The Chiefs only had three first-half possessions — but two of those drives accounted for 30 plays, 150 yards and over 12 minutes of possession time. In particular, the opening drive was kept alive with multiple third-down conversions — and two big Patrick Mahomes runs were also pivotal to sustaining the 17-play, 91-yard march. A Travis Kelce touchdown catch capped off the first drive — but before halftime, Kansas City would only muster an additional field goal. An ill-timed third-down sack knocked Kansas City out of field goal range, forcing the first of only two Tommy Townsend punts.
Going into the half with a 3-point deficit, it appeared that minor adjustments would need to be made to turn things around.