In the New York Jets’ ninth game of the 2026 season, on a gorgeous, warm and sunny day in Kansas City, Missouri, the Jets lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 35 – 12.
The game opened with the Jets on offense. They put together a nice drive, mixing runs and short passes effectively. Breece Hall and Braelon Allen combined to do much of the heavy lifting. The Jets got the ball down to the Chiefs five yard line before they were forced to settle for a chip shot field goal and an early 3 – 0 lead.
The Jets defense then stepped up. They recovered a Justin Fields fumble on a quarterback sneak and the Jets quickly had the ball back in Chiefs territory. Unfortunately the Jets did not fully take advantage of the golden opportunity. They failed to get a first down and had to settle for another field goal. The Jets were up 6 – 0 late in the first quarter, but it felt like the points left on the field as they settled for field goals rather than touchdowns would come back to bite them later.
The first quarter ended with the Chiefs knocking on the door, looking to go ahead with a first and goal at the Jets 7 yard line. On the first play of the second quarter Mahomes found Kenneth Walker for a touchdown and, despite all the good things that happened for the Jets early, the Chiefs had the lead at 7 – 6.
The Jets fought back. They drove the ball near the Chiefs 20 yard before three consecutive plays went backwards. The Jets settled for a 49 yard field goal to regain the lead. Midway through the second quarter the Jets had scored on all three drives to this point, yet had only nine points and a two point lead to show for it. If they didn’t start converting scoring opportunities into touchdowns it was likely going to be another long day for the Jets.
It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to take the lead back. Braelon Allen failed to protect the ball with two hands and fumbled. The Chiefs recovered deep in Jets territory. A couple of plays later Patrick Mahomes hit Kenneth Walker for his second touchdown of the game. The Chiefs had a 14 – 9 lead with a little more than five minutes left in the first half.
The Jets answered with yet another scoring drive. Again they were forced to settle for a field goal. With a little more than two minutes left in the first half the Jets had scored on four of five drives yet still trailed, 14 – 12.
A few plays later the Jets got a strip sack of Mahomes and recovered the ball deep in Chiefs territory. The Jets were unable to take advantage of the opportunity as their drive went nowhere and Jason Sanders missed a long field goal attempt. The Chiefs returned the favor as time ran out, missing a field goal to end the half.
The Jets went into the locker room trailing the Chiefs 14 – 12. They had left a lot of points on the field. They had dominated time of possession, scored four times, outgained the Chiefs, out-sacked the Chiefs, led the turnover battle, and still trailed. It would be a surprise if that didn’t cost them the game in the end.
The Jets opened the third quarter on defense. It did not go well. The kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Chiefs great field position at the 40 yard line. From there the Chiefs went on a drive ending in a short touchdown pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce. The extra point gave the Chiefs a 21 – 12 lead. The Jets offense responded with a three and out. Midway through the third quarter the Jets were in serious trouble.
Towards the end of the third quarter the Chiefs put together a drive ending in a Kenneth Walker touchdown run. Walker was single handedly dismantling the Jets. The extra point made the score 28 – 12 in favor of the Chiefs as the third quarter ended. The game was all but over.
On the Jets’ next drive they moved the ball quickly downfield before Geno Smith was sacked on fourth down, ending the drive. The Jets trailed by 16 points with a little over 11 minutes left. Turn out the lights, the party was over. All those points left on the field in the first half had come back to bite the Jets in the second half.
Late in the fourth quarter the Chiefs tacked on another touchdown. They had now outscored the Jets 21 – 0 in the second half as they cruised to an easy victory.
Final score: Chiefs 35, Jets 12.
The loss brought the Jets’ record to 2-7. A 16th straight season without the playoffs is all but certain. Another November and December talking about next year and the draft looms. What fun awaits as the holiday season approaches!
The Jets limp home to take on the first place Buffalo Bills next week. That should be a blast.
