The Chiefs played Sunday under circumstances that no one could imagine a day after police concluded that linebacker Javon Belcher murdered his 22-year-old girlfriend Kasandra Perkins and then took his own life.

With heavy hearts, they played the complete game that has escaped them all season, knocking off the Panthers 27-21.

"I think in moments of tragedy like this they can either define you or redefine you," QB Brady Quinn said. "I think this team was able to take an event and allow it to redefine us as a team." 

It was a day of firsts, beyond the tragedy. 

Kansas City (2-10) opened the game with a touchdown, the first time they had done that all season. It was on a Peyton Hillis run, his first score as a Chief. The second touchdown came on a pass from Quinn to Tony Moeaki, giving Kansas City its first lead at halftime, 17-14, this season.

That was the first touchdown pass for Quinn since 2009. Playing arguably the best game of his career, he was 19 of 23 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which went to Jon Baldwin for his first touchdown of 2012. Moeaki's was also his first. 

The Chiefs' offense played with great balance as RB Jamaal Charles ran for 127 yards to complement Quinn's timely passes. The defense held Carolina (3-9) with a patched-together unit. Not only was LB Brandon Siler starting in Belcher's place for the first time, the Chiefs played without starting S Kendrick Lewis and throughout the game lost LB Derrick Johnson, CB Brandon Flowers and S Abram Elam. 

"I think when you look in total, all the things that we were able to accomplish, offensively, defensively, and special teams-wise, you might say that this was maybe the best result," coach Romeo Crennel said.

When the game turned: Quinn's touchdown to Moeaki. It would have been difficult to play as well as they had in the first half and not lead at halftime. The Chiefs started the second half strong and added to their lead on Baldwin's touchdown. 

Highlight moment: Again, Quinn's touchdown to Moeaki. It came on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Crennel has played conservatively most of the year and usually in that scenario he would take the field goal. Instead, he trusted Quinn, who found Moeaki wide open in the back of the end zone. 

Top-shelf performances: 

  • Chiefs QB Quinn -- 19 of 23 for 201 yards, 2 TDs, 132.1 QB rating

     
  • Chiefs RB Charles -- 127 yards on 27 carries

     
  • Chiefs TE Moeaki -- 4 catches, 54 receiving yards, TD

     
  • Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson -- 5 tackles, sack

     
  • Panthers QB Cam Newton -- 15 of 27, 232 yards, 3 touchdowns

     
  • Panthers WR Steve Smith -- 5 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD

What they said about playing in the face of tragedy: 

  • Owner/CEO Clark Hunt -- "I was so proud of how everybody, coaching staff and players pulled together, and really put their best effort out there on the field and probably played the best game they played all year."

     
  • Chiefs QB Matt Cassel -- "You lose a teammate, but at the same time there's a 22-year-old woman that loses her life. There's a 3-month-old kid that's going to grow up not knowing her mother or father. It's a very tough situation. It was a sobering feeling coming in here. I'm proud of the way this team responded to what we faced." 

     
  • Chiefs QB Quinn -- "It was tough. You don't feel like you can win in this situation."
     

  • Panthers coach Ron Rivera: “The only way to approach this is to try and go forward. I explained to the players what happened and tried to get them focused on the game and then go from there. I explained to them before the game that this was going to be an emotional game for them. We had to match their emotion with an energy level. We had to raise our energy level. They played an inspired football game. They did some really good things, and we have to give them credit because they suffered through a very difficult time and rallied as a team. So congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs and congratulations to Romeo Crennel and the folks there.”

Numbers you should know: Charles topped 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in his career. He has 1,055 yards and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry a season after tearing his ACL. 

Injury update: Kansas City -- LB Johnson (hamstring), CB Flowers (hamstring) and S Elam (leg) all left the game and did not return. Carolina -- WR Brandon LaFell left the game late with a foot injury and did not return. 

Going forward: Chiefs -- The Chiefs will have to deal with grieving and preparing to play out the final four games of their season. They are on the road next week at Cleveland. Panthers -- Carolina came to Kansas City after a strong performance against Philadelphia on the road. The Panthers will try to get back on track against Atlanta at home.

Follow Chiefs reporter C.J. Moore on Twitter @CBSChiefs and @cjmoore4.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow@CBSPanthers.