The Chiefs offense outlasted the Saints in MNF as Kansas City went 5-0

Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs beat the New Orleans Saints 26-13 on “Monday Night Football.”

Kansas City entered the contest with questions at wide receiver, but WR Juju Smith-Schuster had his best game of the season and finished with seven receptions for 130 yards. Meanwhile, the Saints struggled to score and quarterback Derek Carr left the game in the fourth quarter with an oblique injury.

Here's what to learn from the game:

The Chiefs eventually won a game by a comfortable margin. After winning by one score in their previous seven games in last season's playoffs, they finally didn't have to push to beat the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night.

Instead, Kansas City claimed a 26-13 victory that pushed its record to 5-0. The Chiefs now have winning streaks of at least five games in each of Andy Reid's 12 seasons as their head coach.

The silver lining: The Chiefs wouldn't have signed Kareem Hunt if Isiah Pacheco hadn't broken his leg. But Hunt is now helping the Chiefs stay afloat in Pacheco's absence and is playing well enough that he deserves significant playing time when Pacheco returns. Having both players available would give the Chiefs some nice depth. Hunt finished with 27 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Describe the game in two words: see red The Chiefs were 2-of-6 scoring touchdowns inside the New Orleans 20. Kansas City lost a touchdown in the red zone when Smith-Schuster deflected a pass at the goal line that went for a New Orleans interception.

Most amazing performance: Smith-Schuster had just two catches in the Chiefs' first four games, but he had five against the Saints. Smith-Schuster filled the role that Rushie Rice had filled before his injury. He picked up many of his yards by running well after the catch (82 YAC). But he also deflected a pass across the goal line that went for an interception. — Adam Teacher

Next game: A San Francisco 49ers (4:25 p.m. ET, Oct. 20)

the game

Joe Buck recounts Khalen Saunders' Taylor Swift connection moments before wild INT

Joe Buck just finished mentioning Khalen Saunders' brother's connection to Taylor Swift as the big man picked off Patrick Mahomes in the end zone.

With 9:38 left in the fourth quarter, Carr threw a deep pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton on fourth down and went up slowly after it fell incomplete. He walked off the field clutching his hip, was evaluated in the injury tent and went to the locker room with an oblique injury, a night that went from bad to worse for the Saints.

The Saints fell to the Chiefs after entering Monday night with a long list of injuries. They will need to play a perfect game to keep pace with the Chiefs offense. Instead, New Orleans fell into an early deficit when Carr threw six plays into an ugly fumble, setting up the Chiefs for their first touchdown.

While the Saints had some big moments, such as a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to wideout Rasheed Shahid, they couldn't muster the offensive output from their first two weeks, losing their third game in a row.

Main game: Big guy pick. Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders was in attendance to watch his former team play for his former team, along with friends and family, including his brother Cameron, who is Taylor Swift's backup dancer. The moves obviously run in the family, as Saunders caught a one-handed interception in the end zone and ran back 37 yards in the third quarter.

Disturbing trends: Penalty on cornerback Paulson Adebo. Adebo had a late-game pass interference penalty against the Falcons last week that led to the game-winning field goal. He had another troubling late PI flag against the Chiefs that nearly led to a late third-quarter touchdown. Adebo's seven penalties are the fourth most in the league.

The biggest hole in the game plan: The Saints couldn't run the ball efficiently behind an injury-plagued offensive line. The Saints offense has worked best this season when they are able to run the ball at will. They didn't do that with any consistency against the Chiefs, relying instead on low-percentage deep passes to try to move the ball. Carr attempted nine passes tonight with 15-plus air yards. He was 2-of-9 for 64 yards with an interception and a touchdown on those plays.

QB Breakdown: Carr was up-and-down until leaving with his injury, finishing 18-of-28 for 165 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jake Henner entered the game in his absence for his first true snaps this season, finishing 2-of-7 for 17 yards — Catherine Terrell

Next game: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday)