The Chiefs offense passes the Saints in the MNF while KC moves to 5-0

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Kansas City Chiefs prevailed with a 26-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints 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, finishing the game 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 is the most important information about the game:

The Chiefs finally won a game by a significant margin. After winning its last seven games dating back to last season's playoffs by a one-point margin, Kansas City didn't have to go all the way until the end to beat the Saints on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Instead, the team earned a 26-13 victory that increased its record to 5-0. They now have a winning streak of at least five games in Andy Reid's 12 seasons as head coach.

Silver linings: 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. The availability of both players would give the Chiefs some nice depth. Hunt finished the game with 102 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

Describe the game in two words: See red. The Chiefs scored 2 of 6 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 resulted in a New Orleans interception.

Most surprising performance: Smith-Schuster had just two catches in the Chiefs' first four games, but had five against the Saints. Smith-Schuster took over the role Rashee Rice had played before his injury. He picked up a lot of yards by following up the catch well (82 YAC). But he also deflected a pass at the goal line that led to an interception. — Adam Teicher

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

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Joe Buck opens up about Khalen Saunders' Taylor Swift connection just before the wild INT

Joe Buck had just pointed out Khalen Saunders' brother's connection to Taylor Swift when the big man tackles Patrick Mahomes in the end zone.

Carr threw a deep pass to wide receiver Mason Tipton on fourth down and slowly came back up after falling incomplete. He left the field holding his hip, was checked out in the injury tent and went to the locker room at the end of the fourth quarter with an oblique injury, capping a night for the Saints that went from bad to worse.

The Saints fell to the Chiefs after entering Monday night with a long injury list. They had to play a perfect game to keep up with the Chiefs offense. Instead, New Orleans fell behind early after Carr threw an ugly interception six plays in, setting the Chiefs up for their first touchdown.

Although the Saints had some big moments, such as a 43-yard touchdown pass from Carr to wideout Rashid Shaheed, they couldn't muster the offensive production of the first two weeks and lost their third straight game.

Key game: The Great Man's Choice. Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders had a number of friends and family on hand to watch him play against his former team, including his brother Kameron, who is a backup dancer for Taylor Swift. The plays were clearly consecutive, as Saunders caught a one-handed interception in the end zone in the third quarter and ran it back 37 yards.

Worrying trend: Cornerback Paulson Adebo's penalties. Adebo had a late-game pass interference penalty against the Falcons last week that resulted in a game-winning field goal. Against the Chiefs, he again had a worrisome late PI flag that almost resulted in a touchdown late in the third quarter. Adebo's seven penalties are tied for the fourth most in the league.

Biggest gap in the game plan: The Saints were unable to run the ball efficiently behind an injury-depleted offensive line. The Saints' offense has worked best this season when they can run the ball at will. Against the Chiefs, they failed to do this with any consistency, instead relying heavily on low-rate deep passes to try and move the ball. Carr attempted 9 passes with 15+ air yards tonight. He is 2 of 9 for 64 yards with an interception and a touchdown on those plays.

QB breakdown: Carr was up and down until his injury forced him out, going 18 of 28 for 165 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jake Haener came into the game in his absence and took his first real snaps of the season, going 2-of-7 for 17 yards – Katherine Terrell

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