Arrowhead Pride
How is a Kansas City Chiefs fan supposed to feel, anyway?
FanDuel Sportsbook still lists the Chiefs as the Super Bowl favorite. Over the last six games, the offense has looked like its vintage self — and the defense appeared to be turning the corner.
But if the season ended today, Kansas City’s 5-4 record would keep it out of the playoffs. Sunday’s 28-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills has seen to that.
Did you watch the game? I wish I hadn’t.
My late friend Terez Paylor used to refer to such a matchup as “the regular season loss which portends playoff failure.” His idea was that flaws reveal themselves over time. Eventually, they’re exposed for all to see.
Is that what we witnessed? The offensive line couldn’t protect the Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The running game lacked any presence. The defense couldn’t put any pressure on Buffalo’s quarterback Josh Allen.
Under the circumstances, many Kansas City fans expected the team to get some help before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline. But the Chiefs — as you might have heard — didn’t make a trade.
For the offensive line, help was already on the way. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons’ return is likely to be more impactful than any trade the team could have made.
With regard to the running game, it was reported that Kansas City offered the New York Jets a fourth-round draft pick for running back Breece Hall — who is halfway through the final year of his rookie contract — but the Jets would accept nothing less than a third-round selection.
That deal never made much sense to me — not because New York was insisting on a third-rounder, but because right or wrong, the Chiefs believe in their running back Isiah Pacheco. At every turn, they’ve backed him with their actions as much as their words — and before his latest injury, he performed admirably. With Kareem Hunt’s short-yardage ability and rookie Brashard Smith’s expanding role as a gadget player and pass-catching back, Kansas City has a decent backfield. To me, giving up a top-100 selection for an upgrade at a position with minimal usage in Kansas City’s offense made little sense.
But the Chiefs’ defensive line definitely needs pass-rushing help. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen was under pressure for just eight of Sunday’s 30 dropbacks. On those, he was 3-for-5 for 45 yards and took three sacks. But when kept clean, he was 20-for-21 for 228 yards and a touchdown.
Sunday wasn’t an outlier. Kansas City has 20 sacks — which ranks 17th — but that feels misleading. According to PFR, only the Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers have lower pressure rates — and no team has fewer hurries.
Why? The short answer is that Chris Jones is no longer playing at a Hall of Fame level — and he’s in the second year of a five-year contract worth more than $150 million. Halfway through...
