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The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings yesterday and there were more positives to come out of this than any other game this season.
We have five good stats from today's game and we'll start with the most obvious one...
1. The number of wins on the season. Yes, this is a cause for celebration. After starting 0-3, the Chiefs really, really needed this win, especially against another winless team. They came through and got it moving their record to 1-3 and a very winnable game coming up against the Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts.
3.4. Adrian Peterson's yards per carry. One of the keys coming into the game was stopping Adrian Peterson, arguably the league's best running back. He ended the game with 80 yards on 23 carries, good for 3.4 yards per carry. His longest run of the day was 14 yards so the Chiefs kept him in check throughout the day.
1-0. Turnover battle goes to the Chiefs. I still think the single most important stat for the Chiefs is the turnover battle. If they lose it, they're likely losing the game. If they win it, it's going to be close. I mean...it really is that simple. The Chiefs created a turnover on Brandon Carr's interception (and he had a chance to bring it all the way back). Cassel, for the first time this season, didn't throw an interception and it appears the Chiefs have fixed their fumbling problem.
23. Average punt return yards for Javier Arenas. For punt returns, 23 yards per return is a pretty big number. The first two gave the Chiefs the ball in Vikings territory and the final one dropped them at their own 41-yard line. For an offense that struggles with consistency, it's so huge to have these returns. Arenas would get the special teams MVP of the day if it weren't for....
5-of-5. Ryan Succop's day with field goals. Gotta give him some props after a rough start to the season. What's even more impressive than those five field goals is the fact that two of them came from beyond 50 yards. Both those stats -- number of field goals and two from beyond 50 yards -- tie franchise records.