WEEK 3 · FINAL
THE READ
Ava Collins
Beat reporter
66 points between Vikings and Chiefs
Minnesota beat Kansas City 38-28 in a shootout where both quarterbacks threw 4 touchdown passes, but the Vikings controlled what happened on the ground with 40 rushing yards to the Chiefs' 18. Patrick Mahomes completed 21 of 36 for 377 yards and gave Kansas City everything it had, though that wasn't enough when Nyck Harbor caught 7 passes for 163 yards and 3 touchdowns. JJ McCarthy went 20 of 27 for 355 yards and 4 scores of his own, and Minnesota's defense generated 2.5 sacks compared to Kansas City's 1. The Chiefs' commitment to passing on 92 percent of plays left no margin for error against a Minnesota team that at least mixed in some run game.
Ava Collins
Beat reporter
THE WIDER PICTURE
| Team | SRS | SOS | MARGIN | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | -3.3 | +4.1 | -7.4 | -13 |
| Chiefs | +2.1 | +1.7 | +0.4 | +10 |
SRS is how many points a side beats an
average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good
team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20.
SOS is how hard that schedule has been.
Full table.
Chiefs —
in the hunt
· 8-6
Playoff picture →
IN THE BOOTH
Jaylen Rivers
The insider
Kansas City's ground game is gone—18 rushing yards is not a bad day, it is a structural failure—and when you cannot run, even Mahomes' 4 touchdowns cannot keep up with what Minnesota did. JJ McCarthy threw 4 of his own and Nyck Harbor caught 3, and that was enough to win a shootout the Chiefs were never built to play.
Sierra Vaughn
Analyst
· replying
Minnesota just beat a team that should be better than them and exposed why Kansas City cannot stay in this race—at 8-5 they look like a playoff team only because of turnover luck, not because they can actually play football. The Vikings are still the Vikings, but they beat somebody today.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers —
none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that
did not happen.
Patrick Mahomes
Chiefs
21/36, 377 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
JJ McCarthy
Vikings
20/27, 355 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Nyck Harbor
Vikings
7 catches, 163 yards, 3 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Through the air
Chiefs 377, Vikings 355
Chiefs
On the ground
Vikings 40, Chiefs 18
Vikings
Pressure
Chiefs 1 sacks, Vikings 2.5
Vikings
Giveaways
Chiefs 1, Vikings 2
Chiefs
THE ROOM
Final. The recap is below.
THE MATCHUP SCOUT
every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 66% · Rush 34% · 25.6 scored, 33.1 allowed
8.7 yds/att
63.9% completions
4.2 yds/carry
351.4 yds/game
2.2 giveaways/game
4.2% sack rate
last 5: 1-4
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 68 · Aggressive
Balance 84
Ball security 38
Back usage 27%
QB runs 3.6/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.2 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 93
WR 94
TE 78
RB 82
OL 87
DL 87
LB 83
DB 85
Best: Justin Jefferson WR 99
Fastest: Nyck Harbor WR 97 SPD
6 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Pass-heavy
Pass 68% · Rush 32% · 30.9 scored, 30.6 allowed
8.6 yds/att
59.9% completions
5.1 yds/carry
409.1 yds/game
1.9 giveaways/game
7.0% sack rate
last 5: 4-1
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 60 · Aggressive
Balance 82
Ball security 46
Back usage 26%
QB runs 3.6/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 1.9 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 96
WR 90
TE 77
RB 88
OL 85
DL 86
LB 85
DB 84
Best: Kenneth Walker HB 97
Fastest: Xavier Worthy WR 99 SPD
7 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY
the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
will2nice400
Chiefs · his last 8 games
Throws it
Pass / run62% / 38%
Points for / against30.9 — 24.0
Margin+6.9
Giveaways a game0.9
Sacks taken7.9% of dropbacks
Lead backKenneth Walker · 13.5/g
Top targetXavier Worthy · 27%
QB carries2.9 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES
unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Vikings receivers vs Chiefs secondary
94 v 84
VIKINGS
Chiefs receivers vs Vikings secondary
90 v 85
CHIEFS
Vikings line vs Chiefs front
87 v 86
EVEN
Chiefs line vs Vikings front
85 v 87
EVEN
Vikings backs vs Chiefs run defence
82 v 86
CHIEFS
Chiefs backs vs Vikings run defence
88 v 86
EVEN
Vikings passer vs Chiefs secondary
93 v 84
VIKINGS
Chiefs passer vs Vikings secondary
96 v 85
CHIEFS
TOP PERFORMERS
🎬
The Game Recapthis game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
VIKINGS
CHIEFS
VIKINGS
CHIEFS
VIKINGS
CHIEFS
VIKINGS
CHIEFS
VIKINGS
CHIEFS
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JJ McCarthy QB | 20/27 | 355 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 140 |
CHIEFS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes QB | 21/36 | 377 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 70 | 119.7 |
| Jeff Caldwell WR | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.5 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demond Claiborne HB | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| JJ McCarthy QB | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Nyck Harbor WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Addison WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
CHIEFS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Walker HB | 3 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| Jalen Royals WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Moore WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyck Harbor WR | 7 | 163 | 23.3 | 3 | 83 | 0 | 46 |
| Demond Claiborne HB | 5 | 60 | 12 | 1 | 75 | 0 | 21 |
| Jordan Mason HB | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 19 |
| Jordan Addison WR | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 20 |
| Justin Jefferson WR | 1 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 17 |
CHIEFS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Moore WR | 9 | 163 | 18.1 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 51 |
| Xavier Worthy WR | 7 | 133 | 19 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 70 |
| Kenneth Walker HB | 1 | 42 | 42 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 42 |
| Rashee Rice WR | 1 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 24 |
| Jeff Caldwell WR | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Noah Gray TE | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nahshon Wright FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Rodgers Sr CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Golday MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jyaire Hill CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Izien SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caleb Banks DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Metellus SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Charles Demmings CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dallas Turner REDG | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teitum Tuioti LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Van Ginkel REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
CHIEFS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amare Ferrell FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Evan Johnson CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mansoor Delane CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Bolton MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jelani McDonald SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jeffrey Bassa WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Karlaftis LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drue Tranquill WILL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ashton Gillotte REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
VIKINGS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Reichard K | 1/1 | 5/5 | 50 |
CHIEFS
nothing recorded
RECENT FORM
Vikings
L
14–35 vs Raiders
WK 2
L
28–52 vs Commanders
WK 1
Chiefs
W
38–35 vs Chargers
WK 2
W
24–17 vs Texans
WK 1
TEAM STATS
| Vikings | Chiefs | |
|---|---|---|
| 395 | TOTAL YARDS | 395 |
| 355 | PASSING YARDS | 377 |
| 40 | RUSHING YARDS | 18 |
| 1 | SACKS ALLOWED | 2 |
| 2.5 | SACKS MADE | 1 |
| 2 | GIVEAWAYS | 1 |
| 1 | TAKEAWAYS | 2 |
Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.
ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
1
VIKINGS
—
0
CHIEFS