Patrick Mahomes, Harrison Butker star as Chiefs post season's 1st win against Giants

Patrick Mahomes passed for 224 yards and a touchdown, while kicker Harrison Butker added three field goals as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New York Giants 22-9 on Sunday night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The reigning AFC champions (1-2) earned their first win of the season thanks to a balanced offense and a stingy defense that limited Giants quarterback Russell Wilson to 18-of-32 passing for 160 yards with two interceptions.


New York, which hosted its season opener later than any other team, fell to 0-3. Historically, teams starting 0-3 face long odds, with only four of 165 squads since 1990 making the playoffs under the expanded 12-team format.


After a tight first half, the Chiefs pulled away with two second-half touchdown drives. Mahomes, 22-of-37 on the day, orchestrated a perfect opening drive of the third quarter, completing all five passes for 45 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown to Tyquan Thornton.

Later, a 33-yard pass from Mahomes to Thornton on third-and-10 from the New York 34 set up a 1-yard scoring run from Kareem Hunt with 6:03 remaining, giving Kansas City a comfortable lead despite Butker missing the extra point following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Hunt.


Butker had earlier connected on 54-, 48-, and 28-yard field goals, while the Giants tied the game at 6 before halftime on rookie Cam Skattebo’s 13-yard touchdown, only for the Chiefs to block the PAT.

Kansas City’s defense also shined, with Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie holding Malik Nabers to two catches for 13 yards. Late in the game, New York turned the ball over on downs twice, sealing the victory.


On offense, Isiah Pacheco rushed 10 times for 45 yards, and Hunt added 34 yards with a touchdown. Thornton finished with five receptions for 71 yards and a score. For the Giants, Skattebo led in both rushing and receiving, totaling 60 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 61 yards on six catches.