New Orleans Saints vs Kansas City Chiefs Match Player Stats On Oct 23, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Oct 23, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo -- Led by the efforts of running back Spencer Ware on offense and a defense that forced two turnovers, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the New Orleans Saints 27-21 Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.

Six games into the season, Ware has proven to be a major contributor as a runner and receiver, touching the ball 19 times against the Saints for 132 yards. He caught a short pass from quarterback Alex Smith and turned it into a 46-yard touchdown play in the first quarter.

The Kansas City (4-2) defense allowed the New Orleans (2-4) quarterback Drew Brees to throw for 348 yards and three touchdowns. But the Chiefs forced a Brees interception that was returned for a touchdown by nickel safety Daniel Sorensen. In the second half, they thwarted a Saints drive deep in K.C. territory forcing a fumble by running back Mark Ingram that was recovered by cornerback Marcus Peters.

New Orleans moved the scoreboard first, with Brees directing his offense 80 yards on 10 plays, hooking up with wide receiver Brandin Cooks on a 9-yard touchdown play. Kansas City answered back on its next possession, going 75 yards on five plays with the Smith to Ware score.

The Chiefs grabbed the lead for good when a Brees' pass for wide receiver Willie Snead was broken up by a big hit from K.C. safety Eric Berry. The ball popped into the air and was grabbed by Sorensen, who weaved his way through the Saints for 48 yards and a Kansas City touchdown.

For his second touchdown pass of the game, Smith hooked up with rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill on a 38-yard scoring play in the second quarter. Hill caught the ball with his left arm, while his right arm was pinned to his body by Saints cornerback Ken Crawley.

It was the K.C. defense that kept the pressure on New Orleans in the first half. After the first possession, the Saints had one snap in Chiefs territory over the rest of the game's first 30 minutes. But Brees brought his unit out of the halftime locker room and marched 75 yards on 14 plays in over eight minutes on the clock, before connecting with Ingram on a 3-yard touchdown pass. That pulled the Saints within a touchdown, 21-14.

Kansas City added a 39-yard field goal from Cairo Santos to push the margin to 10 points. The Chiefs defense was being pushed around by the Saints offense, but safety Ron Parker forced an Ingram fumble at the K.C. 7-yard line and Peters recovered the ball, finishing up with a 21-yard return.

But Brees again pushed the New Orleans offense into Chiefs territory and this time got the points as he connected with wide receiver Brandon Coleman in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The PAT kick left the Chiefs with a 24-21 lead and 2 minutes, 33 seconds to play.

The Saints attempted an onside kick but the ball rolled out of bounds, giving Kansas City possession. The Chiefs were able to add a 41-yard field goal from Santos with 28 seconds to play to set the final score.

NOTES: The touchdown on their first possession made it four straight games where the Saints reached the end zone on their initial opportunity with the ball. That's a club record. ... The Saints lost G Senio Kelemete in the first half and did not return due to a stinger. He started for the injured Andrus Peat (groin). ... Kansas City's defense had new starters at left defensive end in rookie Chris Jones and at left inside linebacker with Ramik Wilson.