The Chiefs still hold the keys to their playoff fate, and one surprise scenario could change everything.QQ
Only time will tell how this all unfolds, but for now, let’s take a look at what we can learn from the Chiefs’ record of 5-5.
The unknown is often a source of fear. Uncertainty is uncomfortable, unsettling, and can disrupt almost every facet of your life. It comes in many forms, too—an unresolved fight with a partner that calls what’s next into question, an undiagnosed medical concern. Or it could come from a favorite football contender that sits with a 5-5 record after its first 10 games.
This Kansas City Chiefs football season has done nothing but create an ever-present sense of uncertainty. After the Chiefs lost yet another perplexing game on Sunday to the Denver Broncos, they stand with no real identity—and no real glaring holes. How can a team this talented be this average? How can a team that’s played so badly at times have impressive wins sprinkled in? Those two questions come from very different places, but somehow are wholly applicable to the same team. How do we not know anything about a team that we should know well?
The Chiefs, and by proxy, we the fans, are in the middle of a very interesting transitional period. On the surface, they should be chugging along, as they have for the last six seasons. The Chiefs have appeared in five of six Super Bowls while winning three, garnering “dynasty” status in the process. Yet they already sat outside the playoff picture before losing again in Denver.
Some fans are casting aside their pom poms for pitchforks, calling for massive change across the board in Kansas City. This is short-sighted. Others are equally delusional by hanging onto the “13 seconds” lore that the Chiefs were once able to muster. That’s living in the past. Somewhere between “It’s fine, we have Mahomes” and “Fire everyone, the game has passed them by” lies the proper response.
The most frustrating part of all is that none of us really know what we’re watching. Is this an offensive juggernaut or a hot rod that’s 10,000 miles late for an oil change? The defense is not good and yet is incredible in the same breath (which is impossible), but we’re watching it happen. That’s part of the problem. Even after 10 games, Chiefs Kingdom has no clue what it is we’re watching.
Only time will tell how this all unfolds, but for now, let’s take a look at what we know from Sunday.
The offense lacks identity, and it’s not the players’ fault
Receivers drop passes. Running backs miss holes. Quarterbacks misread defenses and throw interceptions. All of those things happen in literally every football game, regardless of who the respective receivers, running backs, or quarterbacks are. For those interested in pinning the Chiefs’ offensive woes on the players on the field, you may want to skip ahead to the next section.
How do we make any sense whatsoever of an offensive game plan that saw Kansas City’s offensive staff drop Patrick Mahomes back 45 times while only calling 13 designed runs, especially against the NFL’s sack leaders by a wide margin? This was like being invited to a well-advertised gun fight and electing to bring a spork.
The Chiefs’ front office has committed to running the football. The Chiefs employ the NFL’s highest-paid center and guard. They swapped an elite pass protector for a young mauler at left guard. The running back room isn’t impressive, but the Chiefs were averaging 5 yards a carry against the Broncos’ defense. Time and time again in crucial situations, even short yardage situations, Andy Reid and Matt Nagy elected to drop back and let Nik Bonnito and Co. pin their ears back and disrupt a passing game that clearly didn’t have much rhythm from the start on Sunday.
We’ve all seen the Planet Earth docuseries. There are times when zebras are prancing elegantly about, sipping water out of mirage-level pools, and enjoying life. The next minute, they’re running for their life from a pack of lions. An ecosystem is created and can shift quickly, and the Chiefs’ offensive staff is putting its zebras and gazelles in a small room with hungry lions far too often this season.
