SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Tommy Townsend trotted onto the field with fewer than four minutes left in the game Sunday, and for the first and only time, the Chiefs would use their punter to actually punt a football.
Against the No. 1-ranked defense in the league.
Well, formerly the No. 1-ranked defense in the league.
Here are five observations from immediately after the game:
1. One mistake. Then: Game on
Patrick Mahomes made one mistake.
He threw an ugly pass to open this game. Bad ball placement. Bad decision.
And, well, that was about it.
Mahomes had more touchdowns in an earlier game this season. He had a better rating in a game this season, too.
But he has not played better than he did Sunday afternoon.
He completed 25 of 34 passes — before giving way to backup Chad Henne — and totaled 423 yards and three touchdowns. Eight different receivers caught a pass, and three of them nearly had 100 yards.
The most important development. Mahomes finally connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a go route, a third-down conversion the Chiefs desperately needed in a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.
Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster topped 100 yards – the second straight week for Smith-Schuster, who seems to be developing a rapport with the quarterback.
Oh, by the way, this came against the No. 1-ranked defense in football heading into the week. I mentioned that, right?
2. The deficit. Again.
There’s nobody in football better than the Patrick Mahomes at erasing large deficits, and by a wide margin.
But must they test it so frequently?
For the third time this year — in just seven weeks, mind you — the Chiefs allowed an opponent to score at least the first 10 points of the game. The Chiefs are really good with their backs against the wall — which partially, though not completely, explains their dominance on third downs — but there’s no real good excuse to falling into these deficits as often as they do.
The flip side of that is the outcome. Mahomes is 3-0 in those games this year. Heck, he is 13-9 in his career in games in which he trailed by double digits.
The rest of the league wins about 15% of its games under the same circumstances.
3. Playing to the strengths of Mecole Hardman
In a season of wide receiver shuffle, the lone holdover, Mecole Hardman, opened with an underwhelming month.
But he’s still good with the football in his hands. In fact, he’s significantly better with the ball than he is before it arrives.
Hardman has never been the most crisp of route-runners, which has prevented a more distinct ascension, but he’s better with the ball in his hands than he’s given credit for — and the Chiefs found a way to use that to their advantage here.
Hardman totaled three touchdowns, and even if one of them was technically a reception, all three came after he got the ball in the backfield.
A year ago, Hardman actually finished second in the NFL with 8.7 yards after catch per reception.
Use that.
4. The shuffle at running back
Much was made of Isiah Pacheco earning his first start, but the distribution of actual touches didn’t reflect some sort of major shift in the Chiefs’ running back room.
Pacheco had a team-high eight carries for 43 yards. But Clyde Edwards-Helaire, more of the incumbent in this situation, had a presence, too, finishing with 32 yards and a touchdown.
Really, the bigger takeaway from this move is symbolic — that Edwards-Helaire has been provided every opportunity to take hold of the No. 1, and he’s failed to do it.
You can’t be strong everywhere, but the Chiefs are noticeably less talented in their backfield than almost every team they play.
Speaking of which...
5. Trade-deadline impact
The 49ers appear to have solved their own running back room.
Christian McCaffrey was operating under only a portion of the 49ers’ playbook after his mid-week acquisition from the Panthers — which can certainly make a trade an enticing option.
But it’s not the best option for the Chiefs. The 49ers sacrificed a pretty significant portion of their potential future — both financially and with prospects — and that just doesn’t jive with how the Chiefs got here.
At this point, barring a much, much cheaper possibility, they’re best to roll with what they’ve got.
