Entering Week 15, the Kansas City Chiefs were in the midst of a rough patch where they’d lost four of their last six games. That includes the previous two weeks against Green Bay and Buffalo, games most assumed they’d win coming in. Despite not performing like Super Bowl champs, the scheduling gods dropped a blessing in the Chiefs’ laps in the form of the struggling New England Patriots on Sunday. It was just what KC needed to get back on track, beating New England 27-17–but the Chiefs still don’t look like a team ready for another run at the big one.
While a win is a win no matter the route taken, the Chiefs aren’t operating as their usual selves. The offense hasn’t been as explosive in the past few weeks as we’ve been accustomed to in recent seasons. From Week 11 through 14, Kansas City scored 20 or more points just once, which came in their win over the Raiders, 31-17. In the other three games, the Chiefs scored 19 once and 17 twice, resulting in losses.
While scoring nearly 30 points against the Pats, this Chiefs’ offense still looked out of sync. Between Patrick Mahomes’ turnovers and wide receivers dropping passes, it’s hard to tell what’s cost them more over the past couple of months. Mahomeboy played well Sunday afternoon but added another two interceptions. The second wasn’t really his fault, but that’s where his receivers’ penchant for dropping his passes comes into play.
Passing for 300 yards and two touchdowns while completing close to 73 percent is fantastic, but when you can’t get on the same page as the guys catching those passes, there’s an issue. That seems to have been the issue most of the year, and it finally caught up to Mahomes and the Chiefs. The defense truly has been KC’s saving grace this year, ranking third in the NFL in points allowed at 17.5.
As pleasant a surprise as that’s been, this squad was built around explosive offensive plays and Mahomes often making something out of nothing. Lately, they haven’t been able to stay out of their own way on offense. Self-inflicted wounds are the worst and usually cause the most damage to any football team. The defense finally catching up and pulling their weight is great, but if Mahomes can’t cut back on the turnovers, they might not be celebrating in January and February. At this rate Taylor Swift’s association might be remembered as the most exciting thing about Kansas City’s 2023 campaign.
During Mahomes’ tenure as starting quarterback, the Chiefs have yet to travel for a postseason game. KC has been in the playoffs every year since 2018 and hasn’t played on the road once. That streak is in jeopardy with the Chiefs trailing behind the Ravens and Dolphins in the AFC. Although KC’s remaining schedule is favorable, facing the Raiders, Bengals, and Chargers to close the season. All three teams are down to backup QBs. So, while the Chiefs may not look like “the Chiefs,” home-field advantage is still within reach, but Mahomes and the offense need to remedy this funk soon.
