Here are the Kansas City Chiefs’ grades from Week 12’s win against the Los Angeles Rams

The Chiefs continue to roll after notching their fifth straight win Sunday afternoon.

And they did it with a gritty style during a 26-10 victory against the Los Angeles Rams at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did Mahomes-like things, topping 300 yards passing for the seventh time this season. And the Kansas City defense, for the most part, stuffed the Rams’ offense.

The Chiefs improved to 9-2 ahead of a road showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. Before looking ahead, here are our grades from their win over the Rams.

KC STAR OF THE GAME

It would be easy to go with Mahomes here, but there were three players who earn a look.

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Game, appeared on his way to a big game after the Chiefs’ first offensive series, recording two tackles and a quarterback hit.

Then, then the Chiefs’ interior offensive line, consisting of left guard Nick Allegretti, center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith, clamped down. Donald’s name barely came up after the Chiefs’ first series, and he tallied a single tackle the rest of the game. He finished with three overall.

Full credit goes to Humphrey, Allegretti and Smith for not allowing Donald to take over the game.

“We knew who he was the whole game,” Allegretti said. “He got us early. He’s a great player and we were ready for it, getting extra shots if we could and sliding to him when it was possible. … We were ready for the challenge, and it was a good time.”

REPORT CARD

Passing offense: A-

Mahomes completed 27 of 42 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown with an interception for an 85.4 passer rating. The Chiefs signal-caller added 36 yards on four carries.

Yes, he connected with 10 different receivers and threw for 300-plus yards for a sixth straight game, a mark that should earn an A-plus. But he inexplicably threw an interception in the end zone on a pass intended for tight end Travis Kelce.

Video of the play showed what might have been a no-look pass attempt, but it had no chance to get there as it was thrown directly to Rams defensive back Nick Scott for an easy pick. Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed bailed out Mahomes two plays later by intercepting Rams quarterback Bryce Perkins, and the Chiefs would eventually get points on kicker Harrison Butker’s 22-yard field goal.

Rushing offense: A

Starting his fifth consecutive game, running back Isiah Pacheco collected 69 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 22 carries. He added a catch for 17 yards to give him 86 total yards in the game.

Running back Ronald Jones made his regular-season debut for the Chiefs after being a healthy inactive through the first 10 games of the season. Jones chipped in with 12 yards on four carries and a catch for 22 yards. Jerick McKinnon had three catches for 26 yards.

As a team, the Chiefs pounded out 117 tough yards on a sum 30 carries against a Rams run defense that entered the weekend ranked fourth in the league (95.3 yards allowed).

Passing defense: A+

Starting in place of Matthew Stafford, Rams quarterback Perkins completed 13 of 23 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions to post a dismal 45.6 passer rating.

Sneed and linebacker Nick Bolton each recorded a pick, while the KC defense harassed Perkins throughout the game en route to three sacks and five quarterback hits. The Chiefs’ defensive backs didn’t allow a Rams wideout to top 30 yards receiving.

Rushing defense: B+

The Chiefs did a good job against the Rams’ running back tandem of Cam Akers and Kyren Williams, holding both rushers to less than 38 yards on the ground. But Perkins did hurt the Chiefs with his legs, accumulating a team-high 44 yards on nine carries.

The Chiefs entered the contest ranked fifth in the league, allowing 100.6 yards per game. Los Angeles put a slight dent in that average by rushing for 116 yards on 28 carries (4.1 yards per attempt).

Special teams: A-

This is a good news-bad news scenario. On the good side, which carries the overall grade, is Harrison Butker drilling four field goals and converting two extra points. Butker accounted for 14 of the Chiefs’ 26 points Sunday.

Punter Tommy Townsend also had a punt for 49 yards, which pinned the Rams inside their own 20-yard line.

The bad news, though, goes back to the Chiefs’ all-too-familiar punt returner position. In the first quarter, rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore recorded his muffed — and lost — punt of the season. Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub quickly went to veteran Justin Watson to handle punt-return duties for the rest of the game.