The Kansas City Chiefs started the year undefeated and looking like the clear favorite to go back to the Super Bowl and potentially win their third straight, something that has never been done before. While they kept winning these close games against every team they played, there was nothing that could really be said against the team.
When you win, everything is great, but now that the team has gotten their first loss, it seems appropriate to talk about all the signs that have been there the whole time that this team is the worst offense we have ever seen in Patrick Mahomes’ tenure with the Chiefs. Almost every game they have played has come down to the wire, even against some of the poor teams in the NFL, and after their first loss, let’s analyze the team’s performance so far and why there are major reasons for concern for the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Patrick Mahomes Has Been Awful, By His Standards
Mahomes started his career unlike any quarterback ever seen, and he has been deemed the greatest already by many. In Mahomes’ first year as a starter, he was the MVP and had one of the greatest regular seasons for a quarterback of all time, and since then it’s been a ton of winning. The team is coming off back-to-back Super Bowls and many analysts believe they will win it again this year.
While the competition is not quite fierce in the AFC, this Chiefs team, and specifically Mahomes, have been awful by their standards offensively. Their top defense in the league is the main reason they are not .500 or worse at this moment in the season, and if their defense does not show up for any of the playoff games this team plays in, they will be sent home.
Mahomes has the Chiefs scoring 24 points per game this year, which is a full score less than his career average, and he is turning the ball over more than once per game. Mahomes has thrown for 15 touchdowns so far this season which ranks 10th in the league, and he is 11th in passing yards. While those are both fine stat lines, they are way below anything we are used to with the Chiefs. Mahomes is also near the top in interceptions with 11 in ten games, averaging more than one per game.
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The team is not starting hot either, as five of Mahomes’ interceptions are in the first quarter while he is still yet to throw a touchdown pass in the first quarter of any game this season. The Chiefs were able to avoid any of these conversations because they kept winning, but this team looks a lot like the Philadelphia Eagles from last year.
Kansas City Chiefs Defense Is Carrying The Team
The defense has been carrying this team, and if not for a few crucial plays throughout the season, this team could have 2, 3, or even more losses at this point. They have been the more prepared team and experienced team, so it makes sense they have been able to gut out many close wins, but in the post-season, this Chiefs team could really lose to anyone.
They have two wins out of their 9 that have been more than one score victories, and many of their wins came down to a couple of plays or penalty calls that went in their favor. This team should be respected and feared as they are the two-time defending champions, but the Bills just showed that this is a very weak version of the Chiefs from other seasons.
The Chiefs’ defense kept them in the game, and if not for a couple of plays, the Bills could have blown the game way open in the first half. If their defense stalls at any point in the playoffs this team will get sent packing. The team will have a few more tests ahead of the playoffs, and they will really need to lock up the one seed if they have any hopes of making the Super Bowl again this season.
They caught fire in the playoffs last year after another down year of Mahomes and the offense and were able to pull off an incredible championship run, but while it seems like everything is great in Kansas City with a 9-1 record, this team is in trouble. The main thing going for them is that there are no other great teams in the AFC or even the NFL for that matter.
Kansas City is the only proven Super Bowl champion and they can lean on experience to win tight playoff games. The only issue is that if their defense isn’t playing elite football, they could find themselves in games that are not so close, with their team on the losing side. The Eagles last season started 10-0 before crumbling and getting smacked in the playoffs, and this Chiefs team looks like the exact same thing may happen to them.
2 Comments
On the Chiefs: That’s what happens when you have Eric Benemy changing the Mahomes plays. Plus they got rid of Tyrek Hill, That was a big bone head move. They need to get rid of the he guy doing all the trading.
On the Chiefs: That’s what happens when you have Eric Benemy changing the Mahomes plays. Plus they got rid of Tyrek Hill, That was a big bone head move. They need to get rid of the he guy doing all the trading.