention around them is turning from the record to the players who could matter even more once the season restarts. Through the first four games, Kansas City has already gotten useful contributions from several younger pieces, but there is also a sense that a few of them are only beginning to show what they can add as the schedule tightens and roles become clearer.
Jalen Royals is part of that conversation on the offensive side, while Alohi Gilman, Ashton Gillotte and Peter Woods each fit the kind of developmental track Kansas City often leans on over a long season. Their early-season work has given the coaching staff a baseline, but the more interesting question now is which of them can turn that into a bigger impact when the Chiefs come out of the bye. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Rookie Cyrus Allen Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Matter
Cyrus Allen arrived in Kansas City with some summer buzz, but the rookie fifth-round pick has mostly been on the fringe through the first month of the 2026 season. The Chiefs have had plenty of mouths to feed in the passing game, and Allens early usage reflected that reality as he waited for a clearer opening behind more established options.
Now the picture looks different. Injuries have thinned the receiver room, and Andy Reid has signaled Allen should work into the mix more moving forward, giving the Chiefs a young pass catcher a chance to move from developmental piece to actual contributor. Allen and Patrick Mahomes have both talked like the opportunity is coming, and for a player who has been easy to overlook so far, the next stretch could decide whether his early hype starts turning into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Keep Having The Same Harrison Butker Debate For A Reason
Whenever the Chiefs run into kicking questions, the conversation seems to drift back to Harrison Butker, and for good reason. He has been one of the most reliable specialists of his era, piling up big moments in the playoffs and sitting near the top of the league in field goals made since 2017, which is why his name keeps surfacing whenever Kansas Citys margin for error gets thin.
The debate is never just about one type of kick, either. Butkers overall track record has been strong enough to keep him in the center of the discussion, even if his extra point work has not always matched the same standard, and the Chiefs have just seen how quickly a kicker can lose his footing after the latest roster move at the position. For a team that has lived through plenty of close games, that kind of consistency is exactly why this conversation refuses to go away. [Read more 🡒]