{"id":91060,"date":"2025-09-10T22:20:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=91060"},"modified":"2025-09-10T22:21:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:21:51","slug":"can-the-chiefs-overcome-their-week-1-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=91060","title":{"rendered":"Super Bowl Contenders in Trouble? Can the Chiefs Overcome the Problems From Week 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Do that three more times. Everything is going to be alright.<\/p>\n

I think. Maybe.<\/p>\n

Probably<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s acknowledge the obvious: the Kansas City Chiefs\u2019 season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday night was a big disappointment. The offense had an eerie resemblance to the unit most of us did not particularly enjoy watching last year. Meanwhile, the defense was unrecognizable. That wasn\u2019t<\/em> a good thing.<\/p>\n

But over the long term, how much does that matter?<\/p>\n

I certainly don\u2019t believe the loss was a complete one-off \u2014 but I also don\u2019t believe the sky is falling. The answer \u2013 as usual \u2013 lies somewhere in between.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin with the offense.<\/p>\n

This part of the team was supposed to look and feel different in 2025. The offensive line had an offseason makeover. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finally had running back Isiah Pacheco \u2014 along with wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy \u2014 on the field together at full health. Wideout Rashee Rice was set to join them in six weeks.<\/p>\n

But on Friday night, things changed quickly. Worthy went down with a shoulder injury three plays into the game. The offense suddenly looked like a mirror image of the unit we saw a year ago, but with Worthy swapped out for Brown and two new starters on the left side of the offensive line.<\/p>\n

The results looked mighty similar, too.<\/p>\n

The Kansas City offense once again lacked any explosive elements that could take the top off the Los Angeles defense. We saw just three passing plays of at least 20 yards \u2014 and the only running play longer than 10 yards was a 15-yard scramble by Mahomes.<\/p>\n

Oh, yes\u2026 Mahomes. We can\u2019t forget about him, because he was mostly spectacular<\/em>. He played what my dear friend Terez Paylor might have described as an \u201cover my dead body\u201d game. He did everything he could to drag the rest of the offense into the matchup.<\/p>\n

But it was too little \u2014 and too late.<\/p>\n

That brings us to the defense. Woah<\/em>\u2026 buddy\u2026 the defense<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll start with the good part \u2014 and it won\u2019t take long:<\/p>\n

The run defense was surprisingly impressive. The Chargers\u2019 running backs combined for just 16 carries for 53 yards. For all the talk about how poorly Kansas City handled its situation at nose tackle, the front seven held up quite well against an opponent that would love nothing more than to run the ball 50 times per game.<\/p>\n

See? I said it wouldn\u2019t take long.<\/p>\n

The pass rush was another matter. It was non-existent for the vast majority of the game. The secondary seemed to have communication issues from start to finish. Even when it did<\/em> communicate effectively, the coverage still left something to be desired.<\/p>\n

I get it: any defense would have limited answers for Ladd McConkey. He\u2019s a talented, young, ascending<\/em> wide receiver. But Quentin Johnston \u2014 and 33-year old Keenan Allen \u2014 combined for 12 receptions on 17 targets for nearly 150 yards. Tyler Conklin and Will Dissly caught all three of their targets for nearly 70 yards.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s pretty hard to explain away.<\/p>\n

In the end, it was one of the worst performances by a Kansas City pass defense since the unit rose to the top of the league in 2022. Here are the lowlights:<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • Justin Herbert became the third quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards (and nine yards per attempt) against the Chiefs\u2019 defense since then, joining Aiden O\u2019Connell (November 2024) and Bo Nix (January 2025 against backups).<\/li>\n
  • Herbert joined Joe Burrow (December 2022), Jordan Love (December 2023) and Nix (the January 2025 game) as the only quarterbacks in that span to have a success rate of at least 55% against Kansas City.<\/li>\n
  • Herbert posted the third-best QBR (88.9) against the Chiefs\u2019 defense since then, behind only Love (90.4) and Nix (96.8). O\u2019Connell (88.8) is the only other quarterback to post a QBR of at least 85 against the Chiefs since 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    But hey\u2026 losses happen. Even the Super Bowl-winning Mahomes teams of this era lost as many as six games during the regular season. This, however, wasn\u2019t just another loss. This looked (and felt<\/em>) different.<\/p>\n

    Can it be fixed?<\/p>\n

    Of course it can. We\u2019re talking about the Chiefs, after all. But it might take some time.<\/p>\n

    The offense will probably have to tread water over the next few weeks. The situation with the pass-catchers is back to where it has been over the past couple of years: there\u2018s just one real outside threat. In the coming weeks, it would be helpful for the running game to find its form. That would remove some of the pressure on Mahomes.<\/p>\n

    When Rice returns, the offense should change dramatically; he\u2019s the go-to weapon the unit currently lacks. When Worthy returns \u2014 possibly in a few weeks \u2014 he\u2019d also be a significant addition.<\/p>\n

    The defense, though, will be harder to square.<\/p>\n

    There\u2019s no obvious button to push. It\u2019s just that everyone has to play better \u2014 and I do mean everyone<\/em>. Kansas City needs more from Charles Omenihu, George Karlaftis and Mike Danna rushing off the edge. Chris Jones needs to play with more discipline. The safeties have to be better in coverage. The Chiefs need Kristian Fulton to play like the $20 million corner they signed him to be \u2014 because when he does, the team can put Trent McDuffie into the position where he\u2019s elite: as a slot corner.<\/p>\n

    The season got off to a rough start. The next month could be a bit more turbulent than we expected. But I have faith that the offense will eventually become a top-10 unit. While I have a bit of a harder time claiming the defense will be able to do the same, we\u2019re still talking about Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes\u2019 Chiefs.<\/p>\n

    So take another deep breath. Everything is going to be all right.<\/p>\n

    I think?<\/p>\n

    I hope.<\/p>\n

    0 Comments<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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