The narrative post-game after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 22-17 road win over the Atlanta Falcons is that the Chiefs’ offense is nowhere close to a finished product. Yet, with Mahomes and Kelce struggling, no Hollywood Brown or Isiah Pacheco, this team is 3-0 for the first time since 2020.
A few more questions about the Kansas City Chiefs must be answered this week. However, after Nick Bolton and company had a pair of impressive defensive stands late in the game as the Chiefs defeated the Atlanta Falcons in their early season Super Bowl, the questions on defense have been answered.
The last two words in the previous paragraph (Super Bowl) make it clear why nobody should panic that Mahomes threw his fourth interception in three games, Travis Kelce’s struggle, or the fact that the Chiefs have already changed their starter at left tackle.
They’ll figure it out. That’s what they do.
With no Hollywood Brown until the playoffs and Isiah Pacheco out until late November, guys like Running Back Carson Steele, Left Tackle Wanya Morris, and wide receiver Rashee Rice are prime examples of how resilient this football team is offensively every Sunday.
Listen, I can criticize Mahomes, and he deserves it. By his admission after the game, he made it clear that his football execution wasn’t good enough. Yet, they are 3-0 on the season and in first place in the AFC West.
If they can defeat the Los Angeles Chargers on the road next Sunday, they can distance themselves from the pack in the division.
Until then, we will wonder which Chiefs offense will show up.
Conversely, the Chief’s defense played their best football of the season. With their backs against the goal line on two consecutive fourth-quarter drives, they made the plays to stop Atlanta from getting any points.
Yes, they might have been aided by a no-call penalty on Chiefs Safety Bryan Cook for pass interference on Kyle Pitts, which was borderline. However, in my view and the interpretation of the back judge, the ball was thrown low, and thus, there was no penalty.
Let’s be honest: they would throw that flag if Travis Kelce were in the end zone.
Still, as Chiefs fans lament the offense’s woes, especially in the red zone, you must remember that Mahomes is the hunted. The Ravens, Bengals, and Falcons played two high safeties to prevent the big plays in all three wins. They decided to allow the Chiefs to run the ball and force them to score touchdowns on long drives. It has worked in KC’s three wins because they’ve settled for too many field goals.
In most cases, they executed that defense perfectly, giving up three field goals instead of touchdowns. That kept the Falcons in the game. Yet, questions remain on this offense that appear unsettling to some, but it doesn’t matter.
The only goal in Kansas City is winning Super Bowls. The Chief’s bread and butter is good enough to stack wins for now. In the process, they have time to get Kelce more involved, develop Carson Steele into a full-time starter, and eventually get Xavier Worthy on track.
With Brown out and Rice excelling, Worthy must be more decisive running routes, and as we saw firsthand with his interception in the end zone, Mahomes must hit him when he’s open and not allow coverages to catch up to the Chief’s first-round pick.
Worthy must adjust his routes if the ball is short or headed to the other team. He could have made a play on Simmons on the ill-advised pass and interception, knocking the ball out of his hands. However, he broke up a potential interception in the second half to his credit, so he adjusted.
I said last week that you should never make excuses for tight or ugly wins. I’m not about to do that now. The Chiefs are the best football team in the NFL, and it’s not even close. The Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Pittsburgh Steelers are the best of the three remaining undefeated teams.
The Buffalo Bills are undefeated, and we’ll see if that’s true after their Monday Night showdown against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars.
So, with a massive divisional game coming up against a Chargers team that has injuries to its quarterback, Justin Herbert, both starting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, and its best defender, Joey Bosa, the Chiefs can’t overlook the importance of this game Sunday.
If they can stack another win on Sunday, they can, for all practical purposes, book another AFC West crown.
Either way, with the game six days away, you can bet it’ll still be a fourth-quarter game, and that’s just fine by me.
