Chiefs defeat Vikings 27-20 in Week 5

In Week 5, the Kansas City Chiefs went on the road for the second straight week, collecting a 27-20 win from the Minnesota Vikings, giving Kansas City a 4-1 record for 2023.

On the game’s first play, Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins went to one of his favorite targets: tight end T.J. Hockensen, who rumbled 15 yards before Chiefs’ safety Justin Reid punched the ball from his grasp. Safety Bryan Cook’s recovery gave Kansas City the ball at Minnesota’s 45-yard line. Nine plays later, the Chiefs took a 7-0 lead on running back Isiah Pacheco’s 21st yard of the game.

Then the teams traded field-goal drives, giving the Chiefs a 10-3 lead just over two minutes into the second quarter. Then a 64-yard Vikings drive (helped along by three Kansas City penalties over eight plays) led to another field goal that narrowed the Chiefs’ lead to 10-6 midway through the second quarter.

After a three-and-out (and a fair-catch interference penalty on Kansas City’s first punt) the Vikings started at their own 44. A sack by Chris Jones set up Minnesota’s first punt — but the Vikings gained 15 yards on a successful fake that put them at the Kansas City 33-yard line. Minnesota finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison that gave it a 13-10 lead with 1:39 left — but just before the half, Harrison Butker kicked a 40-yard field goal to tie the score at 13.

Kansas City began the third quarter with an 11-play, 75-yard drive that began with an 8-yard sack, included a 33-yard pass to a double-covered Justin Watson and finished with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice that gave the Chiefs a 20-13 lead. After a Minnesota punt, Kansas City ran an 11-play, 74-yard sequence that included a fourth-and-1 from midfield that was converted with a defensive pass interference call drawn by Marquez Valdes-Scantling. With three minutes left in the third quarter, Kansas City took a 27-13 lead with a 4-yard touchdown catch by tight end Travis Kelce.

But the Vikings weren’t finished. They drove down the field, converting a fourth-and-6 at the Chiefs’ 19-yard line before Kirk Cousins found Alexander Mattison for a 9-yard touchdown pass that narrowed the score to 27-20 with 12 minutes left in the game. Kansas City’s next drive sputtered at midfield — giving Minnesota the ball at their 25 after a punt touchback. A 27-yard pass to K.J. Osborn put the Vikings deep into Chiefs territory — but on a fourth-and-12 from the Kansas City 24, Minnesota could not convert.

The Chiefs got the clock down to 1:07 before the Vikings got the ball back on a punt. But with no timeouts remaining, Minnesota couldn’t get anything done. That sealed Kansas City’s 27-20 win.