3 Takeaways from Chiefs' Week 12 Win vs. Rams

In recent years, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams have been among the top franchises in the NFL. The Rams are the reigning Super Bowl champions, while the Chiefs won a title two years before that. So the Week 12 matchup between the two teams was one to circle on the calendar ahead of the 2022 season.

While the Chiefs have continued to excel, the same can't be said for the banged-up Rams. That's why Sunday's game was a lopsided contest in which Kansas City had no trouble cruising to a 26-10 win at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs (9-2) notched their fifth straight victory by compiling 437 total yards and building a 17-point lead at the end of the third quarter. They mostly shut down the Rams, who were again without quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp due to injuries.

Here are three takeaways from Kansas City's Week 12 win.

The Performance in the Red Zone Needs to Be Better Than This

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) reacts after kicking a 27-yard field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Chiefs' offense didn't need to be perfect in this contest, and it wasn't. They may have racked up a lot of yards, but they had trouble getting the ball into the end zone. That happened only twice: Patrick Mahomes' 39-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce in the first quarter and Isiah Pacheco's 3-yard TD run in the third.

Kansas City mostly had to settle for field goals throughout the game. Harrison Butker went 4-for-4 on his attempts, as the Chiefs finished 1-for-6 on their opportunities in the red zone.

Because Los Angeles' offense couldn't keep up, Kansas City had more than enough points to win. But that isn't always going to be the case if it can't score touchdowns on five of its trips inside its opponent's 20-yard line.

"We've got to execute at a higher level—I've got to execute at a higher level," Mahomes said, per Jordan Foote of Sports Illustrated.

And it seems likely that the Chiefs' offense will do that, because they're one of the best units in the league. So don't be surprised if they correct those issues moving forward.

The Defense Took Care of Business, as Expected

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) celebrates his interception against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

It's not as daunting of a task to face the Rams' offense when they're without Stafford and Kupp. Bryce Perkins started at quarterback, Los Angeles' running game has struggled and Van Jefferson is serving as the top wide receiver with Allen Robinson also injured.

The Chiefs couldn't go in too confident, though, or else they might underperform. But that was far from the case, as they held the Rams to 198 total yards and forced a pair of turnovers (interceptions by L'Jarius Sneed and Nick Bolton). Kansas City also recorded three sacks, five quarterback hits and six tackles for a loss.

"Defensively, I thought we played a heck of a game," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said at his postgame press conference.

That performance may also help Kansas City build some defensive momentum down the stretch. If it starts to play more like this most weeks, then it will make the Chiefs a more complete team capable of making a deep playoff run.

Chiefs Should Have Smooth Sailing If They Win Next Week

AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid gives Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) a fist bump after a scoring drive during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Kansas City will now ride its momentum into a rematch from last season's AFC Championship Game in Week 13. The Chiefs are set to go on the road to face the Cincinnati Bengals, which is the most challenging matchup remaining on their schedule.

Cincinnati has also been playing well of late, as it has won a season-high three consecutive games and four of its past five. So this should be a game that lives up to the hype.

Plus, Kansas City will be looking to get revenge after its season was ended by Cincinnati one game shy of the Super Bowl last season.

“They beat us; I played terrible in the second half and we lost a game at home that could have sent us to a Super Bowl," Mahomes said, per Tod Palmer of KSHB 41 Kansas City. "We’ll be ready to go this next week for sure."

After that, four of the Chiefs' remaining five games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they can take down the Bengals, it's quite possible they could finish the regular season with only two or three losses and as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.