Five games into the 2026-27 season, the Kansas City Chiefs have helped themselves in a major way by already picking up three wins against divisional opponents. Sunday's Week 6 triumph over the Los Angeles Chargers wasn't the prettiest of victories, but Andy Reid's team thoroughly outplayed its rival by a multitude of measurements nonetheless.
In the 22-6 outcome in favor of the hosts, several critical players managed to make an impact on their respective side of the ball. Others struggled to execute what was asked of them, although there's still plenty of time to turn things around.
Let's dive into the good and bad from Week 6's Chiefs victory against Los Angeles and single out three players whose stock is trending up, as well as three who could use a better showing in Week 7 and beyond.
Chiefs Stock Up After Week 6
These players stood out for positive reasons over the weekend, potentially changing the trajectory of their seasons in the process.
Nohl Williams
The Chiefs' defense is performing at a very respectable level this season, and its new-look secondary is a significant reason why. A returning player from a year ago, 2025 third-round pick Nohl Williams, has starred to this point in the campaign and may have turned in his best outing yet on Sunday.
After making a big-time downhill tackle on the Chargers' opening drive, the Cal product was banged up but stayed in the game and continued to get noticed. A pair of pass breakups — one on a second-and-9 on the next possession and a third-and-goal stop in the second half — showcased his instincts and timing. Finally, Williams prevented wideout KeAndre Lambert-Smith from converting on a fourth down in the final frame.
The sophomore stopper is disruptive, tough and thorough in the defensive backfield, which is precisely what Kansas City needs.
Xavier Worthy
What a turnaround it's been over the last month for one Xavier Worthy. Through three outings, he'd averaged five targets a game but managed only 6.3 yards per reception and looked more and more like an afterthought in the offense. In his last two weeks of play, he's gone for seven targets each time and racked up 143 yards in the process, good for 13 yards per catch. Sunday was his most complete showing to date.
Worthy had a 33-yarder wiped out by an illegal block by tight end Travis Kelce right out of the gate, then followed it up with a gain of 15 on the very next play. He notched 70 yards on five receptions in the first half alone and made a nice diving snag in the second half. With the KC wideout room severely banged up at the moment, Worthy's ability to step up and rise to the occasion is a pleasant surprise for the Chiefs as the season approaches its midpoint.
Noah Gray
Speaking of players who made the most of their opportunities in Week 6, Noah Gray matched the receiving output of Kelce by mustering 53 yards in the home win. Gray hauled in each of the three targets thrown his way and displayed some rare post-catch chops on a 31-yard rumble to boot. Kelce's ankle injury limited his effectiveness and availability a bit, so Gray being the one to help insulate the pass catchers was a nice development.
There's only room for three here, but defensive end George Karlaftis deserves considerable praise for his recent play. He's undoubtedly turning into quite the productive player for Kansas City and has been a driving force in multiple victories.
Chiefs Stock Down After Week 6
This group of three didn't live up to the hype in Week 6. It isn't necessarily time to panic, but it's certainly time to be on watch.
Nikko Remigio
Back to the aforementioned receiver injuries. Given that Tyquan Thornton is on injured reserve due to a dislocated ankle and Rashee Rice needed (at least) another week to rehab a hamstring issue, this was a massive chance for a lesser-discussed wideout like Nikko Remigio to take a role and run with it on Sunday. He did nothing of the sort on the offensive end, receiving all of two offensive snaps. He also had a special teams fumble.
Coordinator Dave Toub has preached patience with his group getting out to a slow start, but mistakes persist in multiple areas of special teams. Remigio, whose role seems defined, isn't doing anything to justify being a long-term solution as a returner.
Harrison Butker
It's now been several years in a row of Harrison Butker not matching the leaguewide perception of him being one of the best in the business. It's this writer's take that those days are clearly over now, even if the team won't admit it, especially given another missed extra point and some waning effectiveness on long-range boots.
Butker's trump card is his ability to make pressure-packed kicks, which is one heck of a positive to bring to the table, but everything else is questionable right now. Week 6 only underscored that.
Chris Roland-Wallace
Had he not gotten ejected for throwing a punch, defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace wouldn't have even been considered for a spot here. He made multiple solid plays elsewhere, including a big tackle for loss and a tipped interception that got nullified by a penalty. At the end of the day, though, you simply can't put your team in a compromising position like that.
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