Chiefs: Tick-Tock, Another Loss

Chiefs: Tick-Tock, Another Loss, K.C. Goes Down 31-to-24 – There’s no way to sugarcoat the Kansas City Chiefs loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Chiefs were awful and deserved to lose that game, much like they deserved to lose their game the week prior against the Indianapolis Colts.  Also, since we’re being honest, I’m not so sure that they deserved their squeaker of a win two weeks ago against the Detroit Lions.

This is a team in trouble. Free fall even. If they continue to play as they have the past two weeks, they will be lucky to limp into the playoffs on the road on Wildcard weekend only to be one and done come the weekend of January, 4/5, 2020.

It was the usual suspects that contributed to the soul-crushing loss against the Texans: a porous defense and a wet paper bag front four masquerading as an offensive line. Although the D and the O-Lines have proven they can lose a game all by themselves, additional help to cement the loss came in the form of ineffectual play-calling from Head Coach Andy Reid and a gimpy Patrick Mahomes devoid of his trademark magic.

The 20th-ranked Texans defense pressured Mahomes the entire game, registering one sack along with a matching interception, his first of the season.  To add to the Chiefs woes, Reid opted to run the ball only 11 times the entire game with the Chiefs gaining a paltry 53 yards and zero TDs.

In contrast, the Texans ran the ball 41 times racking up 192 yards scoring three touchdowns. The Chiefs castoff, RB Carlos Hyde, exacted revenge on his former team accounting for 116 of those rushing yards and registering one TD.  Texans QB Deshaun Watson also contributed 42 of those yards along with 2 TDs.

A mere 11 rushing attempts will not win a football game. Last week’s loss to the Colts featured 14 runs for an even worse 36 yards. Sunday’s game was eerily similar. In fact, the parallel between the two games is telling:

In his infinite wisdom, Coach Reid did finally choose a running play. Down 24-31, with under six minutes left in the game, on 2nd-and-14 yards to go, Mahomes hands it to Chiefs RB LeSean McCoy who barely rushed for a yard.  An incomplete pass on the next play, and Mahomes would not touch the ball again during the game. Our last image of Mahomes was our hobbled QB on the sidelines anxiously, futilely awaiting one more chance to make something happen.

It is an image we’ve grown all too familiar with. We saw it in last week’s game against Colts, and before that, we saw it in overtime in last season’s AFC Championship game against the Patriots. It’s heartbreaking to see and I could go without seeing it again this season.

However, I do want to see Mahomes on the sideline this Thursday night against the Broncos… for the entire game. Face it, our MVP has been an average QB these past couple of weeks. His ankle is obviously more of an issue than they’re letting on. Sit Mahomes for the week and let him heal. He needs his mojo back, and Chiefs Kingdom needs Magic Mahomes back.

I’d much rather Chiefs drop a third game with a second-string QB at this point in our season, than to further risk injury to PMII and face the second-half of the season without him. Even if it is against the hated Broncos. All chances of success in the postseason, if we even make it, depend solely on number 15.

We need help on the offensive line and on defense. We won’t go anywhere with the personnel that we have. Chiefs GM Brett Veach must work his magic prior to the trade deadline on October 29th. That leaves the Chiefs with just two weeks to get help on the offensive line and a playmaker on defense. For the offensive line: I’m looking at Washington Redskins guard, Brandon Scherff.  For the defensive line: let’s make a play for the Cincinnati Bengals two-time Pro-Bowler Geno Atkins. Unfortunately, the asking price of Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey is just too high. He’s good, he just ain’t that good.

Look, it’s just a game. Sure, the second straight that we lost, but it’s all fixable. However, that requires making some moves in the free agent market, running the ball more with efficient runners (btw, where is Darwin Thompson), shoring up our offensive line, ensuring Mahomes is healthy down the stretch, and getting a difference-maker on the defensive-side of the ball. So far this season, Frank Clark has been a bust, although his forced fumble and subsequent recovery yesterday offers a glimmer of hope.

Even with a loss, I cannot end a Chiefs article without something positive. So here goes: welcome back, Tyreek Hill! You were much missed and your five receptions for 80 yards and 2 touchdowns was beautiful and a welcome sight for Chiefs Kingdom.

Tyrann Mathieu you are a beast! Your performance Sunday with ten tackles and one pass defended was awe-inspiring. You seem to be everywhere all the time. Alas, you are only one player and Veach needs to get you help… and fast.

Again, it’s just a(nother) game and the problems are fixable.  However, fixing things requires actions and changes. Coach Reid and GM Veach, time’s a wastin’: Tick-Tock.

Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne

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