How Chiefs’ plan to stop another explosive Wilson performance paid off in victory
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs defense limited Russell Wilson to 160 passing yards after 450-yard game
- Two second-quarter interceptions shifted momentum in 22-9 win over Giants
- Chiefs defense maintained intensity amid offensive struggles and key injuries
The Chiefs eventually scored two touchdowns in their 22-9 over the Giants on Sunday Night Football, but at halftime, all the offense had to show was three field goals.
But Kansas City’s defense had only allowed New York six points at that time, so if anything, the Chiefs had a three-point lead to show for it.
A week after Giants quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 450 yards against the Cowboys, the Chiefs kept him in check, holding him to 160 passing yards. After the game, linebacker Nick Bolton disclosed the Chiefs’ keys to ensuring Wilson did not have a repeat performance.
“We had that going throughout the week of trying to affect (him),” Bolton said. “(We) understand when he gets going, he’s a momentum guy and he’s going to keep going and keep throwing the ball deep, keep finding checkdowns for explosive (plays). …
“I think early in the game, keeping him from having those explosive plays kind of helped us as we kept going and (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) did a great job of mixing up looks today.”
Going into the Giants game, the Chiefs had yet to commit a turnover this season. That sour streak ended on the New York’s third possession in the second quarter, when Chris Roland-Wallace intercepted Wilson.
Later in the quarter, Jaylen Watson snatched a 50-50 ball going up against budding star receiver Malik Nabers.
“I stressed my technique, running with him,” Watson said. “Russ does a great job at throwing the ball up and giving his receivers a chance and I just made a play on the ball.”
Without receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs’ offense has struggled to find an early rhythm, and that was again the case against the Giants. After a rough Week 1 showing against the Chargers, Kansas City’s defensive effort has kept the team in the game the last two weeks.
On Sunday night, it turned into the first win of the season.
“They’ve been playing great these last two weeks,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of the defense. “They’ve played winning football and, for us, we had to clean stuff up and get better and better.
“But they’re playing good. They’re playing tight coverage. They’re rushing. They’re blitzing. They’re doing all type of different stuff that you’re supposed to do as a winning defense. If they can continue to do that and we can clean stuff up, we’ll win a lot of football games.” In his fourth year with the Chiefs, linebacker Leo Chenal offered a reminder about times in which the roles were reversed.
“Whatever they do — if they’re doing well, if they’re not — they had all those years (where) they were carrying us a little bit, so we’re just doing our job,” Chenal said. “We love playing football, we love more opportunity on the field. Whatever happens, it’s great, we get to play some more ball.”
Even in victory, the work never ends.
With Giants running back Tyrone Tracy exiting early due to an injury, New York rookie Cam Skattebo made the most of his chances, biting the Chiefs for 121 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.
“We want to do better in the run game,” Chenal said. “We had a lot of leaky yards, a lot of bigger runs. Now we got a whole new challenge next week with someone that’s done a lot of damage against us in the past.”
Of course, Chenal is referring to quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens, who play host to the Detroit Lions in the final game of Week 3 on Monday Night Football.
Always looking forward, Spagnuolo will now shift his attention to that challenge, keeping the same message that has clearly resonated with his players.
“Our mindset is if they don’t get in the end zone, we should win the football game,” Bolton said. “So that’s our mindset, and that’s kind of how we’ve been approaching it every single week, not really worried about offense or special teams — just kind of doing our end of the bargain, keeping teams out of the end zone.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 6:30 AM with the headline "How Chiefs’ plan to stop another explosive Wilson performance paid off in victory."
