Chiefs Offense Still Has a Lot of Kinks to Work Out Before Playoffs Start
By Scott Rogust
The Kansas City Chiefs have finally slain the dragon. 11 months after their heartbreaking loss in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs defeated the New England Patriots by the score of 23-16.
While Kansas City can take solace in the fact that they clinched the AFC West title, their offense still needs work heading into the playoffs.
Positive: #chiefs really hung tough & won.
— Jeff Fawver (@Jtfawver) December 9, 2019
Concern: the offense continues to be really bad in situational football.
I love Travis Kelce, but a veteran player CANNOT run backwards, lose a 1st down AND fumble.
We have 3 weeks to clean up the mental lapses. Simple as that.
The Chiefs started off hot in the first half and made New England look lost. From Patrick Mahomes' clutch touchdown pass to rookie Mecole Hardman to a Travis Kelce touchdown run in the wildcat formation, the Chiefs entered halftime with a 20-7 lead.
Once the second half started, Kansas City's offense was nowhere to be found.
In their final five meaningful drives of the game, the Chiefs went three-and-out on three occasions. Of course, that can be expected when facing off against Bill Belichick, the master of in-game adjustments.
In the end, the Chiefs scored three points in the second half and had two first downs on their final four meaningful drives. Two Chiefs touchdowns came off of short fields (blocked FG, Brady INT). Pats defense did a great job in this game, offense didn’t hold up their end. https://t.co/V32xbcN4VD
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) December 9, 2019
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was too conservative in his play-calling with a 13-point lead, and his years-long time management issues almost cost them. Sitting on a lead against New England is not the thing you want to do.
This game could've had a different result if the referees hadn't ruled Kelce down on an obvious third-quarter fumble or negated a clear N'Keal Harry touchdown. Luckily, Kansas City's defense stepped up in a huge way to prevent a potential game-tying New England touchdown to seal the victory.
Two straight weeks I’ve covered the @chiefs and I’ve been so impressed with the job Steve Spagnuolo has done with this defense. Clicking and healthy at the right time.
— Tracy Wolfson (@tracywolfson) December 9, 2019
Kansas City needs to work out some kinks offensively in the remaining three games of the regular season. In order for them to make another deep run, they will have to outscore the likes of the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
If not, all Super Bowl aspirations should be thrown out the window.