If you can’t see it with your own eyes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense is broken. Turnovers, penalties, and an indecisive quarterback against the hapless Las Vegas Raiders contributed to the loss.
The Christmas Day game was supposed to be a coronation for the Kansas City Chiefs to win their 8th consecutive AFC West title in front of the home faithful. Instead, the offense lays one egg after another, and the frustration builds to a point where it won’t get any better anytime this season.
I don’t care about the final score, nor did the Kansas City Chiefs defense give up three field goals and lose the game. Once again, Patrick Mahomes ran for his life, and when he had open receivers, he ignored them. Did he not trust them?
He didn’t, and that’s on Mahomes. For the third straight week, he’s had open receivers but didn’t pull the trigger. Granted, his tackles, rookie Wanya Morris and free agent bust right tackle Jawaan Taylor, were overmatched on Monday.
The Raiders primarily used a four-man pass rush, and Mahomes ran for his life on nearly every snap. The running game could have been better. Pacheco left the game with a concussion, Travis Kelce looked tired, and his antics with Reid at the end of the first half exasperated their boiling point.
The Chief’s offense needs to be more proficient, and for whatever reason, Reid and Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy are turning Mahomes into an ineffective quarterback. Reid can talk all he wants about being better as a coach and play-caller, but he’s not made a single adjustment, and his vanilla offense is growing stale and easy to defend.
Kansas City uses so much misdirection that teams don’t move with players in motion. They corner both ends of the line, and based on formations, it’s easy to dissect which play Reid has called.
So many times, Reid used bubble formations in big third-down situations and didn’t put five guys out wide, spreading the field. Still, as much as we want to blame Reid, Mahomes has lost his Mojo, and it’s apparent he’s not happy with the direction of the offense.
However, he’s NOT doing anything about it. He can dissect any defense, yet he doesn’t audible the play call at the line of scrimmage and has become a deflated pocket passer because this offense is shackling his greatness.
It doesn’t help that his receivers spent the day walking around the field instead of running to their spots. Still, even with the receiver woes, Mahomes threw a lazy pick-six and then fumbled a snap on the next offensive series that handed the Raiders fourteen points in .09 seconds.
That was the end of the game.
Mahomes is the most significant part of the offensive woes. He has so much talent, but if I were Reid, I would have brought in Blaine Gabbert; he couldn’t have done any worse.
The offensive coaching staff remains so dependent on Reid to lead them that none of the other coaches take charge. They are all his friends, and the buddy system has been a hallmark of Reid’s tenure in Kansas City and Philadelphia.
Listen, I don’t want to ruin my Christmas or yours, and I understand we are all upset, but the reality is this team isn’t going to win back-to-back Super Bowls. They are a sloppy bunch that makes too many mistakes, and the offense doesn’t have enough playmakers to overcome the trust of its quarterback.
The Raiders’ defense was on fire from the game’s opening play, and they never gave up. Mahomes had zero answers for their relentless energy.
Ultimately, I feel sorry for the fans who lined up at 4:30 AM and delayed or altered their Christmas plans with family and friends to lose their fourth game at Arrowhead this season.
It’s a short week for the Chiefs, who face the sliding Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve, with a chance to win the AFC West. KC’s magic number remains just a single win, so either a Chiefs win over the next two weeks or a Broncos and/or Raiders loss, Kansas City will likely be the #3 seed in the AFC playoffs.
It’s clear now, barring a miracle, should the Chiefs win a wild card game at Arrowhead, something hardly assured at this stage, Mahomes will play on the road in the playoffs for the first time in his career.
