Overview of Walker This Way: Recapping the Chiefs Win and Week 1 Winners and Losers
In this episode, Mina Kimes and Ben Solak break down the Chiefs’ Week 1 win over the Broncos and then pivot to early-season winners and losers across the NFL. The main takeaway: Kansas City’s offense finally looked like the under-center, run-first unit they’d been hinting at all offseason, but their passing game still has real questions. The show also highlights major Week 1 statements from the Bills and Ravens, while flagging ugly defensive showings from the Cowboys and major protection problems for the Packers.
Chiefs vs. Broncos: What the Game Told Us
Kansas City’s run game was the headline
- The Chiefs leaned heavily into under-center runs, condensed formations, duo/power concepts, and downhill blocking.
- Their lead back had a huge day on the ground, with the interior offensive line creating noticeable movement.
- The hosts emphasized that this wasn’t just about one runner; it was also about:
- Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith finally getting to show what they can do in a true vertical run game
- The tight ends and receivers buying into the blocking structure
- Kansas City using formations that force defenders to tackle in space
Important caveat: this may be a peak game, not the weekly baseline
- Ben stressed that this looked like a perfect storm:
- A defense not ready for the look
- A lot of missed tackles
- Unscouted, unusual personnel groupings
- In other words, the run game may not be this dominant every week, but it was still a meaningful sign of the offense’s new identity.
The passing game still needs to prove itself
- Patrick Mahomes’ passing day was underwhelming by his standards:
- Very quick time to throw
- No real downfield rhythm
- No completions over 10 yards in the way the Chiefs would want
- Mina and Ben both raised concerns about:
- Lack of separation
- The difficulty of generating explosive plays through the air
- Mahomes’ lingering issues on pure vertical throws
- A key insight from Ben: Mahomes may have gotten so used to throwing to a player like Tyreek Hill that his deep-ball touch now feels slightly “long,” especially when he doesn’t have a true contested-catch vertical threat.
Denver’s defense was overwhelmed
- The Broncos missed a ton of tackles and repeatedly failed to handle Kansas City’s condensed, physical run game.
- The hosts noted that the Broncos’ front and linebackers were forced into too many one-on-one tackle situations in space.
- The bigger concern was that Denver’s defense looked vulnerable to physical, downhill teams, especially when the opponent commits to the run.
Bo Nix had a bad day, but the bigger story was Kansas City’s defense
- Nix took sacks and handled pressure worse than usual.
- His biggest issue, according to Ben, is still that he can be reluctant to rip throws into tight windows, especially over the middle.
- The Chiefs’ defense also deserves credit:
- Better pressure generation
- More disruptive front play
- More manageable workload for Chris Jones
- The hosts leaned toward this being a Chiefs defense overachieving more than a full Denver collapse.
Week 1 Winners
Bills offense
- Buffalo’s offense looked far more dangerous than last year’s version.
- The biggest sign of progress: they were willing to push the ball downfield against a tough Texans defense.
- Dalton Kincaid was a star:
- Healthy
- Playing a heavy snap share
- Showing the seam-stretching, ball-tracking ability Buffalo hoped for when they drafted him
- The Bills also appeared more comfortable with:
- 13 personnel
- Moving the launch point
- Letting Josh Allen attack more aggressively
Ravens offense
- Baltimore’s new offensive approach looked like an immediate success.
- The combination of:
- Lamar Jackson under center
- Derrick Henry in a downhill run game
- Play-action shots
- Zay Flowers as a movement weapon was described as terrifying.
- The Ravens controlled tempo, generated explosive plays, and looked like a team built to impose its style on defenses.
Week 1 Losers / Woofs
Cowboys defense
- Mina’s “woof” was Dallas’ defense, which struggled badly against the Giants.
- The problems were broad:
- Poor tackling
- Miscommunication
- Weak linebacker play
- Too many easy completions underneath
- The Giants were able to stay on schedule with a methodical offense, and Dallas never really stopped them.
Packers offensive line
- Ben’s “woof” was Green Bay’s offensive line, which got overwhelmed by Brian Flores’ pressure package.
- Jordan Love absorbed a ton of contact and was hit repeatedly.
- The line’s issues stemmed from:
- Too many young/inexperienced pieces
- Too many small bodies up front
- An inability to hold pocket integrity against constant pressure
- The hosts were clear: this was a major red flag, not just a bad Sunday.
Other Notable Week 1 Notes
Cardinals offense
- The hosts briefly praised Arizona’s offense as another strong early-season showing.
- Trey McBride was highlighted as a major weapon, and the passing game looked efficient and well-designed.
Bears offense
- Mina joked that the Bears probably deserved to be included among the week’s winners too, though she said she’d talk more about them later.
Texans and Bengals outlook
- The Texans lost largely because of turnovers, not because the offense was a disaster.
- The Bengals’ upcoming matchup with Houston was flagged as a fascinating Week 2 test because both teams had very different kinds of Week 1 volatility.
Bottom Line
This episode’s core theme is that Week 1 gave us real clues about team identities, but not all of them should be overreacted to. Still, a few things stood out clearly:
- The Chiefs may have found a viable run-game blueprint.
- The Bills and Ravens both looked like legitimate AFC threats.
- The Cowboys and Packers left with major structural concerns.
- And in the Chiefs-Broncos game specifically, the biggest takeaway was that Kansas City’s offense can now stress defenses in a new way, even if the passing game remains a work in progress.