The Kansas City Chiefs believed they had gained momentum from their overtime win over the Colts last Sunday. However, four days later, their defense was exposed, the offense faltered for two quarters, and the Dallas Cowboys kept running the same plays, and KC was unable to stop them, losing another one-score game 31-28.
I’ve run out of excuses for this football team. The Kansas City Chiefs have now lost three of their last four games against three of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. The defense, which was stellar against the Colts, was exposed for its lack of playmakers. Cornerback Trent McDuffie continues to make the case for not getting a contract extension.
He can’t play physical football against taller receivers, and when he’s matched outside (versus inside), he has struggled most of this season. Jaylen Watson wasn’t any better, and the pending free agent could not handle the Cowboys’ George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb when they ran slant routes.
Both cornerbacks had multiple pass interference penalties that kept the Cowboys offense on the field.
Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo tried to blitz Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott, but the secondary couldn’t cover Pickens or Lamb. The bad news is they have no answers to fix their pass coverage issues or their weak pass rush.
The failures on defense to pressure the quarterback, aside from Chris Jones, were glaring on every third-down play. This team hasn’t gotten anything from George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and Charles Omenihu, who didn’t pressure Prescott all day.
Still, this game hinged on two plays late in the fourth quarter. With the ball deep in Chiefs territory and the Cowboys driving, backup safety Mike Edwards dropped an interception at the 10-yard line. On the next play, McDuffie knocked the ball loose from Pickens, but despite having four Chiefs defenders near the ball, the Cowboys hustled to recover it.
That led to a field goal and ultimately decided the football game.
Still, Patrick Mahomes gave it his all by throwing four touchdowns, but Superman couldn’t do much to help the defense. More concerning was the Chiefs’ already short-handed offensive line losing both tackles. Josh Simmons left with a wrist injury, and Jawaan Taylor left with an elbow injury.
Making matters worse, Simmons had a cast on his wrist and was wearing a sling in the locker room, so it’s safe to assume his season has ended. Suddenly, this offensive line is in shambles if both tackles are out for the foreseeable future.
On the sidelines, Andy Reid didn’t call a very good game, and if not for Mahomes’s heroics in the fourth quarter, this would have been a blowout loss. His team was undisciplined on both sides of the ball, and, as mentioned, Simmons wiped out two potential scoring drives with needless penalties in the first half.
Now the Chiefs are facing a must-win five-game stretch to reach 11 wins and secure a spot in the postseason.
However, if they fail, this team needs a restart, and Mahomes will miss the postseason for the first time in his brilliant career.
The Chiefs led 14-0, but they were outscored 31-14 the rest of the way. The Cowboys’ defense was brilliant, keeping it simple by putting a body on the Chiefs’ tight ends and receivers.
Yes, they pressured Mahomes mostly after he lost his starting tackles, but he still made magic happen. His return to Dallas was bittersweet, despite two fourth-down touchdown passes, making it a tough homecoming.
No matter what happens in the last five games of the season, some serious decisions need to be made beyond Andy Reid on the coaching staff, especially since the rest of the AFC has caught up and surpassed the Chiefs.
Now, they once again must rely on Mahomes to win out and hope the playoff ball goes their way. Even if they qualify for a road postseason game, they stand 1-5 away from Arrowhead this season.
In reality, with one more loss, it’s going to be a long offseason that begins with finger-pointing and ultimately results in accountability from the top of the organization down.
