Kenneth Walker has transformed Kansas City Chiefs and unlocked Patrick Mahomes as Andy Reid's side stay perfect - NFL Sunday Review

The lead

The Kansas City Chiefs are a perfect 4-0, Patrick Mahomes is once again attacking defences downfield, and Kenneth Walker III has transformed the identity of Andy Reid's offense. The NFL thought it had finally slayed the monster, only for it to grow another head.

For now, this is Walker's team, Walker's offense and Walker's show. Mahomes certainly won't mind, with the NFL's best quarterback shining once again while benefiting from his running back's remarkable early-season form.

Walker was decisive once again on Sunday, rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns to lift Kansas City to a thrilling 30-27 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The performance also saw him retain his place as the NFL's leading rusher, continuing a remarkable start to his first season with the Chiefs following his move in free agency.

"He's a game-changer. He did that for us today," said Mahomes.

Walker's 537 rushing yards are now the most by any running back through the first four games of a season over the last 15 years, surpassing DeMarco Murray's 534-yard mark from 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.

It has been a long time since the Chiefs have had such a blue-chip weapon alongside Mahomes. Since the departure of Tyreek Hill, Kansas City's superstar quarterback has often had to carry an offense that lacked a true game-changing threat. Walker has already shown he can be the missing piece.

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Walker has blown the door to play-action and field-stretching success off its hinges, giving the Chiefs a new dimension out of the backfield and breathing life into an offense that, incredibly, had become borderline unwatchable at times under Mahomes in recent years.

Patient yet electric, Walker possesses tremendous vision and the ability to make would-be tacklers miss better than almost any back in football. He is precisely the outlet Mahomes and Reid have been craving.

One of the highlights came during a mazy second-quarter run. Walker exploded to his left, shrugged off one tackle attempt, juked inside two more defenders and then powered through another cluster of bodies to pick up a crucial first down.

Later, he found a perfectly placed crease and burst through it, racing 76 yards for the longest run by any player in the NFL this season. Walker reached a top speed of 21.21mph, according to Next Gen Stats, with the explosive play setting up Tyquan Thornton's eight-yard touchdown catch to put Kansas City 17-13 ahead early in the fourth quarter.

And how fitting that Walker should be the one to ice the game. The February Super Bowl MVP first powered in from two yards out to give the Chiefs a 23-19 advantage, before capitalising on a Raiders fumble with a spectacular 20-yard dive for the pylon.

Two touchdowns in the space of just 19 seconds.

Game over.

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Already, Walker is putting together an Offensive Player of the Year-calibre campaign as the heartbeat of a revitalised Chiefs offense. His impact extends beyond his own touches, with the threat of his presence opening up space and opportunity for Mahomes to rediscover his magic.

With Sunday's victory, the Chiefs are now the AFC's last unbeaten team following Buffalo's defeat to New England. They are on course to return to the playoffs after missing out for the first time since 2014 last season.

Reid and Mahomes are back with a vengeance, and they may have found the perfect mercenary in Walker to help exorcise the demons of the past.

What we learned

The Buffalo Bills' defense remains a problem. Jim Leonhard's unit entered the season under the microscope, tasked with matching the brilliance of quarterback Josh Allen and providing the production needed on the other side of the ball to finally push Buffalo over the Super Bowl hump. Aside from Greg Rousseau's lightning-fast start, however, the defense has struggled to make a meaningful impact.

The Bills surrendered 405 total yards and 26 first downs in Sunday's 29-26 defeat to the New England Patriots, suffering their first loss of the season against a supposedly struggling Drake Maye and looking increasingly vulnerable in the process. Buffalo remains a team that is difficult to trust.

The Eagles' offensive problems are still very real. Kevin Patullo took plenty of criticism last season for his role in an offense that struggled behind Jalen Hurts, eventually losing his job as offensive coordinator in the offseason and being replaced by Sean Mannion.

Yet the problems have not disappeared. The Eagles managed just seven points in last week's defeat to the Case Keenum-led Chicago Bears and could muster only 172 total yards in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Rams - their fewest in a game since Week 14 of the 2014 season.

Hurts threw for just 93 yards, including only 10 after half-time. There were mitigating factors, with Philadelphia missing both DeVonta Smith and Dalton Schultz, while Saquon Barkley was sidelined for more than half the game. Even so, it has been an undeniably difficult fortnight for Nick Sirianni's team.

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The Raiders may have the best tight end duo in football. The Chiefs were understandably committed to containing Brock Bowers on Sunday, but doing so created opportunities for Michael Mayer to punish them within Klint Kubiak's multiple tight end sets.

Mayer made eight catches for 82 yards in one of the best performances of his NFL career, while he and Bowers combined for 168 receiving yards. Mayer's presence gave Kubiak the freedom to move his star tight end around the formation and create mismatches.

In truth, Bowers is often deployed more like a big-bodied receiver than a traditional tight end, such is the absurdity of his physical gifts. On several occasions Sunday, he was used simply as a body-clearing decoy to create space underneath - a role typically reserved for a player who commands an extraordinary level of defensive attention.

Behind Mayer and Bowers, the Raiders and Kirk Cousins went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs, showcasing an offense capable of competing with - and hurting - the league's best.

Overreaction or reality?

Todd Bowles' tenure as Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach is over.

If it isn't already, it feels increasingly inevitable.

Tampa Bay fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2013 on Sunday after suffering a 17-14 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. With Baker Mayfield sidelined by a thumb injury, the situation could get even worse.

Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels was handed the reins and completed 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. But with Mayfield unavailable and the losses piling up, the Buccaneers' season is already threatening to unravel.

Their biggest saving grace? They play in the NFC South - a division that, at this stage, nobody seems particularly interested in winning.

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Winners & Losers

Winners:

Drake Maye: How about that for a response? Drake Maye was written off after the first three weeks of the season following a difficult start in the aftermath of New England's Super Bowl nightmare in February. But he responded emphatically this weekend, leading the Patriots to a statement victory over the Bills. Maye finished 22 of 37 for 269 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while adding 54 rushing yards. Nerves calmed... for now.

Zay Flowers: Rightly or wrongly, the jury remains out on whether Zay Flowers can be a legitimate needle-mover in Baltimore's Super Bowl pursuit. When he is firing, however, he is a genuine difference-maker for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense. Electric as a downfield playmaker and outstanding at creating separation, Flowers added 118 yards and a touchdown in his side's 24-18 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Keeping Flowers healthy for an entire season will be crucial to Declan Doyle's chances of success.

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Losers:

DeMeco Ryans: It once seemed unfathomable that DeMeco Ryans would find himself under any kind of pressure in his role as Houston Texans head coach, but an 0-4 start will do that. Nico Collins provided a bright spot with 117 yards and two touchdowns on his return from injury, but even Houston's star-studded defense could not hold up its end of the bargain in a 34-30 defeat to the Cowboys.

The Eagles and London: The Eagles were dealt a potentially significant blow in their defeat to the Rams after losing star running back Saquon Barkley to a reported hamstring injury. Barkley missed more than three quarters of the game, adding to the existing absence of DeVonta Smith with Philadelphia now just one week away from facing the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham.

Player of the Weekend - Byron Young, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams

No Myles Garrett? No Aaron Donald? No Jared Verse? No problem.

The strength of Chris Shula's Los Angeles Rams defense last season was the sheer breadth and depth of its pass-rushing options, led by Verse before his offseason trade to the Cleveland Browns. On Sunday, it was Byron Young's turn to underline his importance, producing 2.5 sacks, six tackles, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble in the victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Game of the Weekend

It had to be Dallas.

The Cowboys emerged victorious in the Battle of Texas, overturning a 16-6 half-time deficit to defeat the Houston Texans 34-30 in a thriller that showcased every aspect of their offensive firepower.

CeeDee Lamb was the star, hauling in 17 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown, including 140 yards after the break. Dak Prescott completed 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown, while Javonte Williams added three rushing touchdowns against Houston's elite defense.

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