On the surface, this Kansas City Chiefs season has played out like so many have for the franchise in the recent past.
Patrick Mahomes and Co. have sprinted out to a 9-1 start to the season, with the only blemish coming on the road against Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has become one of the stingiest and most feared in the NFL, and head coach Andy Reid has found a way for his team to come through in the most important moments of some of the tightest games of the season.
However, still, Mahomes and rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy haven’t quite gotten on the same page, the Chiefs have looked more the part of survivors rather than dominators, and in a crowded AFC they haven’t quite looked as intimidating as in years past as the Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, and others look to mount a legitimate charge at the No. 1 seed.
Should the Kansas City Chiefs Be Concerned About Stretch of Inconsistent Play?
One NFL scout tells me that he’d be worried about the Chiefs, if he were in that building.
“I buy and certainly understand the concern,” the scout tells me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about another team. “Their point differential isn’t good, and the QB by the numbers and watching him isn’t the same.
“Now, it may change once he gets healthy people back, but you can’t ignore what your eyes tell you and what the numbers back, in my opinion.”
Entering Week 12, the typically dominant Chiefs have a +49 points differential, just ninth in the NFL, while surviving on a turnover differential of minus-5.
Those turnovers could prove extra costly both in high-pressure situations against playoff caliber competition and especially once the postseason rolls around.
Meanwhile, Mahomes has already been sacked 22 times, which is six shy of his highest total for an entire season.
The Chiefs had been counting on first-round rookie Xavier Worthy’s game-altering speed igniting the vertical passing game, but that to date hasn’t translated for Mahomes, Worthy and the offense.
Through his first 10 NFL games, Worthy has caught 24 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns, while averaging 12.8 yards per reception.
“As the season has gone on, he’s playing faster,” Mahomes told reporters Wednesday of Worthy. “He has more confidence. It’s about me being on the same page as him. We can practice it all we want, but until we start doing it in the game, there’s not much more I can say about it.”
Worthy and Mahomes have left more than their share of big plays out on the field, one of which wound up costing Kansas City in a Week 11 loss to the Bills.
“Worthy is a rookie,” the scout points out. “It may be another year before he fully ‘figures it out.'”
Kansas City seems to lack its aura of invincibility that have come to define them during this era, and the data suggests that trouble could be on the horizon for the Chiefs down the stretch this season.
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