The hit was no small feat for Butker, who injured his left ankle on a tackle earlier in the game. The injury forced the veteran offensive lineman to miss most of the first half, pushing safety Justin Reid — who connected on an overtime attempt during the preseason — into the assignment. Reid was also successful, converting 1-of-2 extra point attempts while also handling the game’s remaining kickoffs.
“I had a lot of fun out there,” Justin Reid said. “It took me back to my high school days. . . . I’ve always wanted to put it on tape to let people know that I can really hit. It’s there now and it’s going to be there forever.”
The Chiefs continued to ride the momentum sparked by Butker’s 54-yard drive after halftime, scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions while holding Arizona scoreless until early in the fourth quarter. Tight end Jody Fortson, wide receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Isiah Pacheco were each responsible for a trip to the end zone as part of an effort that amassed 488 yards of net offense and went 6-for-6 in the red zone.
“Guys were ready to go,” Mahomes said. “They were excited to go out there and show what we’ve got. All season, people have asked us what this team was going to look like. We always believed we were going to go out there and put on a show, and I thought the boys did it.”
Kansas City’s defense, meanwhile, continued to frustrate the Cardinals’ offensive attack throughout the game. Arizona went just 3 of 12 on third down and punted five times. To further illustrate the Chiefs’ defensive dominance, Mahomes recorded more passing yards (360) than Arizona’s total yardage (282).
The Chiefs also tallied three sacks in the game and repeatedly harassed Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who accounted for just 222 yards of total offense.
“We played well – we missed a lot of opportunities – but, overall, I thought we got better as a group,” defender Chris Jones said.
