How the Chiefs won the second half 21-0: Travis Kelce’s third-quarter TD turned a two-point edge into an eight-point cushion and never let New York Jets back in

Kansas City led by two at halftime and had just heard a stadium full of boos. Harrison Butker had missed from 56 and 51 yards on back-to-back tries to close the half, and the Jets were still within a score. Then the Chiefs got the ball to start the third quarter and went to work. Travis Kelce took a fourth-and-goal flip from Patrick Mahomes at the 1-yard line and powered in. Kansas City won the second half 21-0 and finished with a 35-12 victory at Arrowhead on Sunday. New York never got closer.Travis Kelce’s goal-line score turned the game for Kansas CityPatrick Mahomes looked ready to sneak it. Instead he flipped the ball to Kelce, who bulled across the line behind blocks from tight ends Jake Briningstool and Noah Gray and receiver Jalen Royals. The score made it 20-12, the biggest lead either team had held all day, and Butker’s extra point pushed it to 21-12.The drive was built on Kenneth Walker. Andy Reid had given him five carries in the whole first half. Out of the break, Reid fixed that. Walker touched the ball five times on one possession, with runs of 11, 8 and 12 yards.Short yardage had been a worry for Kansas City. Backup quarterback Justin Fields lost a fumble on an early sneak, and the offense had to prove it could fix that. It did. The Chiefs converted 5 of 8 tries on third or fourth down with 3 yards or fewer to go, and Kelce’s score and a late touchdown by Emmett Johnson were part of that. All four trips inside the red zone ended in touchdowns. Walker finished with 143 yards and three scores, two of them catches from Mahomes, after two straight games under 100 yards.The Jets had no answer after halftimeNew York had nothing left. The Jets gained negative 9 yards in the third quarter, according to Athlon Sports, and they ran for just 7 yards after halftime. They never reached the end zone all day. They led 6-0 early and 9-7 in the second quarter. Their points came from four Jason Sanders field goals, from 23, 48, 49 and 54 yards. The first came after an eight-minute opening drive that stalled at the Kansas City 5.The pass rush finally showed up. Geno Smith came in with 23 sacks taken, tied for second most in the league. Kansas City added five more, including two each from Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Before Sunday, the Chiefs ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in pressure rate.Mahomes did it with a sore right elbow. It was crushed mid-game, and he still finished with 242 yards and two touchdowns.The Chiefs were cleaner, too. They took three accepted penalties for 20 yards, while the Jets took nine for 57.Kansas City is 6-2 and visits Atlanta next Sunday, but two loose ends remain. Reid told CBS at the break he wanted to see a field goal go through in the second half. Butker did not attempt another one, so the kicker question is still open. The other is receiver. Xavier Worthy left late with a lower-body injury, and the trade deadline arrives Tuesday.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.