NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 4 PFF ReFocused: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Detroit Lions 30

Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs back from a three-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to secure the 34-30 win on the road against the Detroit Lions in Week 4.

PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.

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Final Score

Kansas City Chiefs 34, Detroit Lions 30

Kansas City Chiefs

Facing a 4th-and-8 with the game on the line, Patrick Mahomes picked up a pivotal first down with his legs for a change, one of a couple first down runs he had on the day. Because of the arm talent, it’s easy to forget Mahomes’ mobility, and he made the Lions pay a few times when there wasn’t a receiver open.

The Chiefs' offense struggled for most of the game with turnovers and miscues, which was surprising considering how good Kansas City has looked through the first three games of the season. Mahomes, in particular, came down to earth after three straight games with 350 passing yards and three touchdowns. He missed on a couple of throws against Detroit, and there were several instances where he and his receivers were not on the same page.

The underwhelming start of life as a Chief for Frank Clark continues. The former Seahawk has struggled to make a consistent impact rushing the passer through the first three weeks, and nothing changed against Detroit as he was far too quiet for how much he was on the field. There have been flashes, but the Chiefs spent big and invested heavily for Clark to bring a new dimension to their pass-rusher, and that has simply failed to materialize.

Detroit Lions

While Matthew Stafford will go to bed thinking about his horrendous fumble in the red zone and what might have been. When cooler heads prevail, the Lions quarterback will look back at another strong performance that continues the trend of his play getting better and better. The Lions' offense looks like it has an identity that it has sorely missed and at the helm is a more poised and composed Stafford who can still rifle it as he showed with his touchdown to Kenny Golladay.

One of the most noticeable improvements about the Lions this year is how the offensive line is performing. They're not bulldozing teams in the run game and they're not flawless in pass protection, but few teams are. Instead, they're largely playing sound football, and this week Graham Glasgow stood out for not really standing out against a Chiefs defensive line that can be heavy hitting.

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