The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions delivered us the best game of Week 4 so far. There were five fumbles in the third quarter, a few highlight-reel plays and five total lead changes. The battle of unbeatens lived up to the hype, as Patrick Mahomes and Co. were able to outlast the Lions. 

In his first NFL indoor game, Mahomes surprisingly failed to record a touchdown. He completed just 24 of 42 passing attempts for 315 yards. He missed several open throws during the course of this one, but operated efficiently enough as a game manager to escape the Motor City with a win.

The Lions pressured Mahomes well and contained the run. Last time LeSean McCoy played the Lions, he went off for 217 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He had just 56 yards and a touchdown in this one. This shootout came down to the final few plays. All the Lions had to do was not allow the Chiefs to score with two minutes left, but Mahomes engineered a 13-play, 79-yard drive which was capped off by a game-winning Darrel Williams touchdown. 

While the Chiefs earned the victory, the Lions proved to the rest of the NFL world that they are for real. They have gutted out close wins over average teams, but the fact that they proved they can hang around with a Super Bowl favorite says a lot about Matt Patricia's squad. 

Why the Chiefs won

The Chiefs won because of Mahomes. He didn't put up his typical video-game numbers, but he operated well as a game manager and relied on his playmakers to carry the workload. Seven different receivers caught multiple passes and all did well after the catch. This win just proved that Mahomes doesn't have to put up ridiculous numbers in order to win games. The Chiefs can still compete for a Super Bowl even if Mahomes doesn't throw six touchdowns per week. 

Why the Lions lost

It really doesn't feel like the Lions lost this game. If anything, the NFL in general is going to take the Lions a lot more seriously after they almost took down the Chiefs. Matthew Stafford was great, the Lions recorded 186 rushing yards and the defense played well. The only thing you can point to for why the Lions lost was their inability to stop Mahomes on his game-winning drive. The Lions had it in the bag, all they needed to do was force the Chiefs off the field one final time -- but Mahomes came through yet again. 

Turning Point

During that final drive, Kansas City was faced with a fourth-and-8 on their own 34-yard line. The Lions just needed to stop Mahomes one more time and the game was theirs. Instead, Mahomes rushed right up the middle for 15 yards. Before that play, it really felt like Detroit was going to come away victorious and shock the NFL. After Mahomes converted that first down, the writing on the wall became a little more legible. Mahomes was going to prove that he was great and win the game. 

Play of the Game

You have to check this one out. In the third quarter, the Chiefs and Lions exchanged back-to-back-to-back fumbles on three consecutive drives. There's no way there would be another fumble, right? Wrong. 

The Lions were preparing to reclaim the lead when Kerryon Johnson took a carry just a few yards away from the end zone. It all seemed routine until cameras showed a host of Chiefs defenders running towards the opposite end zone all the way at the other end of the field. Lions players didn't seem too worried, as they were convinced Johnson was down. Sure enough, after the replay was made available, it became clear that Johnson had actually fumbled, and Kansas City had indeed scored a touchdown.

Quotable

"All this adversity will help us at the end of the season." - Mahomes 

As I said, we learned a lot about the Chiefs in Week 4. They had blown out their previous three opponents, and we didn't know how they would handle certain situations with the game on the line. Last year, a defender lining up offsides basically cost the Chiefs a Super Bowl appearance. On Sunday, they upped their game when it mattered most. That's exactly what a great team does.

Winning close games like this one is just going to boost the confidence of Mahomes and the team in general. They are battle tested, and will know how to handle these tough situations when they come up in the postseason. 

What's next

The Chiefs return to Kansas City next week to host the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. The Colts fell to 2-2 on Sunday, losing to the Oakland Raiders, 31-24. 

The Lions now get a long break -- two weeks to be exact. They have their bye week in Week 5, and then face the Green Bay Packers in Wisconsin on Monday Night Football. The Packers just lost their first game of the season on Thursday night to the Philadelphia Eagles, so Aaron Rodgers will be looking forward to the chance to take down a divisional opponent in prime time. 

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