KC-NYJ grades: Chiefs defense has its way with Jets, Fitzpatrick

Kansas City Chiefs 24, New York Jets 3

Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from the Chiefs’ win over the Jets:

Quarterback grade: Alex Smith, 82.5

It was the typical “Alex Smith, game manager” game as he was able to connect on just one pass over 10 yards — he gained just 17 yards on 3 targets between 10 and 19 yards and missed on all three passes over 20 yards. The Jets left the middle of the field underneath open and Smith was incredibly efficient, going 12-of-12 for 162 yards and 1 TD when targeting that area. When kept clean, Smith was deadly, completing 22-of-25 for 211 yards and 1 TD.

Top offensive grades:

QB Alex Smith, 82.5
TE Travis Kelce, 81.5
RT Mitchell Schwartz, 74.6
WR Chris Conley, 71.7
C Mitch Morse, 68.1

Offensive line roughed up despite win

The notion that games are won in trenches didn’t hold true in this game, as the Chiefs’ offensive line was dominated all game long against the strong Jets front. RT Mitchell Schwartz was the lone bright spot on the line as Schwartz allowed just 1 pressure all game while holding his own as a run blocker. LT Eric Fisher (35.8) struggled to block do-everything-man DE Sheldon Richardson as he allowed a sack, a hit and a hurry.

Top defensive grades:

ILB Derrick Johnson, 95.7
CB Marcus Peters, 87.5
S Eric Berry, 85.3
S Daniel Sorensen, 83.2
DT Dontari Poe, 80.9

Derrick Johnson leads a strong defense

One of the Chiefs’ veteran re-signings this offseason, Derrick Johnson repaid Kansas City’s investment in him with an excellent performance against the Jets. He nabbed one of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s many interceptions, returning it for a touchdown, and forced another by undercutting a slant in the red zone and popping it up to a teammate. He led the team with five defensive stops (no other Chief had more than two) and 10 total tackles. Johnson surrendered just 20 yards from seven targets, showing that he’s one of the league’s few linebackers who seems to have little trouble holding up in man coverage against running backs.

Quarterback grade: Ryan Fitzpatrick, 17.1

Fitzpatrick falls back down to earth

Just 10 days after a phenomenal outing in Buffalo, Fitzpatrick reminded the Jets why they were so hesitant to re-sign him this past offseason. His six interceptions torpedoed New York’s chances in this game, none worse than the pick-six thrown to Derrick Johnson that all but ended the game. While a couple of his interceptions were deflections with unfortunate bounces, one of those hit Johnson square in the chest before ricocheting to a teammate, and he had several others that he was lucky weren’t picked. Aside from those six interceptions, Fitz-travesty’s ball placement was inconsistent at best, routinely leaving balls slightly off target, allowing the Chiefs to notch four additional pass deflections.

Top offensive grades:

HB Matt Forte, 79.0
LT Ryan Clady, 73.1
RT Brent Qvale, 72.6
LG James Carpenter, 67.9
RG Brian Winters, 61.6

Forte is lone bright spot on offense

Many questioned if Forte’s age would catch up with him once he left the Windy City, but the 30-year-old back has played well as the Jets’ feature back thus far. With the highest grade on New York’s offense, he’s climbed to second overall (80.1) in our halfback grades, behind only David Johnson. He added two missed tackles on the ground in this game to bring his total to six on the year, and routinely made cuts that helped him earn more on the ground than what was provided for him by the line.

Top defensive grades:

DI Leonard Williams, 83.2
DI Muhammad Wilkerson, 82.9
DI Sheldon Richardson, 81.5
CB Buster Skrine, 80.5
DI Steve McLendon, 80.2

Dominant defensive line doesn’t result in victory

The Jets have arguably the best defensive line in the NFL and they showed exactly why, as the Chiefs offensive line couldn’t block the trio of Leonard Williams, Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson. Williams had 1 sack, 3 hurries and 3 stops; Richardson 1 sack, 1 hurry, and 4 stops; and Wilkerson 1 hit, 1 hurry, and 4 stops. They continually pushed the point of attack in the run game and harassed the offensive line in the pass game. Their efforts were spoiled by the play of the Jets’ offense.

PFF Game-Ball Winner: Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson

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